Chapter Twenty-Nine
Daxton Aegaeon
A fierce and unyielding wind along the terrace whipped through the open doorway. A warning of a storm approaching.
I’d spent years learning to read and identify every aspect of battle, having been instructed in the art of war since childhood by my mother and father.
Since I was old enough to stand, I studied combat, followed closely by the strategies needed to foresee an opponent’s strike before it could fall.
The sharp tang of fear, the brittle edge of anticipation, they were as familiar to me as breathing.
Below, Crimson City shimmered in the fading light, its sandstone towers glowing gold beneath the setting sun, the last warmth of the day before the desert night cooled the people below.
I watched from above as they returned to their homes and settled in for the evening.
The sight of our people finally at peace and no longer fearing the wilt at their doorstep should have comforted me.
However, we weren’t safe yet, not as long as Minaeve lived and breathed in this world.
Skylar stood a few paces ahead, gazing out at the city below. She hadn’t spoken since our final meeting adjourned this morning. Since we’d returned from the healers’ ward smelling faintly of smoke and sorrow.
Talon’s life still hung by a thread, and Skylar blamed herself for dangling him on the edge of it. The wolf jumped in front of Minaeve’s shadow arrow and saved her life in Zircon City. And for that, Talon would forever be in my favor.
Gunnar, Shaw, and Castor stood together by the doorway. Their voices were low but strained, and Magnus was nowhere to be seen.
Of course he wasn’t, and a part of me didn’t blame him for it. He’d made his stance clear.
No humans. No alliances. No risks. The same old ghosts, whispering of old wars, plagued the shifter’s heart, refusing to let go.
I flexed my hands, feeling the weight of Valencia strapped across my back. Power hummed beneath my skin as I sank into my inner warrior, beneath the calm mask I forced into place. We would not enter this meeting unarmed or naive, hoping for peace.
But still… the idea of hope lingered, clinging to a prayer tucked in my mate’s burning heart. And for that fact alone, I agreed with her decision to go.
Skylar turned toward me on the balcony, and for a moment, the world stilled. Her eyes, ember-bright and dangerous, met mine. I saw the exhaustion, the quiet ache she tried to hide. Still, she stood along the railing like the alpha queen she was. Brave, strong, and above all, stubborn to a fault.
And gods help me, I loved her all the more for it.
“You’re sure about this meeting?” I asked, my voice low enough that only she could hear.
She didn’t answer right away. A stray breeze tangled in her hair, catching the faint shimmer of firelight that now lived beneath the strands.
“Talon agrees that I should go,” she said finally.
“I need to extend my hand and to show them that a true alpha, or queen, does not rule by fear… but by kindness and the strength of their heart.”
My throat tightened. “I have never known a stronger heart, my spitfire, than yours.”
Her lips curved. Not quite a smile, or an outright denial. “Flattery will earn you many things once this is over, husband. Keep it coming.” She winked.
There it was. That spark of reckless courage I’d fallen in love with.
I wanted to hold her, to remind her that she didn’t have to carry the world on her shoulders alone.
But instead, I gave her space to stand on her own and simply reached for her hand.
She didn’t flinch when our fingers entwined, her warmth bleeding into me like sunlight through glass.
“I’ll follow your lead,” I said quietly. “Wherever it takes us.”
Her gaze softened, just for me. “Then let’s find out what kind of people these humans really are.”
Zola appeared in the shadows of the balcony. “I didn’t see any sign of Taran or Minaeve’s royal guard. There’s a creek and a small trail off the main roads leading south of the clearing. I believe that it’s the Rainbow Woods Réalta speaks of in her letter.”
Castor grunted. “Cryptic.”
“Or cautious,” I said. “Perhaps both.”
Gunnar cleared his throat behind us. “And if there is anything—”
“There won’t be,” Skylar cut in, looking at our general. “I’m choosing to believe it is not a trap.”
Gunnar nodded as he stepped to my side. He would be coming with us for the rendezvous, as an extra layer of protection.
For a moment, I looked back at the city, at the crimson horizon, at the lands we were about to leave undefended.
Then Skylar placed a hand on my shoulder, her hold steady. “Ready?” she asked.
“Always,” I said.
And together, with Gunnar, I teleported us to the mainland.