“And you want to find it.” Nasyra’s voice is soft with understanding.
“I think I already have.” The admission feels monumental. Terrifying. True. “He just doesn’t know what to do with it yet.”
Selene raises her glass. “To unexpected men. May they continue to confound us in the best possible ways.”
We drink. And I let myself imagine it—a future where Auren’s ice melts enough to let me in. Where the fire I’ve glimpsed beneath his frost becomes something we share rather than something he hides.
It seems impossible. But then, so did everything else that’s happened since I fled Valdoria.
We stayuntil our fingers prune and the last of the wine is gone. The conversation drifts to lighter topics—Rurik’s disaster with a noble’s toupee at a formal dinner, Drayke’s ongoing war against a specific bird that insists on nesting outside his window atdawn, Zyphon’s inexplicable talent for flower arrangement that he refuses to acknowledge exists.
“He made Nasyra a beautiful bouquet,” Selene whispers conspiratorially. “Beautiful work. Threatened to murder anyone who mentioned it.”
“He’s very sensitive about his artistic side.” Nasyra’s smile is wicked. “I told him it was attractive. He didn’t speak to me for hours.”
By the time we finish all the food and drink, I feel different. Lighter. Like some burden I didn’t know I was carrying has been lifted, at least for a few hours.
“We should do this regularly.” Aisling stretches, looking more relaxed than I’ve ever seen her.
“Weekly.” Selene nods firmly. “Non-negotiable. The boys can handle one evening without us.”
We make our way back through the corridors, parting with hugs and promises. I return to my room feeling warm and content and more at peace than I have since before everything fell apart.
These women—stubborn Aisling, fierce Selene, wise Nasyra—have become something I didn’t expect to find. Sisters. Not by blood, but by choice.
Better than blood. Morrigan taught me that.
Which is, of course, when her message arrives.
The sphereof shadow appears at my window the moment I close my door—a small, pulsing darkness that makes my skin crawl with recognition. Her magical signature. Her blood calling to mine. Keyed to find me specifically, waiting until I was alone.
I should get the others. Should alert Auren that she’s breached the wards.
Instead, I reach out and touch it.
“Hello, little sister.”Morrigan’s voice fills my head, intimate and invasive.“I know you’re hiding behind the dragons. Playing house with your new friends. Did you enjoy your little spa day? Very touching.”
She’s watching. Despite everything, somehow she’s watching.
“Come to me willingly. Bring the Crown. Submit to what’s rightfully mine, and I’ll make it quick.”The false sweetness drops, revealing cold calculation beneath.“Make me hunt you, and I’ll start with them. The women you’ve started calling sisters. The ice dragon who can’t stop watching you.”
My fire surges, white-hot, responding to the threat against people I’ve started to love.
“I’ll take them one by one, little sister. Make you watch while I drain everything they are. And when you’re finally alone—when everyone who thought they could keep you safe is ash—then I’ll come for you.”Her laugh echoes through my skull.
The sphere dissolves. The magic fades. And I’m left standing in my room with fire blazing around my hands, the peace of the evening shattered.
She wants me afraid. Wants me to see caring as weakness, the bonds I’m building as vulnerabilities to exploit.
I think about what I learned tonight. Aisling finding happiness with the opposite of her careful plans. Selene discovering that refinement mattered less than being truly seen. Nasyra learning that light can exist even in shadows.
Morrigan thinks love makes us weak. She’s wrong.
In the morning, I’ll tell the others about the message. We’ll prepare for whatever she throws at us.
But tonight, I hold onto what I discovered in the hot springs. About the women who’ve become my sisters. About the ice dragon who arranged cushions for my comfort.
About the truth I’m finally ready to admit: I want that fire beneath his frost. I want to be the one who helps him thaw.
