Bren followed with that irrepressible glimmer in his eyes, tempered but not extinguished. Zenon’s icy precision softened into quiet devotion when our gazes met.
Larkin’s movements maintained the cadence of the battlefield—steadfast and rooted—while Kratos moved like a formidable storm—fierce, protective, and unstoppable.
My lovers.
My Faction.
My six.
When they reached the base of the dais, they dropped to one knee in perfect unison. The sound of armor striking marble echoed through the hall like a shared heartbeat.
I opened my mouth to speak or ask a question, but the words that came out weren’t mine, even though the voice was.
“You’ve returned.”
The Fellat beside me lowered its head slightly, tentacles curling inward in what felt like a gesture of approval, as if recognizing their return as much as I did.
Emerging from the shadows behind them, the Varruk appeared—unshackled.
Majestic.
Whole.
His ember-bright eyes locked onto mine, and an ancient, unspoken connection seemed to unfold between us, reminiscent of the bond I share with my Fellat. He folded his arms across his chest, traced a claw down his sternum, and then knelt beside the six men.
The sight of everyone kneeling—my Faction, my lovers, this ancient creature, and the Fellat standing tall beside me—made something inside me ache.
I rose from the throne, moving with a grace that wasn’t learned but remembered. Ambrose lifted his head first, his sharp gaze softening completely under mine. One by one, the others followed—devotion, love, and the bond shining in each of their faces.
The Fellat beside me gave a low, approving rumble that vibrated through the floor.
A voice echoed through the hall, not from any one mouth, but from the air itself.
“All hail our beloved Queen Lilibet.”
The words hit me deeply, resonating within places I hadn't realized existed.
The golden light fractured, then the hall dissolved as if someone had thrown a stone through a reflection. I gasped awake, sitting bolt upright in the darkness of my room, breath ragged.
Their faces.
The Varruk’s gesture. The Fellat by my side.
It hadn’t felt like a dream.
It had felt likeremembering.
The first pale light of dawn slipped through the narrow window, painting faint lines across the floorboards. I hadn’t really slept after the dream—if it even was a dream. My eyes were gritty, my body restless, my mind replaying every second of that golden hall on a loop.
When I finally pushed myself upright, something felt… different.
Not wrong, but not exactly right, either. Justchanged.
The air in the room felt sharper, somehow clearer. I could hear the drip of water in the distant halls as if it were right beside me. My heartbeat sounded louder, as if the world had turned up its volume and forgotten to tell me.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed, rubbing at my temples. A faint warmth pulsed there, lingering from the crown that had faded hours ago. When I exhaled, the flame in the small wall sconce across the room wavered—even though no breeze had touched it.
My chest tightened. “That’s new.”
