I’m left alone on the terrace with the mountain view and a jumble of thoughts that don’t want to make sense.
The temperature drops as the sun disappears behind the peaks. I should go inside. Should find my assigned room and collapse into whatever bed they’ve provided. Let exhaustion do what common sense won’t.
Instead, I stay.
Pull my jacket tighter and watch the last light bleed from the sky. The bond hums in my chest—not painful yet, but noticeable. A gentle tug that sayshe’s far away, too far, come find him.
I ignore it.
Or try to.
But it’s like ignoring hunger or thirst. A need that sits deeper than logic.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out, expecting… I don’t know. Maybe Elena checking in. Maybe Viktor with some new emergency.
Instead, a marketing text offering short-term insurance.
Welcome back to civilization, I guess.
I should text Elena. Should ask her if she wants to meet up for some BFF time now that I’m back alive and relatively intact and—
The door opens again.
I turn, expecting maybe Kael coming back. Maybe Caleb with more urgent dragon business.
Instead, Elena and Lila step onto the terrace.
Speak of the devil.
They move together. Mother and daughter. The resemblance is unmistakable—same coloring, same eyes, same way of holding themselves. A lot like the resemblance between Kael and Caleb. Now that I’ve seen them together, I wonder how I missed it.
“Mara,” Elena says.
And just like that, the careful distance I’ve been maintaining shatters.
Because that’s Elena’s voice. My best friend. The person who showed up when my apartment flooded and helped me salvage my hard drives before calling a plumber. Who listened to every conspiracy theory without judgment and only occasionally suggested I “maybe touch grass.”
Who I thought I’d never see again. For the first time since I got back to civilization, I allow myself to really acknowledge what I’ve just lived through. And Elena’s the first person I’d want to discuss it all with.
“Babe,” I manage, voice cracking. “Hi.”
She crosses the distance in three strides and pulls me into a hug that smells like her fancy shampoo and something earthier. Magic, maybe. Or just the mountains.
I hug her back. Tight enough to hurt. Long enough that when we finally pull apart, my eyes are stinging.
“You died,” Elena says. Her voice is shaking. “I thought—” She stops. Swallows hard. “I thought you were dead, Mara.”
“I’m hard to kill. Cockroach energy.” The joke comes out weak. “Also, turns out ancient dragon kings make excellent life support.”
“About that. Caleb told me about what happened.” Elena glances at her mother. Then back to me. “Can we talk?”
Lila steps forward. Up close, I can see the differences from Elena—older, harder edges, the silver in her dark hair that catches what little light remains. But the eyes are the same. Sharp. Assessing.
“About the bond,” Lila says carefully.
My stomach drops. “What about it?”
Elena’s hand finds mine. Squeezes. “We can heal you. Completely. Break the connection Kael created and heal the underlying injuries. You wouldn’t need him anymore.”
