The fire accepted her hand like it had been waiting.
Instantly, every torch lining the chamber flared—blazing tall—before extinguishing in perfect unison.
Darkness swallowed the hall.
Then the basin erupted.
A cylinder of golden fire shot straight to the ceiling, roaring. The force of it sent a shockwave knocking everyone back.
Gasps rippled. Bellatrix's eyes went wide, her lips parting in disbelief.
Gold light poured into Serena, streaming up her arm and through her chest.
But then something changed.
The mark on her arm flared blinding hot. The intensity matched what she felt when she channeled fire from Velkaris.
It hurt like a motherfucker, but her composure didn't waver.
Unbeknownst to her, around fifty people in the hall stood rigid, faces pale. They heard the same whispers and felt the same pain on their arms.
Descendant of the Moonlit flame,
Dragon Queen, reborn in name,
We have been waiting for you.
When Dex heard Dragon Queen, he stiffened. It was so obvious. How had he not connected that until now? He was the Dragon King Incarnate, and she was his true fated mate. Dragons bowed to her. Obviously she would be that.
Tiberon and Hyran, on the other hand, didn't react or seem surprised.
What fell in Frostborne wakes once more,
Orosia is not the only shore.
A warning now, we pass to you,
To guide your hand in what you do.
Darkness stirs in Drakenfell.
Do you accept what we bestow,
The path ahead, the truth to know?
Serena swallowed, and thought, I accept.
Dex exhaled. She accepted. Without hesitation. Without knowing what it would cost her.
Of course she did.
You have accepted, your oath now sworn.
The War Summit awaits at the coming morn.
You shall attend for Drakenfell alone,
While the crown remains upon the throne.
Dex's blood ran cold.
They wanted to send her alone.
No.
For there will be an invasion tomorrow night.
Both the Wise King and Dragon Prince must stay to fight.
While home is held and banners spread,
The War Summit calls the Beta, Gamma, and you ahead.
There are five traitor packs in Skardos's twenty.
Seek Alpha Kings from three.
Meet with them in the dark, where no eyes may see.
Bloodmoon, Shadowclaw, and Darkhowler.
An ambush comes on the third night,
The Draken Forces will need to fight,
If Summit falls, so falls Drakenfell, and all packs of Skardos.
Dex's jaw locked. Sending her into a nest of vipers without him there. He hated it. Every word of it.
The whispers spoke again.
The last thing we offer to you incarnate,
Is won by wit.
Should your mind be sharp as a blade,
No soul of Drakenfell will die during either battle.
If you cannot solve it, many deaths will occur.
Open the Vault once given to you,
Find what calls your name.
The fire surged down to normal, and Serena pulled her hand out immediately.
Her face was composed, but a bead of sweat fell down her temple. She seemed unaware of the color draining from the faces around her.
Dex felt her trying to keep calm, her mind already in problem-solving mode. Then he felt an itch on his own neck and knew it was her through their matebond. This was the second time he'd felt this with her, and sure enough, a rash was creeping up her neck.
He would burn the entire world to the ground before he let anything happen to her.
Hyran's voice carried through the chamber, formal and final.
"By blood sworn and flame sealed, this rite is complete."
His words reached Serena as if through water.
She was still dazed by the fire when Dexmon's hand closed around hers. Only then did she realize the King and Queen were already halfway down the aisle.
They fell into step. Elara and Hale followed.
He wondered if she was aware that he heard what she heard. His blood oath activated when he was about to say something. Adrenaline. He couldn't tell her without revealing the Hidden Flame marks.
So he remained quiet.
When they made it into the corridor, Dex pulled her close to him, kissing her forehead. He surged calm into her through their matebond, and she jumped.
Serena didn't hear Elara the first time.
"Serena," Elara called, saying her name for a second time.
Only then did the world come back into focus.
Elara grabbed her arm and yanked her quickly down the corridor.
Out of Dex's arms completely.
Away from him.
Again.
Dex watched them go and something dark clawed at his chest.
No.
He was done watching. Done waiting.
He went after her.
✦✦✦
"Stupid crowning ceremony..." Agnes muttered. She slipped through the eastern gate, hood pulled low, cloak wrapped tight against the cold.
The guards had changed shifts ten minutes ago and she'd timed it perfectly.
The forest loomed ahead.
She walked quickly, boots crunching over frozen ground. No torch. No light. She knew the path by heart now.
They'd met here once before.
Twenty paces in, the trees swallowed her whole.
She counted her steps.
Fifty. Seventy. One hundred.
There.
A figure stood between two ancient oaks, perfectly still. Cloaked. Hooded. Waiting.
Agnes stopped five feet away, her breath misting in the frigid air.
"You're late," the figure said. Male voice. Low, gravelly.
Her jaw tightened. "Skip the pleasantries. Did you get it?"
"Do you have payment?"
Agnes reached into her cloak and pulled out a small leather pouch. The coins inside clinked softly.
She tossed it.
The figure caught it without flinching, weighing it in one gloved hand.
"This is half what we agreed."
"The rest comes when I see results." Agnes didn't bother hiding her irritation. "Your last guarantee cost me a fortune and achieved nothing."
"Last time, someone interfered. And this isn't poison, princess." The figure's tone didn't change. He was calm and unbothered. "Both of these items were also far more difficult to secure."
He reached into his own cloak and withdrew two vials. "Viper's Kiss and False Mate Tincture."
Agnes stared at both vials.
"How do I administer it?"
"Both are taken as a drink. Both can also be injected if needed." He held it out.
She reached for it.
He pulled it back slightly.
"I want the rest of my payment."
"You'll get it when she's dead and he's mine."
"Then you'll get this when I have my gold."
They stared at each other, neither moving.
Finally, Agnes reached into her cloak again and pulled out a smaller second pouch. She threw it at his feet.
The figure bent slowly, retrieved the pouch, and tested the weight. Then he extended the vials.
Agnes took both.
"This better not fail me," she started to say, but he was already gone. The gold with him.
Just shadows and silence.
She tucked both vials carefully into her inner pocket, then turned and walked back toward the castle.
Behind her, something rustled in the undergrowth.
She froze.
Listened.
Nothing.
Paranoia, she told herself.
But she walked faster anyway, glancing back twice before she reached the tree line.
When she finally emerged onto the castle grounds, she exhaled hard, steadying herself.
The eastern gate was still clear. Guards still changing. Perfect.
She slipped back through, hood low, and disappeared into the corridors.
Everyone important was at the crowning ceremony still. She rolled her eyes at the thought.
When she got back to her quarters, she began to work. Preparing.
"Game on."