“No.” I pulled the ring closer to my chest, my grip around it tightening. This wasn’t about bravery. It wasn’t even about pride. The truth rang as clearly in my mind as the echo of those ancient runes: This was mine to do. The ring had been held for me alone. “It’s me. It has to be.”
His hand lowered, though his eyes never left my face. “As you wish, my queen.”
Perhaps, given the situation, it was a ridiculous thing to do, but I smiled.
I turned back to the altar, holding the ring between my thumb and forefinger as I leaned closer. The dragons loomed larger this close, their snarling faces a short distance apart, their bodies forever frozen in combat. The pedestal beneath them felt strangely alive, like the altar was watching every move I made.
Damn fates always messing with our lives. Or maybe in this instance, helping?
I rubbed my thumb over the top of the blue stone, noting the faint etchings that matched those at the base of the depression. Drawing a deep breath, I lifted the ring over the altar, aligning the stone with the hollowed shape. I lowered it until the cool weight ofthe altar pressed against my fingertips and the stone had been seated perfectly inside the depression.
The room remained silent, unmoving.
I swore the dragons above me were watching, mocking me, even, their eyes gleaming under my finger magic. Exhaling, I pressed the stone harder, as if force might bring about some reaction, but still, nothing.
“Of course.” Tugging the ring away from the depression, I stared at its faceted surface, then at the altar’s carved hollow. “I’m missing something.” I turned to Lore. “Any new riddles from the fates you’d care to share?”
His jaw clenched before his head tilted, a frown appearing on his face. “Let me try something.”
He took the ring from me and holding my wrist with my mating mark, he slid the ring onto my third finger. The blue stone winked as it settled into place, the fit perfect for my hand.
“Try now,” he said.
“What if you're supposed to do it?” I whispered, clutching my bejeweled hand to my chest. “My intuition could be wrong. You’re the cursed king. It could be you who has to?—”
“No.” He took my face between his palms, pressing his forehead against mine and locking our gazes together. “I love you,” he rasped. “Do you understand? What you’ve done for me means everything. With each breath, I thank the fates for bringing you into my life. It always has been and always will beyou.”
His words settled in my bones, pulling me together even as my heart threatened to crack wide open. Silent, I nodded.
I shifted back to the altar and raised my trembling hand. Without hesitation, I twisted my wrist and pressed the blue stone down into the depression. It settled into place with an unnerving click.
The room rumbled beneath us again, the vibrations racingthrough the smooth stone walls around us. They throbbed as if the entire chamber had suddenly come to life and started breathing.
The dragons mounted on the top of the altarmoved. Not a slow, creaky shift, but a fluid, predatory stretch, their necks arching and their jaws parting. Light glinted off their scales, making them look like molten metal, and I swore their growls vibrated in my chest. My breath choked off. Lore's grip on my arm tightened.
“Are they alive?” I whispered, my voice a thin hiss.
Farris backed up until his furry butt hit the wall. He sat, watching, his gaze never leaving me.
The air grew heavier, and my hair spun away from my head as if caught by static. The lull that descended in a whoosh reminded me of the moment before lightning strikes beside you. My pulse jumped in my throat, and I told myself I should look away, but I could not make myself do it.
The dragon's tails coiled up toward their spines before snapping back down, smacking against the stone like thunder. Their eyes swirled with golden fire. They locked onto me, predators sizing up prey. Someone's teeth chattered. Maybe mine. Lore's. Both.
Their necks stretched upward, and they cast enormous, serpentine shadows that swallowed the room.
The world held its breath along with us as…
…with a soundless roar, they blasted flames toward the ceiling.
54
Reyla
Fire coiled down from the ceiling and arched toward the center of the room, seeking me where I remained pinned to the altar.
Farris barked.
With a cry, Lore snapped his arms around me and tried to spin me away from the altar. But the ring remained stuck in the depression, my hand locked to the ring. Trapped in place, I was bound to the middle of the room with my arm stretching out beneath a blaze determined to burn us alive.
