Now, thanks to those like Bryna, Mirko, and Caz’s father, the kingdom hung on a scale’s edge.
One push either way, and it would fracture. Civil war and rebellion would bring strife to the land. Thousands would suffer and die. The Red King would swoop in, taking great swaths of our territory while we fought among ourselves. Caz had outlined it all to me as he confessed that as his only doubt.
Never did he doubt me or my place with him. Only what might happen to others because of it.
I could sense his unease now, and I pushed forth my response to him. My love, my admiration, my desire. I opened myself to him fully as we sat on the thrones and let the elites howl at the realization that the end of their freedom and abuses was nigh.
His hand squeezed mine in return. I hoped he understood. He was doing the right thing. Change was rarely easy, but it had to be done.
Through the chaos, a dragon I didn’t recognize approached the throne slowly, calmly.
“Damon,” Casimir Dvorak acknowledged, his voice dropping to a threatening growl when the shifter’s eyes lingered on me.
Mine.
The word came through our bond crystal clear.
“If you do this, Alpha,” he said quietly, though my hearing could pick up his voice over the general din. “There is no going back. You must know that. Everything will change.”
Caz looked over at me. I met his gaze, and the bond between us flared to brilliant life. I saw everything he saw in that moment, heard every thought in his mind, and my heart swelled to breaking.
You are my mate. The woman I will spend eternity with.
I watched as a vision sprang up in his mind. Of me, pregnant with our first child. I saw time flow past, centuries coming and going in the blink of an eye. I watched our human sides slip into oblivion. I saw us as pure dragons, spending every day at one another’s side, until far in the future, our time came. I felt his heart soar as we made our own journey across the Great Abyss.
Together. Always.
Caz smiled at me before returning his focus to Damon. “No, Damon. Everything has already changed.”
Epilogue
Ella
The eggshit the heated pan, cracking and sizzling with predictable familiarity. They were nothing like the eggs from chickens, but getting those in Hollow Earth was a fool’s errand, even for the ice tyrant.
The animals themselves survived in the literal sense, but they needed sunlight, not orblight. Without it, the eggs turned sour, and their meat lost its taste, becoming bland and rubbery no matter how it was cooked or seasoned.
So we made do. Eggs came from the underboar as well as a rather superior bacon. Closer to Canadian bacon than strips, it crisped up nicely. Bread was bread, and Hollow Earth had long ago stolen that recipe. Cheese came from the subrahim, a cow-like facsimile, though the bony protrusions on its flanks made it a much tougher prey.
All in all, I thought, looking across the kitchen, it made for a reasonable cooking experience.
Not that I was used to preparing food from such a stocked larder. Rat on a stick with a sprinkle of wild herbs was much more myspecialty. Or had been, until recently.
Until Anna went and got herself mated to the ice tyrant.
I still didn’t quite believe it.
A sharp spatter of oil from under the eggs brought me back to reality as I hissed in pain, rubbing the spot just above my wrist where it had landed.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, Mil. Thanks,” I said, waving her off. The last thing she needed was to get up. She was currently resting on her preferred couch in front of the giant wall of windows.
Her food was up first. She needed to eat and keep working on her recovery. A few days had done wonders, but she was still rail-thin, and I hated seeing someone so strong and full of energy brought low like that. Not to mention, I shuddered every time I saw the silver slave collar still locked around her throat.
Another week, I judged, estimating her progress compared to my own. Another week and she would be strong enough to deal with having the collar removed. I didn’t envy her that experience. It had been hell.
I returned my attention to the food preparation, already thinking ahead to setting the table. The men looking after us, Kolar and Durion, would sit on the ends, as they always did. Milly would hobble her way over to the chairclosest to the window, where she could look out. I think it made her feel safer, like an escape was near at any time, if she needed it.
