For now, that’s enough.
It’s everything.
TWENTY-NINE
TAMSIN
The Crown sits in my palm, deceptively small.
A sphere of crystallized light, no larger than an apple, beautiful and harmless-looking. The kind of object someone might display on a mantle, admire for its craftsmanship, and never guess it holds enough power to reshape the world.
“You don’t have to do this alone.”
Auren’s voice comes from behind me, and then his arms wrap around my waist, pulling me back against his chest. The cold of him seeps through my clothes—familiar now, welcome. I lean into his embrace, letting his steadiness anchor me.
“I know.” I turn my head to press a kiss against his jaw. The muscle there tightens, his arms constricting briefly. “But I need a moment. Before everyone arrives.”
We’re in the northern courtyard, the one typically used for dragon training. Stone walls rise around us on three sides, high enough to contain magical backlash, reinforced with wards that have held for centuries. The fourth side opens onto the landing platform where the brothers take flight, mountain air cutting sharp and cold through the space.
It’s the most protected location in the fortress. The safest place to unleash power that might level buildings if I lose control.
If.
I won’t lose control. I can’t afford to.
“What are you feeling?” Auren’s breath is cool against my ear.
The question catches me off guard. The ice dragon asking about feelings. A month ago, I wouldn’t have believed it possible.
“Nervous,” I admit. “Not about controlling it—I know I can do that. Nervous about...” I trail off, searching for words.
“About what you’ll become when you hold that much power?”
I turn in his arms until I’m facing him. His golden eyes hold mine, and I see recognition there. Not judgment. Not fear. Just acknowledgment of the truth I haven’t spoken aloud.
“Morrigan wanted this.” My voice comes out rough. “More than anything. She destroyed our family trying to get it. And I’m about to reach out and take what she died for.”
“You’re not Morrigan.”
“No. But we share blood. Share the same capacity for power.” I press my palm flat against his chest, feeling his heart beat slow and steady beneath the cold. “What if there’s something in me that responds to the Crown the way she would have? What if I open it and discover I don’t want to close it again?”
Auren’s hands come up to frame my face. His thumbs trace my cheekbones, and the chill of his touch sends awareness racing through me.
“Then I’ll be here to remind you who you are.” His forehead presses against mine. “The woman who killed her own sister to protect people she’d known for weeks. The princess who walked into a fortress of dragons who had every reason to hate her and refused to bend. The Fire-Bringer who has more power thananyone alive and uses it to shield others instead of dominate them.” His voice drops. “That’s who you are, Tamsin. The Crown can’t change that.”
Something cracks in my chest—not pain, but release. The fear I’ve been carrying since I first decided to wield the Crown, finally acknowledged. Finally met with something other than my own desperate reassurances.
I kiss him. Not soft, not careful—fierce and claiming and full of everything I don’t have words for. His mouth opens under mine, cold against my heat, and his arms band around me so tight I can barely breathe. I don’t care. I’d rather drown in him than have air.
When we finally break apart, we’re both breathing hard.
“You’re making it very difficult to focus on world-ending magical artifacts,” I murmur against his lips.
“Good.” His hand slides into my hair, tilting my head back. “I want you thinking about something other than power. Something worth coming back for.”
“You.” The word comes out without thought. “I’ll be thinking about you.”
His expression shifts—something vulnerable flickering behind the controlled mask. He presses one more kiss to my forehead, lingering, and then steps back just as footsteps echo from the corridor.
