Chapter 39
I fell asleep locked in the strong embrace of Blake’s arms, his heart slow and steady against my cheek, and slept deeply. When I woke, my burdens felt a bit lighter.
He continued sleeping soundly as I slipped his grasp, dressing myself in new clothing laid out for me near the couch. As if the room itself had provided it, knowing I was not in my own chambers.
The fabric gleamed silver in the morning light, the color of moonlit steel, woven with subtle patterns that shifted like liquid metal as I moved closer.
A fitted tunic, reinforced yet supple, with intricate embroidery that scrolled toward the emblem at the chest: a coiled tyger encased within a diamond.
The Silver Tyger Dominion’s mark.
I ran my fingers over the tunic’s emblem, feeling the raised threads beneath my touch.
I slipped the tunic over my head, the fabric gliding smoothly against my skin.
It settled perfectly across my shoulders, neither too loose nor too tight, hugging me just enough to feel secure. The sleeves were long and snug.
I stretched my arms, testing the give. The fabric moved with me, like a second skin.
The trousers were just as finely crafted, designed for movement without sacrificing protection, and cut from a thin, breathable weave. A flowing cloak, clasped with a brooch, lay beside it, made of smooth, strong fabric.
And at the foot of the bench, I found a pair of sturdy boots that were reinforced with steel at the toes and heels, yet supple enough to move with me.
I quickly tied back my hair, before following my usual routine, wanting to settle my nerves. My ribbons were in my own rooms, but I practiced the movements. My mind, usually quiet as I danced, seemed to warm up as well. Thoughts of the day to come swirled.
If the Silver Tyger Dominion was set on using the Raveling to take power, who was to say the other dominions did not plan to do the same?
And did we know which ones were already here?
The other dominions were no mystery in name, but in truth, we knew next to nothing about each other.
The geographical barriers that separated our lands had kept us apart for centuries, along with a deep-rooted mistrust passed down through generations.
A sense of unease wrapped around me like a shadow. The gods had brought us together, but the deep fractures between the dominions wouldn’t be so easily mended. If the gods were showing me pieces of my lost memories, what might they be taunting the others with?
I returned to the bedside, where Blake was still asleep. I felt something tugging me toward him. Was it the Pairing or just that he was so utterly gorgeous?
Part of me wished to wake him, but I knew he hadn’t slept well in some time. I also knew he wouldn’t be able to rest much longer, so I pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, inhaling the scent of his skin, before stepping back and heading out.
The delicious smell of food led me right to the dining room.
Great columns of carved stone lined the walls, each wrapped in silken banners, representing the four dominions: silver for the Tyger, red for the Phoenix, azure for the Dragon, and onyx for the Tortoise.
The long banquet table in the center of the hall overflowed with plates of fragrant food.
On the far walls, open arches revealed beautiful gardens; I wondered if winter was ever felt here. From one arch, the sound of trickling water could be heard, a soft melody that added to the peaceful atmosphere of the hall.
Four circular tables stretched across the room, their surfaces polished to a deep shine. Each one seated five, a table for each dominion.
Malissa, Ire, and Jace were already seated at a table. Malissa and Ire glittered with malice, while Jace lounged in his seat, giving me a warm smile.
“Good morning, Morningtail.” He grinned as I approached. He pulled the chair out next to him in welcome.
As I slid into it, five fire sirens from the Dominion of the Red Phoenix entered.
My breath caught in my throat.
There were four women and one man, their beauty more startling than even the stories had said.
They were slender but strong. Their skin glowed with an ethereal radiance, their red hair cascading down their backs; their clothing shimmered in the light, made of red and gold silk so fine that it seemed to catch every flicker of movement.
Phoenix silk. Like my ribbons.
All phoenix silk was spun in their dominion and was said to be as impervious as iron. The way the fabric draped over their bodies made them seem as though they were wrapped in the very essence of fire itself. They seemed to glide across the floor rather than walk.
It was the magnificent male firen who caught my attention, a flicker of recognition sparking at the edges of my mind. His gaze locked onto me, as if he were trying to place me, too.
Then he turned to Malissa, who was watching them as intently as I was.
He gave her a nod, which she returned, before he sat with the rest of his team.
So they knew each other. Malissa’s gaze was sharp with her usual calculation, but beneath it was the flicker of something else. Something like yearning or respect.
The Dominion of the Red Phoenix was a matriarchy, ruled by the legendary Red Queen. She was whispered to possess powers so potent she could bespell the unwilling and nullify even the strongest magic.
Perhaps Malissa and I both looked longingly at their table.
The five Azures entered the hall soon after, and I smiled at Quinn and Calla.
Calla beamed back while Quinn winked at me, but the others ignored me.
They moved with a taut, agile litheness that set them apart from the heavily muscled fighters of the Silver Tyger Dominion.
When they settled at their table, the space between us felt wider than the distance that separated our seats.
A pang of loss hit me. I was on another team, away from my people.
Then I saw him.
Blake.
His broad shoulders and powerful frame were imposing as always.
His bronzed hair, perfectly combed now, caught the light.
Even among the hardened fighters and warriors, Blake stood out.
The sheer strength of him, the way he held himself, the sharpness of his gaze, all made it clear that he was a force to be reckoned with.
And his focus was entirely on me. His smoldering eyes tracked my every breath as he entered, stepping steadily toward me as if no one else existed.
My chest tightened. I felt the unfamiliar pull of the Pairing, a thread of connection that seemed to grow stronger as he drew closer.
My pulse quickened as I tried to make sense of the sensation, the way I felt like I was being drawn to him, before he settled himself into the last seat at the table, between me and Malissa.
In front of everyone, he leaned over and pressed his lips nearly to my ear.
“Wake me next time,” he whispered. “I don’t like finding you gone.”
I blushed and nodded, highly aware of the eyes staring at us. Wondering who would be the first to figure out that we’d Paired.
I took a sip of hot tea, letting the warmth settle in my stomach as the others around the table focused on their food like it was preparation for battle.
It wasn’t just my table. The air in the entire room was thick with tension. Warriors from each dominion stared at each other, brimming with suspicion and animosity. Sizing each other up.
I set my cup down and glanced at Jace. “Do you know who any of the others are?”
Jace shook his head, his amiable smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he looked at me. “I only recognize the other royalty from their portraits.”
Royalty. Right. The most powerful warriors would mostly come from the ruling families. While I was only a peasant.
“Who?”
When I leaned closer, Jace shifted in my direction, his elbow brushing mine as he continued.
“The male firen is their prince. His Highness Prince Auron of the House of Phae. He became regent after the crown princess was killed in the Annihilation. The reigning Red Queen went into seclusion afterward. I believe the woman beside him with the feathers braided into her hair is his cousin Lian.”
“Why isn’t she veiled?” Ire asked. “I thought all those ashbrains thought they were too good to show us their faces.”
“Only the ruling family’s women wear veils in public,” Malissa said, her gaze fixed on the firens’ table.
I turned slightly in my seat to get a better view.
The prince’s face was elegant and sculpted, every line sharpened by confidence and power. His crimson hair, tied loosely at the nape, caught the early light. Even sitting still, he radiated heat. He didn’t smile. His eyes scanned the room like he already owned it. And they kept returning to me.
“He’s quite striking,” I said.
Blake raised an eyebrow at me.
“You should not speak about him, Azure yin,” Ire growled. His upper lip curled like he wanted to bare teeth. “He was meant to be Malissa’s intended.”
So that’s how those two knew each other. I didn’t know Malissa had come so close to being in a society where women had power.
My eyes glanced at her then; her face might as well have been forged from steel. Her voice came out cold and flat. “That was before the Wedding of Flame and Sky, and the Annihilation.”
It had been an apparent love match between the Red crown princess and the Azure prince, which set off a panic in the other dominions.
That kind of union would have shifted the balance of power overnight.
With fire and wood aligned, they would have held the advantage in both military strength and magical reach.
So, the royals and their loyal nobility had scrambled behind closed palace doors: rushed alliances, secret negotiations, new betrothals arranged before sunrise.
It made sense. Malissa, princess of the Silver Tyger Dominion, and Auron, prince of the Red Phoenix. It would have given King Uzar leverage. Only then came the Annihilation, ushering in a new age of hatred, prejudice, and distrust.