Page 71 of Fire and Blood

“For the politics?”

“For everything.” His arm wraps around me, steady and permanent. “Pyraeth is free tonight. Tomorrow, we make sure it stays that way.”

I fall asleep in his arms, surrounded by dragon fire. The gods can watch. We burned their servant’s plans to ash, and we’ll burn the next thing they send. That’s the cost of what we chose—of surviving when we weren’t supposed to, of dismantling something built with divine tools. We’ve drawn attention that will not simply fade.

We chose it anyway. We’ll keep choosing it.

The future can loom with its centuries of uncertainty and challenge.

I’ve made my choice. I’ll make it again, as many times as necessary.

Dragons become better monsters with purpose. And witches—this witch, at least—choose to stand beside them anyway.

For as long as we both live.