Zander blinked. “Siergen? No. Hein just said Kaelith waited until you were in pain.”
I grunted, half a laugh, half a grimace. “No. She waited until I was seconds fromdeath.My heart is still healing from my magicshreddingit.”
His jaw clenched, the muscle twitching once. “Gods,” he muttered, and reached out, brushing his fingers gently against my cheek. “You’re pale. I assumed it was the strain.”
“It was,” I said, hollow. “The strain of holding my organs together. It’s hell on a girl’s complexion.”
Zander didn’t smile. His thumb lingered for a moment, like he wanted to fix something he couldn’t touch.
“How did SiergenorderKaelith?” he asked, voice low.
I shrugged. “They need him. I think he has more sway with the dragons than any of us realized.”
He looked like he wanted to argue, to challenge it, but he didn’t.
Instead, he tried to reassure me. “Kaelith bonded you. That’s all that matters. Whatever brought it to the edge, you made it back. Yousurvived.You’re?—”
“Stop,” I whispered, cutting him off as I stepped back. “I’m not like the others.”
His brow furrowed.
“Kaelith neverwantedme. She never will.” My voice cracked, but I didn’t stop. “I’ll do my duty. To her. To my squad. Until the day I die.”
I turned from him before he could speak again. I didn’t want comfort. I didn’t want his pity.
I walked away, leaving the prince of Crownwatch standing alone in the shadow of his title.
And I sank back down into the grass beside Naia.
She said nothing.
But she slid her hand into mine.
And for now, that was enough.
We’d sat on the edge of the Ascension Grounds with something unfamiliar running through all of us, relief. The bonding trial was behind us. Most of us had survived it. Scarred, shaken, changed… but we were still alive.
And now, the energy had shifted. We were all cadets.
We were bonded. Our dragons rested near the cliffs, watching us like guardians from another world.
Naia stretched out her legs in the grass, her braid unraveling as she leaned back and let the sunlight kiss her skin.
“I canfeelhim now,” she said with a smile. “Temil’s always there. Like this hum under my skin. It’s more than magic. It’s calm. Like he’s breathing with me.”
Cordelle chuckled, his tone thoughtful. “I’ve felt Kass in my dreams since I got my pendant. But now it’s like… we’rewoven.I tried practicing my power again the other night, just a little.”
“You did?” Riven leaned in, wide-eyed.
He nodded. “Kass told me to stop. Said I wasn’t ready yet. But I think he meant… emotionally. We’re training as a unit now. No one rider fights this war alone.”
Ferrula grunted in agreement, rolling one shoulder. “Damn right. You bond, you belong. Anyone trying to use their power without their dragon’s blessing is asking to get turned inside out.”
Riven, ever the showoff, flicked her hand, and orange fire danced like a snake across her knuckles before vanishing. “Controlled demonstrations only,” she teased. “Let’s not burn down the barracks.”
Tae grinned, eyes glinting. “Oh, please. Youwishyou had the flair I do.”
He raised a brow, then pointed a single finger at Jax, who stiffened instinctively before waving him off.
