REUNITED

35

Shara sat at her vanity for a long moment, spinning the small velvet box between her fingers. That morning, she'd dug it out of the safe in her room at the Fulgara estate—the room that had felt empty to her for half a century.

She'd sat it on the vanity alongside some other things she was meaning to pack before she made the final trek to the Academy, where she would stay until the equinox. But the moment she'd set it down, she hadn't been able to think about anything else. And now that she held it in her hands, she couldn't bring herself to open it.

It's just a pin , she reminded herself, you can do this . With a gentle finger, she undid the delicate latch and took a deep breath before prying it open. Inside, just as she'd left it, rested a petite silver lightning bolt—the Fulgara family pin that every single generation had used during their pinning ceremony as they took their vows to become General.

Molden had worn it that day he'd visited Allar, just like he had for every other official occasion over the years. And when they'd brought her his limp body the following day…

Her mouth twitched at the harrowed memory. No one had been able to pry her away from him for two days. For two days, she'd lain over him, refusing company. She didn't sleep, didn't eat.

She'd known even before he was returned home. Something had cracked deep in her soul the moment he'd taken his last breath. She'd felt it. At the time, she'd attributed it to fear. Worry. But she knew, deep down, what had happened before they'd even brought him back. That piece of her died the moment she saw his unmoving form, slowly slithering away into nothingness as she wept herself dry over his marred body.

When she'd finally raised her head—when General Brune had literally pulled her off of Molden so they could sail his body and allow Luka to say goodbye—she'd looked at that pin, covered in his dried blood. The pin that signified his promise to all of Denover.

The same pin that had gotten him killed.

She'd pulled it from his chest and scraped off the dried blood before placing it back in the box that had still been sitting on his desk where he'd left it before departing. She'd gripped the box until her knuckles turned white as she watched them cart his body out of their shared room. The next time she saw him was on the wooden raft as she'd pushed his burning body out to sea, Luka's tiny hand in hers.

Guilt washed over her that she hadn't been there more for Luka in those first days. She hadn't even been the one to tell him—General Brune had done that, too. In the days following his death, she'd been a shell of a person, merely going through the motions to force herself to survive for their son.

The idea of having to become a general in his place—let alone Head General—was revolting. But Denover needed her, needed a sense of normalcy , General Brune had assured her. So she'd reluctantly agreed to a quiet pinning ceremony .

She'd refused to take Molden's pin, to wear it as her own. The Fulgara powers did not run in her veins, and so it would go to Luka one day, she told herself. More than that, she couldn't bring herself to look at it again, the bloody memory of it seared into her mind.

But her family had never held a position of power, so she'd had a local smith make her a new one, choosing the shape of three overlapping mountain peaks as a reminder of her ancestors lost to Mallium's eruption centuries before. And as a subtle nod to the Mere Mountains that protected their province, the same ones she and Molden used to escape to for fleeting moments of solace.

General Brune had pinned her, she'd said her vows to protect Denover, and then she'd promptly returned to their bed where she remained until her first Council meeting two weeks later.

Every so often during that time, Luka would climb into bed with her. She would hold him as they cried, his little shoulders shaking violently. Comforting him had been the only thing to give her some sort of purpose.

But during her first official Council meeting, something in her shut off entirely. She became numb, forced into a role she wasn't even remotely prepared for. And if she let herself think of Molden, she would start to spiral. So she didn't. She focused solely on the work in front of her, and nothing else.

Her outburst outside of the Sanctum was the first time she and Luka had really talked about Molden since then. And she hated that she'd done that to Luka. He'd needed a mother who put him first, but she'd been so broken she couldn't even put one foot in front of the other properly. Despite the fact Luka had nearly raised himself, he'd turned out so much like Molden. And that gave her hope that he would one day lead with the same compassion his father had .

As she looked at the silver bolt now, she saw that hope. Not the past, but the promising future of the Fulgara line. She took a cloth and rubbed it over the metal, renewing its shine, before placing her pin next to it. Sealing the latch, she wrapped it in a cloth and tucked it carefully into her bag.

She would not let Luka walk alone. Never again.

***

Aria finished Luka's gifted book in two days, faster than she'd ever finished another story before. Especially impressive considering her days were full of preparation for the squad's arrival that was quickly approaching.

But the similarities between Luka and the main character never ceased, so obviously she had to know what happened, the entire time curious about whether it really was inspired by him or not. It's not like that would be surprising. Authors often wrote books inspired by real people, some of her own ancestors included, though she vehemently refused to read those.

And Luka was so strikingly handsome. Powerful, cunning. He was probably considered royalty, as far as shifters were concerned. It would make sense for him to be a muse. And gods, this book was… vivid. Either the author had an incredible imagination, or she was inspired by real events.

Aria shook the lingering envy from her mind as she finished up her bath. The first night of the full moon was tomorrow, which meant her task the last few days had consisted of preparing for the squad's arrival, readying guest rooms for each of them.

After putting the finishing touches on all of the rooms, she'd left the book on Luka's nightstand with a note of her own, eager for him to find it. She really had missed all of them, her new friends. But even her body seemed to miss Luka.

She chewed the inside of her cheek as she dried herself off. Allowing herself to get so close to these people would make losing them so much harder if something happened on the equinox—

Stop , she scolded herself. She wouldn't let herself think that far. Her mother always used to say that every day was a gift, and to treat it as such. But that optimism in Joyen had faded drastically over the years. She may have thought she was sheltering Aria from her worries, but it had become more and more obvious over the years that she'd become a hardened version of herself.

Aria missed the joyous part of Joyen—her twinkling eyes and calming presence—and decided to heed her mother's advice as much as she could muster, even if she didn't feel it deep down. They may not have many days left, so she might as well live them unapologetically.

And when she climbed into bed that night, the arid summer air flowing through her open balcony doors, she left her nightgown on the floor just in case she had a repeat surprise visitor in the morning.

***

Much to her dismay, Aria woke alone the following morning, stifling the ache that thrummed between her thighs with a splash of cold water to the face. She emerged from her room, dressed in a formal tunic and loose pants, still fitting for the heat that befell the kingdom but nice enough to receive guests if they arrived today .

The castle was bustling with staff making last minute adjustments, dusting places that had already been dusted twice in the past day, running around manically checking every crevice for dirt. The Zephyr family had not hosted a single shifter, let alone five, in… Well, Aria didn't know. Maybe ever?

It had been a very long time, and despite reassuring the staff that no harm would come to them, they were all obviously very nervous about the situation.

It was early afternoon when Luka arrived first, landing outside the castle gates, causing a few of the guards to draw their weapons despite being warned of his arrival. Aria, embarrassingly, had been watching the skies. Waiting. But she walked calmly to meet him, not daring to show anyone how excited she was beneath her steady demeanor.

He used his long, sharp teeth to grab at the satchel that carried the group's packs, unlatching it and sending it to the ground with a heavy thud .

"Help us carry in the goods, won't you?" Aria directed the guards who stood wide eyed, staring at the black scales that shimmered in the sunlight. "Now, please," she said with a smile, snapping them out of their trance. They still inched toward him slowly, not wanting to get too close. "He won't bite. Right, Luka?"

The dragon shifted back into the body Aria had come to fantasize about, his black leathers without the scaled armor today, which she considered a good sign.

"Not unless you ask nicely," he winked at her, sending a flush of pink over her cheeks that she prayed none of the guards noticed. Now that he was mortal again, the guards quickly hauled the satchel back through the gates and into the castle foyer, leaving the two of them relatively alone .

"How was your flight?" Aria asked quietly, admiring the lines of his face that she'd missed so much in the month since they'd last seen each other.

"Not fast enough," he grinned and closed the distance between them. She held out a hand against his stomach, gently stopping him before he could get too close. She was still nervous about anyone seeing them, not wanting to start any rumors. But even after a day's flight, he smelled divine. The outline of his stubbled jaw, on full display with his hair pulled back, made her want to kiss the entire length of it. "You won't keep me away from you for long, Princess," he murmured, only loud enough for the two of them to hear. Heat warmed her neck, among other places.

Aria smirked but felt footsteps behind her, stopping her from muttering what she'd had in mind. "Captain Fulgara, it's good to see you," Joyen said cheerfully as she approached them, raising a skeptical eyebrow at Aria. She must have seen them whispering. "You should have heard the guards hollering when they got inside the doors. I figured I would come see what all the fuss was about. Where are the others?" She looked at Luka and then scanned the area, surprised to find him alone.

"They'll be arriving within the hour," he gave the queen a bow. "I just travel a bit faster than they do, but they're not far behind."

"Wonderful," Joyen said with a small smile. "The king and I are happy to host you all until we make our way to Denover. Come, come," she gestured for them to follow her inside.

"I'm glad to see you made it back from your tour safely," Luka said as he followed behind the queen, still apparently taking his role as ambassador seriously, given how formally he spoke. Aria was grateful for it, lest her mother get suspicious of them. "I'm eager to hear about any additional support we may receive."

Aria winced. Her parents had returned from their meetings defeated, nearly empty handed. Only a few of the noble families said they would be willing to assist in any way. Of those few, they were mostly interested in providing weaponry they'd accumulated, unwilling to risk the lives of their family or personal guards. They'd only returned to the castle with a few dozen armor sets and miscellaneous weapons, and a handful of guards who had volunteered of their own accord, having overheard conversations with the head of the family.

Sure, the king and queen could have ordered the families to participate, but that would have likely done more harm than good. And raised unnecessary suspicions. Though, Aria sometimes considered the fact that the people who declined may have doomed themselves to a death sentence, along with the entire continent. Perhaps this was one scenario when mandating participation was required, negative consequences be damned.

"Yes, yes," Aria's mother muttered as they entered the foyer, wishing to postpone that discussion. "For now, why don't we let you get settled?"

"Of course," Luka nodded politely. He looked around the entry room, admiring the cavernous ceilings and elaborate tapestries along the walls. "You have a lovely home."

"Thank you," she said, "I hope you'll make yourself at home here as well. I must be going, but the king and I will rejoin you this evening for dinner." Joyen gave them both a smile and proceeded back up the stairs toward her study.

Some of the guards remained hovering over the pile of packs, either anxiously awaiting further instruction or taking the opportunity to ogle the dragon shifter. "I'll show you to your room," Aria looked at Luka. "We can distribute the bags before they arrive." She moved ahead of him to lead the way.

They navigated a side stairwell until they reached the third and final floor of the west wing where the squad's guest rooms waited. One by one, Aria opened each door and told Luka who was assigned to that room. Luka then instructed the guard holding that person's pack to leave it inside. She'd saved his room for last, hoping they would have a moment alone, but there were still quite a few staff buzzing around the halls. Any other day she would've been incredibly grateful for the staff. At this moment, not so much.

It would certainly make it back to her parents if someone saw her go in behind him. Instead, she showed him into the space and leaned on the threshold, allowing him the opportunity to yearn for her just a bit more. "I'll show the others up here when they arrive," she said nonchalantly. "Find one of the staff should you need anything."

"You know exactly what I need," he turned on his heels toward her, their faces nearly touching. "Why don't you come in, give me a personal tour of my room?"

"You're a big boy, I think you can find your way around," she smiled playfully. "And I don't want to mess up my hair before dinner." She touched the braided crown on her head for emphasis, her white hair adorned with small emerald gems that matched her eyes.

"Can't have that," he said sarcastically, his gaze dancing around her face, taking all of her in for the first time in what felt like so much longer than a few weeks.

"I'll see you at dinner," she grinned.

** *

Luka closed the door behind Aria and surveyed the room, overwhelmed by the smell of fresh flowers that were stationed in multiple places, just like they'd been in the other main rooms they'd walked through.

It smelled like Aria, he realized. Or maybe she smelled like the castle. His senses grew heightened, awakened by the strong, familiar fragrance he'd dreamed about in her absence. Even in those loose-fitting pants, he'd inspected the curve of her hips as they'd swished while she'd led him through the halls.

She could have been wearing three layers of coats and he still would have admired the confident way she strode through each room. He could sense the difference in the way she walked here, in the comfort of her own palace—head held high, shoulders back. It suited her, that quiet power. It gave her a glow. Or perhaps she'd been spending more time in the sun, that beautifully freckled ivory skin dotted even more than when he'd seen her last.

He unloaded his pack into the chair and walked toward the bed—hoping to rest for a minute before meeting back downstairs for dinner—when he noticed The Captain's Caress laying on the nightstand. A tented card sat on top.

Of course this one is your favorite, you egotistical lizard.

I guess it did give me a few ideas. Thanks for sharing, but I think I'd rather have the real thing.

— A

His eyes lit up fiendishly, his mind already wandering to all the things he wanted to do to her. To recreate from the book, if that's what she wanted. He would do anything she wanted, actually .

Dinner first, he reminded himself, a wicked smile playing across his face. Then dessert.