Naomi didn't say anything for a while and only nuzzled closer to Daegal's warm body as if she wanted to enter his skin. Daegal, however, welcomed the contact. He quickly found out that he needed the closeness even more than Naomi did. Daegal almost thought she had fallen asleep until she spoke. "I can't make sense of it... I mean, I have been trying but it's all so..." "Vague?" Daegal suggested. "Exactly." Naomi nodded in agreement. "I haven't dreamt in quite a while so this took me by surprise. I can't decipher the elements I saw. I can't...see a connection," She explained. Daegal hummed. "If you can, please tell me anything you can remember. I might be able to help you connect the dots," he said. Naomi tucked a strand of her behind her ear and started drawing circles on Daegal's bare chest. "There was death... Everywhere. It hung over me like a cloud. Also, it was hot, unbearably so. I don't know where I was but bodies were piled up around me." She paused for a second then c

His encouragement spurred Naomi and she took off the glove on her right hand and held it up to the dragon. Then she decided on a name in the heat of the moment. “Aelyna!” Naomi took more steps to the dragon who watched her with shrewd eyes. The she-dragon’s breath puffed out from her nostrils like steam. “Disce,” she said, repeating what she had heard Daegal say to Dreygor the first time she came to the arena. Aelyna bared her long, sharp teeth at Naomi and leaned her head forward, interest piqued by the human without dragon’s blood in her veins trying to stake a claim. Naomi cleared her throat and to every supernatural being out there, she prayed that Nerina’s singing voice wasn’t horrible. She closed her eyes, opened her mouth, and began to belt a slow song that her father always sang to her whenever she was nervous or terrified about something. The song always calmed her down and Naomi hoped that it would have the same effect on Aelyna. When she whispered the last verse of the

A continuous, annoying tap on Naomi’s left shoulder grudgingly roused her from sleep. “What, what, what? Can’t someone get five minutes to rest in this place?” she complained while rubbing her eyes and yawning simultaneously.“Look who said she was going to help with preparations?” Daegal teased, stifling a chuckle.The next instant, Naomi sat up straight, eyes wide and alert. “The ball! Shit.” When she turned her head and took a look outside, a shocked gasp escaped her mouth. “How is it already dark? It was just after noon some minutes ago!”Daegal leaned against the post at the foot of the bed, his arms folded and eyes alive with laughter as he watched the love of his life scramble out of the sheets. “Easy, love. Everything is ready. No need to rush yourself.” He gestured to his body. “As you can see, I am not even dressed. We have about an hour and a half.”However, Naomi wasn’t sated by the revelation. Pushing her hair out of her face, she let out a groan. “I’m sorry. I know I sai

Ten days had passed since the New Year’s celebration which was not without drama. Though expected, the extent to which it occurred wasn’t properly thought out by either Daegal or Naomi.Yes, Nezetta was volatile and had deep-seated issues yet neither her former lover nor her brother foresaw the bitterness that radiated from her that day.Naomi and Daegal knew she would make an entrance but never anticipated that she would try to kill someone she claimed to love all because of jealousy and resentment.Ever since then, the days have been quiet, or at least as quiet as the castle could be. There was no news or more sightings of Nezetta as far as Naomi knew. Lately, though, she didn’t know so much.For some weird reason, Naomi was never aware of the proceedings during the war council and even normal council meetings that Daegal usually told her about.However, she chose not to think too much of it these past days and instead went for regulated flights around the castle on Aelyna, further

The annoyance in Naomi’s heart dissipated the moment Daegal’s arms wound around her waist. He pulled her close till his face was nestled in the crook of her neck.Slowly, she snaked her arms around his neck and let herself fall into his orbit. Daegal’s familiar scent—luxurious jasmine, aromatic sandalwood, and the sweetness of the moments after a heavy downpour—filled her nostrils, making her sigh and hold on to him tighter.He smelled like home.A short while later, they both disentangled from the hug and Daegal’s lips brushed against Naomi’s forehead.“I just want you to be safe.” His voice was low but screamed the need to protect, protect, protect.“Daegal…” Naomi trailed off, her eyes pleading, beseeching for him to let her assist… To allow her to do something meaningful for him and the continent at large.His shoulders dropped as he released a heavy breath. How could he refuse when Naomi looked at him in such a manner that made his heart ache?“Fine. If it means so much to you th