I dropped to my knees and cradled the man’s head in my lap. Hands shaking, Thorne wiped soot from his body, revealing pale, unmarred skin. From under the grime, a familiar face emerged. One I’d only ever seen carved in stone, stitched in banners, immortalized in fading paint.
The face of King Alaric Blackwing.
“How is this possible?” My voice trembled with shock.
“You’re back.” Thorne patted along his brother’s limbs, as though he didn’t believe the image before him was real.
“I’m back?” Alaric croaked, lifting his arms. Eyes rounded, he stared at his hands as if seeing them for the first time.
“Sit me up,” he commanded as only a king could. “I need to see.”
Thorne supported his shoulders, guiding him into a sitting position. Once upright, Alaric ran his hands down his thighs,gaping at his legs. “It worked. Help me stand.” He set a hand on Thorne’s shoulder.
“Now, hold on. Maybe you should take things slow for a…” I trailed off because neither of the men was listening, Thorne already pulling Alaric upright.
“Hang onto him.” I scrambled to my feet and tucked beneath his other side.
He wobbled but held his weight, wonder lighting his face.
“What did you do?” Thorne asked, words thick with emotion. “When I couldn’t find you, I feared the worse. You return, and this happens.” He swept a hand toward his brother’s fully human form. “How? Who did this?”
Alaric turned to me, gratitude blazing. “Serafina.”
“Me?” I blinked.
He released Thorne and faced me, gripping my shoulders. “You did it, Serafina. You broke my curse.”
I stared, mouth gaping. “But I—”
“I’ve been unwell since the blast of energy you hit me with during training. I feared to say anything, not daring to hope, but something in your magic changed me that day. You broke the curse. It simply took time.”
My mind spun, disbelief fogging my thoughts. No way had I accomplished such a miracle. Especially not by accident. The memory of that suffocating void I’d sensed gnawed at me. What if this rebirth had come at some dark cost?
“You really think—”
Alaric’s mouth crashed into mine.
Shock splintered through my brain. Somewhere behind me, a low, dangerous growl rumbled.
One hand gripped the back of my head, his powerful arm wrapping around my waist. The heat of his nude body branded me through the thin shift I’d donned. Holy hell. This was no friendly kiss of thanks, but that of a king staking his claim.
When his tongue demanded entrance to the private recessesof my mouth, the ice that had locked me in place melted in an instant. I wedged my arms between us, pushing the newly shifted Draconis aside. Blessedly, he released me.
“Apologies,” he said, shameless smile curving his lips. “I’ve wanted to do that for a very long time.”
I patted his shoulder, taking a step back—two, just to be safe. “Quite alright.” If I hadn’t kissed anyone in centuries, I’d get a bit carried away as well.
Thorne appeared at his brother’s side, and I caught the flash of murder in his eyes before it melted into concern. “How about we get you to the bathing chamber and find you some clothes?”
“Clothes,” Alaric barked, delight sparking across his soot-streaked face. “It’s been ages since I’ve worn clothes. Or sat in a chair. Drank from a cup. Read a book. Held a sword.”
I forced a smile at his joy, though the memory of that cold, suffocating void clung to me. For all his eagerness, something whispered that not everything about this miracle was right.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
SERAFINA
With Alaric recovered,I offered to surrender his former bedroom. He refused, insisting I remain in his bed. The phrasing struck a dissonant chord, one I forced myself to dismiss. After all, he’d only spoken a telepathic form of Draconian for years. Surely it was a slip. And yet, the way his eyes had lingered on me left a heaviness in my stomach I couldn’t quite shake.
