Judgement. That’s what was heading for us. Five Dragon Lords coming to hear testimony from the cult priestess who'd helped murder twenty-seven of their potential mates.
My stomach clenched so hard I tasted bile.
"Breathe," Zephyron said quietly behind me. Close enough that I could feel the electric hum of his body. Not touching—he knew better than to crowd me right now—but present. Grounding. "They need to hear this from you. Your intelligence changes everything."
I wanted to believe him. Wanted to trust that the information carved into my spine—now healed into silver scars that matched my bond marks—was valuable enough to outweigh my crimes.But I couldn’t believe it. And no matter what purpose the intelligence might serve, I couldn’t resurrect the dead.
"There," Zephyron said quietly.
I saw them. Five dark shapes against the lightening sky, moving with the kind of grace that only came from millennia of flight. They circled the citadel once—establishing dominance, maybe, or just announcing their presence—before angling toward the landing platforms that jutted from the tower's sides like steel petals.
The first to land was massive, scales like polished garnets that caught the early light and threw it back in shards of crimson and gold. Davoren. The Fire Master. I knew him from the cult's intelligence reports—ancient, powerful, rigid in his adherence to tradition. As his talons touched the platform, I watched his transformation begin.
The shifts were faster than Zephyron's had been. More controlled. Davoren's dragon form compressed inward, scales becoming skin, wings folding into shoulder blades, that massive frame condensing down to something merely tall and imposing rather than city-destroying. When the change completed, he stood in warrior's leathers, his copper-dark skin marked with patterns like cooling lava. His hair was gray-white streaked with deep red that seemed to hold its own light.
The others landed in quick succession. Sereis touched down with barely a sound, his aurora-silver scales shimmering like frozen starlight before he shifted to human form—tall and pale, his white hair in ritual braids, his movements precise as a meditation master's. Garruk's landing shook the platform, his black granite scales absorbing light rather than reflecting it. When he shifted, his form was broad-shouldered and immovable, skin that looked carved from stone.
Caelus descended in a spiral, showing off, his storm-cloud gray scales almost translucent. His transformation was the mostfluid—serpentine dragon becoming lithe human form in one smooth motion. Silver-white hair, playful energy even in the serious moment.
The last arrival made my breath catch. Morgrith landed in shadow, his deep black scales seeming to fade at the edges like he was half smoke. When he shifted, his form was ethereally handsome, sharp features and silver-black hair that moved like living darkness. His eyes were the most unsettling—they shifted between deep violet and absolute black, like he was looking at multiple possible futures simultaneously.
The glass doors whispered open and they entered with their mates. The women—because they were all women, all carrying bond marks that matched their Dragon Lords'—moved with varying degrees of confidence and wariness.
Kara Lyris came first, walking beside Davoren. She was lean and aristocratic, her ash-brown hair in elaborate braids, her movements carrying the grace of someone trained in knife-dancing. Her bond mark bloomed across her collarbone in patterns like flame, and she assessed me with sharp intelligence that missed nothing. Former noble. Former exile. Survivor.
Mira walked close to Caelus, her small frame almost disappearing beside his height. Dark hair, storm-gray eyes that carried gentleness and curiosity. Her bond mark traced across her neck and shoulders like frozen lightning. She looked at me with the kind of careful assessment that came from surviving servitude. Understanding what it meant to be owned and then freed.
Lark bounced in beside Garruk, her movements quick and slightly defiant. She was dangerously thin—thinner even than I'd been when I arrived—but her dark eyes sparked with protective fire. She clutched a rag doll under one arm and her bond mark glittered across her throat like mica catching light. Former pickpocket. Former stray. Fighter.
And Wren. She entered quietly behind the others, staying close to a dragon I hadn't seen land—smaller than the Lords, probably not transformed. Her bond mark spread across her temple in cloud patterns, storm-gray and silver, and when her eyes met mine, I saw recognition. Understanding.
Only Morgrith was mateless now.
The Dragons filed into the war room proper, their mates following. The space was designed for strategy—a massive table dominated the center, covered with maps and tactical displays that Zephyron had activated earlier. Glass walls on three sides showed the city waking below us, sunrise painting everything gold.
But the light couldn't soften the weight of five ancient predators in one enclosed space.
My body knew what they were before my brain caught up. Every instinct I had screamed to run. To submit. To flatten myself against the floor and hope they decided I wasn't worth killing.
My hands shook. I pressed them flat against my thighs, trying to hide the tremor.
Through the bond, Zephyron's hand found my shoulder. His touch steadied me, grounded me, reminded me that I wasn't alone in this room. His electricity hummed through my skin—possessive, protective, absolute.
Davoren moved to the head of the table. His copper-dark eyes tracked across me with the kind of assessment that probably preceded violence. When he spoke, his voice carried the weight of millennia.
"So this is the cult priestess who helped murder our potential mates."
The words hit like physical blows. Around the table, I felt reactions ripple. Sereis went very still, his pale eyes calculating. Garruk's expression turned to granite, unreadable. Caeluslooked between me and Mira, something protective flashing across his face. Morgrith simply watched from the shadows near the wall, his expression giving nothing away.
The mates had their own reactions. Kara's hand moved to rest on one of her hidden knives—casual, but ready. Mira's gentle expression hardened slightly. Lark clutched her rag doll tighter, her body language screaming that she'd fight if necessary. Wren just looked sad, like she understood exactly what I was and what I'd done.
Zephyron's hand tightened on my shoulder. His electricity crackled, audible in the tense silence.
"This is my bonded mate who defected to warn us." His voice carried thunder underneath, the electric undertone intensifying. "She risked execution to deliver intelligence that changes everything. The least you can do is listen to what she has to say."
Davoren's eyes narrowed. "Your mate. How convenient. Are we certain this isn't an infiltration? A cult plant designed to—"
"Look at her bond mark." Zephyron's voice cut through the objection. "Look at the transformation she's undergone. You can all feel it. The marks don't lie."
