Runa's gaze followed my gesture. Her expression didn't change, but something shifted in her eyes. Consideration, maybe. Or the beginning of it.
"I think some of the women in Scalvaris would choose to come here, to settle here. Kira, Larissa's sister, has been tearing herself apart for months. This can be peaceful."
The crowd murmured at that. Whispers spreading through the gathered humans, speculation about who these women were and why they'd stayed with the Drakarn in the first place.
Houston stepped forward, his jaw set. "You should stay here," he said. "We can let your … friend leave and give his report. But you don't need to go back."
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. They thought they were offering me freedom, offering me safety. They had no idea what they were asking me to give up.
"I've made a home there. I have no intention of staying here." My hand found the knife at my hip, the one Nyx had made for me. The grip fit my palm perfectly, a weapon designedspecifically for my hand. A gift that meant more than they could possibly understand.
That sent a ripple of surprise through the crowd. Murmurs turned to outright conversation, people exchanging looks of confusion and concern. A few stared at me like I'd grown a second head.
Karima's expression had gone soft with something that looked uncomfortably like pity. Like she thought I was suffering from some kind of trauma-induced delusion.
Let them think what they wanted. I knew the truth.
"I will need to talk more with my people before we try for any sort of alliance," said Runa. She pushed off the wall, straightened to her full height. Back to being the captain making decisions that would affect everyone under her command. "But any humans are welcome here. This is a space for them. And we will allow your so-called friendly Drakarn to bring them. But they cannot stay." Her tone made it clear this wasn't up for negotiation.
Fair enough. I could work with that.
Sutton looked up. His hands were covered in Nyx's blood, bandages wrapped tight around the worst wounds. "This one is in no shape to fly tonight."
Nyx's eyes had closed again. His breathing had evened out slightly, the worst of the pain managed by whatever Sutton had given him. But he was pale under his scales, exhausted and hurting.
Runa sighed. "Then they can stay the night as guests. You can leave once he's healed up."
It wasn't exactly a welcome with open arms, but I'd take it.
And part of me couldn't wait to see the ripples of shock this was going to send through Scalvaris. The Blade Council would probably spend weeks debating what this meant. And Karyseth would absolutely lose her shit when she found out there werethousands of humans on Volcaryth, not just the handful in Scalvaris.
The thought made me smile despite everything.
Runa gestured to one of the guards. "Get them quarters. Somewhere they can rest without being disturbed." She looked at me, her expression still unreadable. "We'll talk more in the morning."
I nodded. Turned back to Nyx, who was watching me through half-lidded eyes.
"We're staying the night," I told him in Drakarn. "Then we go home."
His tail found my ankle again, coiled tight. Possessive and reassuring all at once.
22
LEXA
A week later,we were back in Scalvaris.
The door to Nyx's quarters was carved from a single piece of obsidian, polished smooth as glass. My fingers traced the edges as he worked the mechanism, feeling the grooves worn into the stone by decades of use.
Home.
The word sat strange in my mind. I'd had quarters in Scalvaris for months now, a small room near the other unmated humans. But this was different. This was his space, and he'd brought me here instead of taking me back to my own bed.
The door swung inward.
Heat hit me first, dry and intense but not uncomfortable. The air tasted different here, mineral-rich and faintly sulfurous. Volcanic. My boots scraped against smooth stone as I stepped inside, and Nyx's hand found the small of my back.
His quarters were massive.
