The connection faded, leaving Zirene standing in the war room’s cold light.
Royak and V’dim watched him with carefully neutral expressions. They’d sensed the shift in his mood. Of course they had—they’d served beside him long enough to read the shape of his shadow in the room.
“Continue coordinating the defense,” Zirene ordered. “I’ll return shortly.”
He didn’t wait for acknowledgment before striding toward the corridor that led to Selena’s quarters.
She was waiting.
By the time Zirene entered the royal lobby, everyone else had already retired to their cabins.
Zyxel occupied himself near the far wall, coiled loose as he scrolled a vidtablet, its pale glow sliding over crimson scales. Sitting across from him, Eshe worked a talon against a psystone in slow, exact strokes—shhhk, pause, shhhk—each sound measured, each movement controlled.
Neither of them looked at Selena for long. Neither stepped closer.
They held their posts with quiet ceremony—present, attentive, and deliberately distant—guardians who understood when protection meant giving their leaders the space to speak freely.
Selena stood by the viewport with one hand resting on the gentle swell of her belly. Transit space streaked behind her, stars smearing into lines. The light painted her silver hair in shifting bands, making her look almost unreal.
Not because she was fragile.
Because she was too bright to belong to his darkness.
“I felt you coming. Your shadows gave your presence away.” She turned, her ocean deep eyes finding his with that unerring precision that never failed to humble him. “Something’s wrong. More than the Quaww.”
Zirene crossed the space between them in three strides, his paws finding her waist with practiced familiarity. He pressed his forehead to hers, breathing her in—that unique scent of exotic flowers and starlight and home. The scent that had anchoredhim through his darkest moments. That continued to anchor him still.
Yet underneath it all, Kaede’s fragrance remained, identifying her as his. that the life growing inside her belonged to her bodyguard. It was faint but still strong enough to taint her own.
The weight of the universe stifled his growl. There were more pressing things demanding his shadow’s fury—things neither of them could change, and far more urgent than this.
“I have to leave you.”
She didn’t flinch. Didn’t pull away. Her fingers traced up his chest, settling against the pulse thundering in his throat.
“I know.”
“The front lines need me,” he forced out. “My commanders need to see me there. If I don’t go—”
“Zirene.” Her voice was soft but steady, carrying the same steel that had faced down Aldawi politics. “I know.”
He exhaled, the tension bleeding from his shoulders. Of course she understood. She’d spent enough time learning the weight of leadership, the impossible weaving of duty and love.
“There’s more.” He pulled back enough to meet her eyes. “The Assembly is convening. They want the Aldawi Beacon to address the Chamber about the Verya threat. I can’t go to stand beside you—my place is at the front.”
Understanding crossed her face. Not fear—something heavier. Like she’d already seen this path and hated that it existed.
“You want me to speak for the empire.”
“You’ve done it before.” His claws flexed against her waist. “You’re better at it than I ever was. The Assembly needs to hear from someone who can bridge species, who can make them see the Verya as a threat to everyone—not just the Aldawi. Someone who embodies everything we’re fighting to protect.”
“And you’ll be at the border,” she said quietly. “Fighting.”
“Burning everything that threatens our people.” His shadow curled around them, possessive and gentle at once. “Yes.”
Selena’s spots shifted, cycling through pale pink to something deeper, more complex. She reached up, cupping his face between her palms—so small against his Aldawi features, yet fierce enough to anchor him when his darkness threatened to swallow everything.
“Go.” Her voice carried conviction that humbled him. “Protect our people. I’ll hold Destima. I’ll address the Assembly. I’ll make them listen.”
