I stood at the threshold as that sense of not belonging returned. I was an Azure, proud to be one, had suffered alongside my people—but I wasn’t like these Azures. I was less powerfully built and didn’t have an animal form to shift into.
And now I was the tygress rider, uniform bedecked with the tygers of the Silver Dominion. I belonged with Flame. I had missed her today. I visited her after that final, exhausting run, both of us taking pleasure in my grooming her. But it felt wrong to be apart during training. Our Bond was deep, like the roots of an ancient tree joining the lonely, ragged pieces of my heart. She gave me purpose and something more. Something that I didn’t have a name for but had longed for all the same.
“Rubi?” Quinn’s loud, jovial voice rang out. My eyes darted to the far left table where Calla and Quinn both sat, with a few other Azures at their table and the one over.
Their clothes were dyed in earth tones or left plain, worn soft and easy against their skin. Bits of wood, feathers, and polished stone decorated braids and necklaces, rattling softly as they moved. Their free laughter rang out.
There were easily five times as many Silvers, though they kept at least a table between themselves and any Azures.
Eyes all stuck to me as I moved. How long would it take for the novelty of my atypical circumstances to wear off?
“Hey,” I said, sliding in beside Calla and Quinn. The others eyed me warily.
At least it was easy to see where I stood with everyone.
Calla introduced me across the table quickly, though I didn’t absorb their names. I was distracted by the burn of ice blue eyes across the room.
Blake Axefire, glaring from his table on the right.
He was seated next to Princess Malissa, who played with the ends of her hair, eyes focused on Ire as he spoke with a mouthful of food. Jace sat across from them, his back to me, though his shoulders shook as he laughed with one of the warriors next to him, one I didn’t recognize.
Blake’s gaze stayed on me until Malissa pulled at his arm and turned him toward her. I didn’t miss the flare of her eyes over me before she turned his attention away.
Calla popped up to grab a basket of tea eggs from a passing server. “Wishing you’d sat with them?” She twirled with careless ease before settling onto the bench beside me, not dropping a single egg. “It’s fine if you want to.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I think I’m right where I’m supposed to be.”
Calla smiled before Quinn wrapped his arm over my shoulder to shove at her.
“You’re such a show-off, Calla, honestly.”
“C’mon,” she cheered. “The Silver ironnecks are very aware of howfreewe are. We might as well enjoy it.”
Laughter rippled across the table, Calla’s face bright with mischief. My eyes caught on her arm, on a set of braided leather bracelets that were a shimmering copper and gold. “I like your bracelets. They’re the color of Flame’s fur.”
Slipping one off her wrist, Calla handed it to me.
“Oh—no, I’m—”
“I have tons,” she said, grabbing my wrist and slipping it on, featherlight and flexible compared to the solid jade bracelet on my other wrist.
“It’s beautiful.”
Calla’s eyes crinkled with warmth. “My mom used to make them for us—she had a litter of girls, me and my three sisters. We called them our sister bracelets, and said that if we wore them, we’d always be connected.” She nodded to my wrist. “We can call ours friendship bracelets.”
For a moment, I wanted to scoff. To deflect the well of emotion rising like a tide within me. But kindness, especially in a place such as this, was a gift.
“Friends,” I said. “I like that.”
—
The next morning my muscleswere stiff and sore. I’d tried to stretch but ran out of time—I wouldn’t risk the embarrassment of being lateagain. Though as I approached the field—on time—it felt like everyone’s eyes were on me anyway, and the tygers had a new energy.
Flame appeared next to me.My rider. I have been waiting.
I am happy to see you. But everyone is staring.I looked around at the other warriors.
My first time here. Un-Bonded tygers train separately.Come on, let’s go.
