LOGINHe took a step toward her, slow and predatory. "There will never be another. Not while I breathe. Not while I exist."His voice dropped lower. "I would burn every kingdom to ash before I let another man look at you, Sera. Do you understand me?"Sera didn’t move. Her breath quickened. Not in fear, bu
She reached for his arm—He jerked away. "I left because the rut was coming. Because I knew if I stayed, I’d mark you with another child and destroy the last pieces of you I hadn't already taken.""Rhazien—""No." His eyes burned, voice rising like a storm ready to split the world. "You think I don’
The citadel had gone quiet for the night.Lioren had taken the last shift patrolling the outer hall, his boots silent against the stone. Even the flames in the sconces burned low, as if the mountain itself held its breath.Sera had watched him earlier from the nursery doorway, the way his small fram
“Then we find another way,” she said. “Mortals have ways to—”“No.”His voice was final, sharp as a blade. “We’re not talking about root teas or salves. I know what my body is capable of. I know what I’ll take from you if I lose control.”“You didn’t lose control. Not even once.”He shook his head s
It had been weeks since the birth, yet the mountain still felt like it held its breath—like every stone and shadow remembered the moment blood painted its halls. The air remained thick, not with smoke or heat, but with silence. A silence that pressed down, weighty and expectant, as though waiting fo
"So will I."Rhazien, watching from a short distance, didn’t speak. But he inclined his head once—slight, solemn. A gesture full of unspoken meaning.It was the closest thing to a blessing he’d ever given.And this time, Lioren didn't flinch from it.He straightened his spine.Sera watched him for a
Rhazien’s head snapped toward them.“No.”The healer blinked, startled. “My lord, if we don’t—”“You will not raise a blade to her body,” Rhazien growled, stepping between them and Sera like a wall of living flame.“We fear the child may be too large. Dragonborn do not pass easily through mortal fra
Sera stepped ahead, silent, steady, then turned back to him at the water’s edge.“Let me,” she murmured, reaching for the ties at his waist.His hand caught hers—not to stop her, but to pause her.“You shouldn’t have to see me like this.”“I already have,” she said. “You think this is what makes you
Sera didn’t wake when Rhazien slid out from behind her, careful not to disturb the tangle of limbs they’d fallen into. Her brow twitched faintly, cheek pressed to the pillow still warm from his chest. Rhazien lingered for a breath, memorizing the rise and fall of her back—proof she was alive. Safe.
She had fought tooth and nail.And not once had she told him.Not a whisper. Not a wince.The knowledge sliced through him sharper than any blade. Not only had the court betrayed her—he had. He’d trusted them. Left her in their hands. And they had repaid that trust by tearing into her while he lay h







