REALITY

38

Luka stroked lazy circles along Aria's back as she laid with her head on his bare chest, her hand on his stomach, feeling it move gently with each breath. They laid like that for what felt like minutes, but was probably hours, content in the comfortable silence after reveling in each other's bodies twice more that night.

But as Aria felt his breath against her brow, that damned voice in the back of her head prodded incessantly. You're just going to get hurt, it said . What if you lose this? What if you lose him ?

She had felt it, then. The way he'd looked at her. This was more than just a physical attraction. For both of them.

"Have you ever actually seen battle before?" she asked quietly, her voice still hoarse from the strain of her screams, just as he'd promised she would be.

She thought about the few skirmishes that had occurred since the border battle, none of them more than a few rogue fae clans or shifter packs looking for an opportunity to cause some trouble. Luka had only been a child when his father was killed. She worried, like her, his inexperience may lead to his downfall. Their downfall .

"Once. Against my mother's wishes," he said calmly, his eyes still on the ceiling. She tilted her chin up to look at him, expecting him to continue. He felt her gaze boring into him and sighed. "A few years ago, there was a small group of Unifiers that marched through the Sanctum territory, claiming to be nomads seeking refuge in Denover. When they made it to the Dragon Province, our patrol saw right through them, gave them a chance to leave. They didn't.

"I happened to be at the estate when we received word of the disturbance. My mother ordered me not to go. I went anyway and took care of the few stragglers that were left. She says she's forgiven me for disobeying her, but I think it scared her enough—the thought of losing me, too—that she was upset with me for a while after that."

Aria could hear the pain in his voice, both at having to defend his territory and for going against his mother's request. That must have been the incident that had ramped up the Unifier movement. "I didn't realize you'd been involved," she said, returning her gaze to the wall.

"There was no reason to inform your kingdom of the details when we thought you were the ones who had sent the Unifiers there to begin with."

A needle pierced her heart. He hadn't meant it as a jab, but it landed anyway. "Why did you never come after us?" She left out the unspoken part— after we murdered your father— but his hesitation told her he knew what she meant.

"My mother was heartbroken, could barely leave her chambers. Rage was the only thing that kept her grief at bay," his breath hitched, just slightly. "But despite all of that, she refused to go against my father's desire for peace. So instead, we refocused our troops on defense, and espionage, to keep tabs and prevent loss of life before it happened. She promised all of us, including our civilians, that we would never be the cause of another battle."

Aria felt a guilt-laced tear escape, running down the side of her face and onto Luka's chest. "I'm so sorry, Luka."

He took a finger and tilted her chin up to look at him, his eyes filled with moisture, too. "You don't have to apologize for the atrocities you didn't commit. All you can do is be better than those who have come before us. Do better," he paused, searching her face. "And you are."

Aria stretched to meet his lips, salty from their tears. Her heart filled with sorrow, but more than that, hope. If the two of them could find common ground—could find each other in all of this madness—then perhaps their realms stood a chance at finding peace, too. With their help.

They fell asleep like that, wrapped in each other's limbs, too afraid to let go.

***

Aria woke the next morning to Luka running a fingertip lightly along the top of her arm as they lay on their sides, facing each other. The sun was shining brightly through her windows, making her squint while her eyes adjusted to the look of content on Luka's face as he watched her stir.

"Good morning, Princess," he muttered softly. "I didn't want to overstay my welcome, lest people talk," he grinned, "but there is a warm bath waiting for you."

She blinked, panicking that someone had come in to fill up her tub and seen them together. "How—"

"Fire, remember?" He blew a little puff of smoke at her that tickled her nose. Oh, yeah. He leaned in and kissed her before turning over and sitting on the edge of the bed to gather his clothes.

Aria's eyes traveled the length of his muscled back, those delicate whorls now intersected by a series of scratch marks. She winced. Oops. She propped herself up and scooted toward him, placing delicate kisses along his shoulder blades, wishing they could spend all day in bed reliving the night before.

"What do the swirls mean?" she asked, her lips still pressed to his skin.

"My tattoo?" he asked without looking at her. "I thought I told you, that night by the fire."

"You didn't say what the shapes meant, just that the gray represents the bond between your parents."

"Oh, well… It'll probably sound stupid to you," he stood, pulling his pants up to his waist. "But when two dragons marry, they take a flight together—their first true flight as a joined couple. It's a specific flight pattern that's been passed down through generations. The swirls are a depiction of that pattern."

"That's not stupid at all," she looked at him as he pulled on his shoes. "It's beautiful. I wish the fae did something like that. Our marriage ceremony is quite boring, honestly."

A small smile tugged at his lips as he picked his shirt off the floor. "Then perhaps when you're queen, you might change that."

"Perhaps," she said, tracing the lines of his torso beneath his pants, sad to see them disappear under his shirt as he slipped into it. "I'm sorry," she began softly, "that we have to hide… whatever this is." He looked down at her, hurt flashing in his eyes—just briefly. But she saw it and cursed herself for her flippant words. "Luka, I didn't mean—"

"It's okay, Aria. You don't have to apologize. I don't want to put any more pressure on you than you already carry." He brushed a gentle thumb along her cheek. "We can take this at whatever pace you're comfortable with. You don't have to decide what you want right now. But I will be here when you do. Whatever that decision may be—whoever you choose—I will find a way to live with it, just like I always do."

His weak smile did nothing to hide the pain that lived under it. It tugged at something deep inside her. Aria leaned into his hand, closing her eyes, relishing the soft touch. "Thank you."

Luka pulled his hand away and finished dressing before giving her another look of admiration as he walked out the door, back to his own room. She let out a heavy sigh and collapsed on the bed. What had she gotten herself into?

When she finally made her way to the bath and steeped herself in the warm water, she couldn't help but replay her worries over and over in her mind. What if you lose him? What if you lose him? What if you lose him? And why now ? Why was he interested in her , of all people? Doubt seeped into the crevices of her brain.

But his words mingled with her fears.

I will be here. Whatever you decide.

The water turned cold by the time she pulled herself out.

***

Aria made her way to the kitchen, hoping to satiate her rumbling stomach. On her way back to her room, she ran into Clem talking to one of the head staff in the foyer. "Princess Aria," he greeted her, "I was just asking where I could find you. The troops will be ready tomorrow morning. We're just finishing packing today and then we can leave first thing tomorrow. "

Tomorrow. Her heart sank at the thought of having to leave Luka again, but mostly at the fact she'd have to face Vera so soon. She nodded, "I'll let the others know."

"Oh, they've already been informed," he said, "they're all at the Institute." Clem saw the confusion cross her face and shrugged. "Taren asked if they could bring the squad over to help prepare. Sounded like everyone was itching to help."

Well, shit, she panicked . That didn't look great for her, considering she had taken her sweet time in the bath and was now the only one not helping. Aria scarfed down the sandwich she'd made and left the castle, taking to the skies. Her wings undulated furiously, hoping to make up lost time. But by the time she spotted the pack of shifters and Taren, clustered outside the Institute grounds, they were already sweaty from stacking crates of weapons along the wall. By the looks of it, they'd been out there all day.

"Nice of you to join us, Princess," Evelyn tossed the words at her with a smirk.

"We thought you might have ditched us to go to Erdane by yourself," Taren said, wiping beads of moisture from their brow with the back of their hand before lifting and stacking another crate. "In which case, I would have had some very unkind words for you."

Aria snorted. "I would never willingly subject myself to one of your scoldings."

"I take it Clem found you?" Luka's voice came from behind her, where he'd been loading a few shields into his dragon-sized satchel. There was no honey in his tone, none of the warmth she'd felt that morning. He was doing her a favor, not showing any hint of familiarity. As if they hadn't been tangled in her sheets mere hours ago .

She nodded in acknowledgement, trying to play it as cool as he was. "Sounds like I better start packing, too."

"Do you have some bedrolls we could borrow?" Evelyn asked her. "I don't particularly feel like sleeping within Vera's territory, so camping tomorrow night is probably a better option."

"Good call," Aria said. "Taren and I can just share packs with you and carry them on our backs on the flight. I'll make sure to add extras."

"Hopefully you won't mind Evelyn's snoring," Kam signed with a fiendish smile, "even I can't escape it when it shakes the walls."

Evelyn gave Kam a deathly glare. "Everyone's so funny , aren't they? I won't miss you fuckers at all," she said, thrusting a shield at Kam, unable to hide the way her lips curled at the corners.

"I'll make sure to bring ear plugs," Aria laughed.

They finished securing the last of the crates, eventually loading them one by one onto carts that would either be pushed with wind, or pulled by the wolves and panthers—or fae with lingering wing injuries who couldn't fly. The sun began to graze the horizon when they were done for the day, all of their supplies loaded and ready for them to leave the next morning.

"We'll leave at dawn with the troops," Aria instructed the three who would be joining her for the trip to Erdane as they all made their way back to the Zephyr castle on foot, enjoying the evening breeze, their bellies full from a hearty meal at the Institute. "We can meet here," she said as they approached the castle gates.

"Be safe," Leah warned. "Just leave if you feel trouble. Better safe than sorry. "

"As long as I don't fall off a cliff this time, I think we'll be fine," Evelyn said, trying to lighten the mood. Aria couldn't help but notice the shift in the way Evelyn talked about what had happened that day—from not being able to so much as look Aria in the eye, to now joking about it freely. She was glad to see the change. "Besides, we won't be far behind you at the Academy."

"If you're not back within two days of us arriving, I'm sending a search team after you," Luka said, unamused.

"Cool it, fire breather," Evelyn rolled her eyes, starting toward the entrance. "See you all bright and early."

A few muttered goodnights in her wake and followed. Luka and Aria trailed the group, walking slowly, putting space between them and everyone else. "Can I walk you to your room?" Luka asked quietly.

"Sure," she replied. She knew it wouldn't be wise for them to repeat last night, but she couldn't stand to part from him just yet.

They made their way through the hall in silence until they approached her door, so differently than they had the night before. Aria stumbled over her words. "I… We shouldn't. Tonight."

"I know." He brushed his fingers lightly against hers, clearly unsure of whether she wanted his touch again. "I meant what I said earlier. You don't have to know what you want. You could tell me to fuck off right now and I would." His head tilted. "I wouldn't be happy about it, I want to make that very clear. But I—"

Aria grabbed his face and pulled him toward her, locking his lips in hers. He melted under her touch, the reassurance of her kiss relaxing his body in relief as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She pulled back to meet his eyes. "I'm not done with you just yet. "

"I'm glad to hear that," he sighed. "Now go get some sleep. And try not to think of me too much while you're gone." There was that smirk she'd come to love.

"Okay, now you can fuck off," she laughed.

He raised his hands and backed away slowly. "As you wish. Goodnight, Aria."

"Goodnight, Luka." She watched him walk down the long hall, their eyes meeting a final time as he glanced back at her before rounding the corner.