Chapter 38
Iwas overcome by water and flame, swirling together like a deadly dance, rising in waves around me.
Above me, a white beast loomed, towering. Its form twisted in and out of the churning elements, growing larger with every breath I took. My heart pounded in my chest, panic rising like the tide.
Was I seeing the past? The future? Or was this just a cruel illusion? The weight of it crushed me, the uncertainty. The feeling that time had folded in on itself, that there was no past or present or future.
Now I was standing in a vast expanse of mist, the world around me blurred and shifting. But there was a figure in the distance: tall, broad-shouldered, his presence dominating even from afar.
Though I couldn’t see his face, the outline of his body felt achingly familiar, as if I had known him my entire life. He was taut and muscled. My heart beat faster, drawn to him, pulled by something I couldn’t explain.
His silhouette moved closer, the air around him crackling with energy, and the feeling of recognition only deepened.
I could almost hear his breathing, steady and strong, his form radiating warmth.
I couldn’t see his features, but I knew him.
My heart clenched as I watched, the sight of him stirring something deep within me.
Was this Blake in the future? Or someone else entirely?
But as he stepped forward, something dark flickered in the air between us. A chill ran down my spine.
“You can’t save them all, Rubi,” he whispered. “And in the end, you will be the one left to burn.”
The warmth I had felt twisted into something cold and foreboding. My heart lurched as his figure loomed over me, the sense of familiarity now tainted by fear. I reached out, desperate to see his face, but the fog thickened, pulling him away, his last words echoing around me like a terrible promise.
“We will lose everything. Save yourself.”
—
I woke with a jolt, my throat sore before I realized someone was screaming—
“Rubi!”
No…not someone. Me, screaming, terror choking me. Someone was shaking me; my eyes darted around until they settled on the ice blue I knew meant comfort. I relaxed, marginally, voice going quiet as I slumped into Blake’s arms.
His heartbeat was a racing tune against my ear as he tucked my head beneath his chin, holding me like a child in his arms as I wept.
“Gods, Rubi,” he breathed. “You scared me.”
Another kiss, to the top of my head. A squeeze of his arms, like he couldn’t hold me tight enough.
“I…I don’t know what happened, I—”
“Shh,” he soothed, running his hands up and down my arms. “Just a nightmare. You’re all right. You’re fine—Flame is fine, Edith is safe at the palace with your friends. Everyone is okay.”
The words helped more than I could admit.
We sat like that for a long time, him rocking my body as I shook with sobs. This pain felt older—like something seared deep within me burned.
“I…Can I have some water?” I asked once the tears had stopped.
Blake nodded. “Of course,” he whispered, kissing my temple before he stood and walked toward the jug on the opposite table, filling a glass for me.
I looked up.
Blake’s room was different, I realized, as if the magic loosed within our Pairing had affected it. The mass of stars still floated, but it had evolved.
It was no longer in a cage.
The metal wasn’t twisted tight around the light anymore.
The filigree had relaxed, the pattern looser, more open.
It looked less like a prison now and more like a cradle, shaped to hold the starlight without crushing it.
The glow inside had softened, too. The stars no longer flickered with images of battle or pain.
They floated in slow circles, like they were drifting on water. I watched them in silence.
A shape began to form. Two tygers side by side, one gold, one silver. Not fighting. Just walking together, step for step, before dissolving back into light.
Blake returned, handing me a glass of water that I drank. He kissed my shoulder softly before taking it from my hand and placing it on the side table, then lying back down next to me.
The air smelled faintly of iron and sweat and warmth. I breathed it in and let my head nestle against his chest. The sound of his heart, steady beneath me, was the only thing I could hear besides the quiet hum of the room.
“We should tell everyone,” he murmured against my ear. “About us. The Pairing.”
My fingers curled against his ribs. “No.”
He kissed the side of my neck, slow and possessive. “Why not? I want them to know you’re mine. I want to stand with you through the Raveling.”
“Pairing strengthens both of our magic, but I hardly have any.” I turned my head just enough to meet his eyes. “If they know, I become more of a threat. I can’t defend myself, Blake.”
He touched my cheek, thumb brushing my jaw. “So let me give you my protection.”
I swallowed. “It’s not just about the danger. You’re the Twin Blade. Practically the crown prince. I’m an Azure with nothing but a few tricks. And don’t forget about the Average. They’ll say you Paired beneath yourself.”
He didn’t even blink. “I don’t give a damn what they say.”
“You should.”
“I don’t.” His voice deepened. “You think I care what some forgefools whisper about me? You’re stronger than most of the court. I can feel it in the bond. You just don’t see it yet.”
I shifted, laying my palm over his heart. “I don’t know how to believe that.”
He kissed me, slow and deep, then said against my lips, “Then I’ll believe it for both of us.”
I closed my eyes. “We keep it quiet. Just for now.”
He nodded, brushing my hair back. “All right. But the second they find out, I’ll be proud. You’re mine.”
“You’re such a stubborn ironnecked Silver.”
He grinned. “You like it.”
I didn’t deny it.