“The dragons aren’t so bad either,” Aisling adds.
“When they’re not being dramatic.”
“Which is always.”
We laugh—the three of us, Fire-Bringer sisters bound by fire and survival and the peculiar experience of loving impossible dragons. It feels good. Right. Like something I was always meant to find.
Below us, the fortress stirs to life. Dragons emerging from quarters, staff beginning the day’s work, the rhythms of a life I’m only beginning to understand. This is my home now. These are my people.
Auren stands alone on a lower level, staring toward the east with cold determination. The final Relic is out there somewhere, waiting. His story is coming, whether he wants it or not. I’ve seen the way he watches the horizon—the same way Zyphon usedto watch the shadows, waiting for something that might never come.
I wonder what his story will look like. Wonder if there’s a Fire-Bringer somewhere in the world who doesn’t know yet that her life is about to change.
And beyond the mountains, King Ulrik still rules the Shadow Clan. The father who created Zyphon’s curse. The king who will inevitably learn of his son’s death and seek vengeance. That threat hasn’t ended—it’s only evolved. But we’ll face it when it comes. Together.
The war isn’t over. Not really. But for this moment, in this sunrise, with my sisters beside me and my mate’s claiming mark pulsing warm over my heart?—
For this moment, it’s enough.
Arms wrap around me from behind, and I lean back into Zyphon’s embrace without hesitation. His chin rests on my hair. His shadows curl around us both, protective and possessive.
“You’re up early.”
“Couldn’t sleep.” I turn my head to press a kiss to his jaw. “Too much to think about.”
“Good thoughts?”
“The best thoughts.” I let my fire warm his shadows, feel his curse hum contentedly in response. “We survived. We won. And now we have forever to figure out what comes next.”
A lifetime ahead.
I’m learning to live again. Really live—not just survive. Learning to love without fear. Learning to trust without reservation. Learning to be part of something bigger than myself.
And for the first time since my resurrection, I’m looking forward to finding out what comes next.
The sun rises over the mountains, painting the world in gold.
A new day. A new life. A new beginning.
Finally.
THIRTY-ONE
THE FOURTH RELIC
TAMSIN
The kingdom of Valdoria burns behind me.
Three days of running. Three days of hiding in shadows and sleeping in ditches, of rationing the last of my magic to keep the wards around the Relic intact. Three days since the Shadow Clan descended on my home and reduced centuries of history to ash and screaming.
My family is dead. My court is scattered. My kingdom—the kingdom I was supposed to inherit, supposed to protect—exists only in memory now.
All because of the artifact pressed against my chest, hidden beneath layers of warding and desperate magic.
The Dominion Crown. The one my bloodline has protected for generations, passed from queen to princess in an unbroken chain of duty and sacrifice.
King Ulrik wants it. Wants me. And after what his son’s death cost him, he won’t stop until he has both.
