Then, Lyra sighs.
I glance over. “What?”
She chews her lip, as if debating something. Then—casually, too casually—she says, “Speaking of being doomed . . . I’ve been sleeping with Garrick.”
“I figured something was going on there,” I smile at my friend.
She grins, pleased with my reaction. “Yeah, it’s been going on for a while now.”
I gape at her. “And you’re just telling me now?”
She shrugs. “Well, you were kinda busy—bonding to a dragon, tossing magics tantrums across the outpost, becoming the realm’s shiny new savior . . . so I figured my sex life wasn’t exactly priority news.”
I stare at her. Then—burst out laughing.
Lyra grins. “See? This is the kind of reaction I was waiting for.”
I shake my head, still laughing. “Garrick?!”
She smirks. “What can I say? That body. The man has stamina.”
I groan. “I did not need to know that.”
She cackles. “Oh, but you do, my friend.”
We ride in companionable silence for a while, the only sounds the rustling wind and the steady thud of hooves against dirt. But the closer we get to the capital, the heavier it feels, wearing the title Spiritborn like armor that doesn’t quite fit.
“What if I’m not enough?” I murmur. The words slip out before I can stop them. Terrifying. Too true.
Lyra turns sharply, her copper-red hair catching the sunlight, her expression shifting from easy amusement to something harder. “What?”
I shake my head, regretting saying anything. But Lyra has never let me get away with silence.
“What if I fail them? What if I fail everyone?”
The bond pulls tight, sharp and sudden. Thane feels it too—I see the start of his turn—but he stops himself. He gives me this moment with Lyra. And gods, I’m grateful for it.
Lyra says nothing for a long moment. Then she yanks her reins, cutting her horse in front of mine, forcing me to halt.
I blink. “What the—”
“No.” Her voice is firm. Steady. Unshakable.
I frown. “No?”
“No, you don’t get to do this.” She points at me, fire in her light brown eyes. “You don’t get to sit here and doubt yourself when I’ve seen you become stronger, and so fucking powerful. Every damn day since we got here. When I’ve felt your magics, when I’ve watched you bond with a godsdamned dragon like it was the most natural thing in the world.”
I open my mouth, but she isn’t done.
“You are not going to fail, Amara. You are not going to disappoint anyone. And you sure as hell areenough.” She leansforward, deadly serious. “And if you ever doubt yourself like this again, I will personally throw you off a cliff.”
I stare at her. My heart aches—and not just from the fear. From the love.
“Isn’t that how I bonded with Calryx?” I say, smiling through the ache.
Her gaze pins me down. “That’s beside the point.”
A laugh bubbles up before I can stop it, and I shake my head, warmth creeping into my chest.
