42. Raea
Raea
I wake more relaxed than I have been in a long while, Ryker’s lips tracing slow, unhurried kisses down my spine. His breath is warm against my skin, sending a shiver through me as I stretch into the sheets.
He smiles before leaning in to kiss my shoulder, then rolls me onto my back. I barely have time to grin before his mouth is on mine, his hands roaming, pushing the silk of my camisole upward as his touch sets my nerves alight.
His lips trail along my jaw, down my neck, lingering over all the places he knows will make me melt. I let out a soft breath, my fingers knotting in the sheets as he presses a kiss to my collarbone. His presence alone is enough to make my thoughts scatter.
He slides down my panties, allowing me to kick them off.
Gods, I love him.
Not just for the way he can unravel me with a look or a touch—but for the way he makes me feel safe, seen, and completely his. The kind of love that doesn’t need words. The kind your soul just knows.
Ryker grins, brushing his thumb along my ribs—
There’s a knock at the door between our room and Clara’s.
Ryker deflates, groaning into my neck. I giggle.
There’s another soft knock before we hear Clara say, “Anders…Raea?”
Smiling down at him, I say, “Better get that.”
He mutters something about having a moment of peace before rolling out of bed. He tosses me my panties as he searches for pants.
“I’ll get it,” I say, kissing his bare shoulder as I wrap a robe around me.
He disappears into the bathing chamber as I swing open the door. Clara stands outside, clutching her new doll to her chest, her hair a tangled mess. The moment she sees me, she wraps her arms around my waist.
“I miss Mother,” she whispers, her voice wobbling.
My heart aches, but I guide her inside, settling into the sitting area. She crawls into my lap without a word, resting her head against my chest as I smooth a hand down her back.
“I heard you went to the beach with your new tutor,” I say, hoping distraction will help.
Her face brightens. “My tutor, Kaia, let me swim in the ocean! Mother never lets me swim without Anders. Then we picked shells, and she taught me new words in another language.” She grins.
“She said if I learned them all, I could get a new doll. And today, I get another toy.” Her eyes sparkle as she leans closer and whispers, “And I get to climb into a secret treehouse.”
I can’t help but giggle at how cute she is. I feel Ryker watching, so I look over the sofa into the doorway that leads to the bedroom. He’s leaning against the wall, hands tucked into his pants.
Clara grins. “Anders! Do you like my new doll?” She holds it up for him to see.
“Mm-hmm.” He pushes off the wall, walks over, and kneels in front of the sofa until he’s eye level with her. He holds out his hand, fisted around the shell he picked for her.
“Got you something, little tidefish.”
Her gasp is instant. She snatches it up, inspecting it like it’s treasure. “It’s the prettiest one ever. You always find the best ones.”
Ryker's face softens as he looks at Clara, the lethal, bored prince mask he’s been wearing lately vanishing entirely.
For her, he is Anders—the brother who finds the prettiest shells and makes the world feel safe.
It’s a reminder that beneath the masks and the sharp quips, there is a man who loves so fiercely it terrifies me.
“Clara,” Ryker says with softness, brushing back her wild blonde hair. “I’m sorry, but Raea and I have to go. We have to go meet with some people, and we can’t be late.”
Her face falls. “Are they going to help us get home?”
“We’re training so we can protect everyone,” he explains. “The Veil is gone, remember? So we have to learn how to fight better.”
She nods, still pouting, but lets him lift her into his arms.
“Let’s go see if Trysten’s awake.”
Once they leave, I head for the bathing chamber.
We meet Riven in the gardens, Carys beside him in full warrior regalia—armored leggings, silver breastplate, and a heavy cloak. Compared to her, I feel almost delicate, even in my fur-lined boots and leather-trimmed vest.
“Ready to go?” Carys asks, looking between us.
We nod.
“Caelus has summoned us. After, we can head to the training grounds.” She turns, and with similar movements that Brynna made yesterday, she opens a gateway. It’s barely sunrise, but through the gateway, it’s bright—probably midday.
Without another word, the four of us step through.
I have to admit, this kind of travel is much quicker, but I do miss being in space.
There’s a freedom up there that can’t be experienced anywhere else.
I miss the familiar hum of the transports—the freedom to choose my destination, to fly past planets and moons as they blur and warp into flashes of light.
The gateway seals behind us, leaving us on a chilly mountain.
“We have to walk from here,” Riven says, taking the lead.
There isn’t much here but a barren dirt path and frozen ground. Above, there are thick clouds heavy with snow. Ryker puts me in front of him. I have no point of reference, no idea where we are going, but I trust they know the way.
After an hour of hiking, a tall structure comes into view. The walls are a deep red, polished and reflecting the barren landscape. There’s nothing else as far as I can see. I’ve not seen another person, animal, or any other life form.
“There.” Riven points. “It’s the temple. From there, we can travel to Caelus.”
“And where is he?”
“We’ll find him at Ilythara. It’s the peak where the aether is said to be the thinnest. The temple is the gateway,” Carys replies.
I’m out of breath when I say, “Okay.” I could really use some water right now.
We continue our hike until the towering structure looms over us.
Riven opens the large iron door, holding it for the rest of us.
Carys leads us inside. It’s dark, and I can’t see much, but ahead there are quiet prayers and candles.
Our footsteps feel loud as we enter the larger space.
None of the priestesses here looks up from their books or their prayers.
Riven leads us to a table, passing us a waterskin before strapping one to his back.
“You’ll need to drink to replenish your strength.
The altitude and the magic—” He shakes his head.
“You’ll see. This water will help stabilize your system.
The priestesses make it for those who are willing to travel. ”
I take a sip, wetting my tongue. A sweet flavor blooms in my mouth. I take another long pull. Ryker does the same, placing a quick kiss on my lips. The open affection in front of strangers makes me blush.
Carys and Riven share a smile, and I don’t miss the way their fingers brush.
I tilt my head, studying them. Of course. It’s obvious, how did I miss it? “Are you two…together?” My lips part, curling into a smile.
Riven pulls his hand away, his expression snapping into that unreadable warrior mask I’ve come to recognize. But the longing in Carys' eyes is a fire that won't be put out. “My father won't allow it,” she whispers.
Ryker scoffs, his arm a possessive weight around my shoulders. “Kings have a habit of forgetting the heart doesn’t answer to politics. My father tried the same. I suggest you stop asking for permission.”
Riven looks like he’s trying to fight the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, but when he takes Carys in, he relents. His smile spreads across his face, and I don’t miss the effect it has on her.
Carys reaches out, locking her fingers with his. “Maybe.”
After another moment of them looking into each other’s eyes, Riven leads us out of the room, past a few doors and through a large arched hall into a circular room.
It’s there we find the gateway. This must be one of the permanent ones he was telling me about.
Hovering above the large pale stone tiles, there’s a boulder that’s twice the size of Ryker.
It looks like it’s been cut in half and drilled out, creating a ring.
In the hollow section is a glowing ring of blue with what looks like white shimmering vines hanging down.
The magic here isn't a hum, it’s a physical pressure against my lungs. As I stare at the white vines hanging from the floating boulder, I feel the echoes of thousands who came before me, their prayers and fears caught in the shimmering static of the portal.
Voices and an eerie chill race up my spine. It’s unnerving, and even Carys and Riven are affected. She shivers as she steps up, placing her hand on the glowing ring, whispering something I can’t understand.
Without turning around, she says, “We must state our intentions as we enter. Just like a normal gateway, but the magic will pull at you.” Then she steps through, disappearing from view.
Riven gestures for us to go.
Ryker takes my hand and squeezes.
My breath catches in my throat. It would be silly to say no. I mean, I’ve come this far, but stepping through a portal to meet with another god makes me hesitate. Astor and Calia hadn’t really told us anything of value. Will Caelus be the same? Full of cryptic messages?
With a hesitant step, I meet the strange gateway, the air pulsing and humming. For a moment, I think I can hear voices, but it’s gone in the next breath.
Just my imagination.
I blow out the breath I’ve been holding as we place our free hands on the ring. The magic burns—not with heat, but with a cold that pulls the life from my veins. I don’t flinch, willing myself to remain still. Together we whisper that we seek Caelus’ aid, that Astor and Calia sent us.
When we take the first step, the magic pulls us through. It feels like a million tiny pinpricks skittering across my skin. It doesn’t hurt—only unsettles me. My shoulders tense as if I can shrug away the sensation.
But then we step into ethereal light atop a mountain.
The clouds sit far below us, this flattened space feeling like an in-between. I don’t know how I know it, but something deep in my bones tells me we stand between the aether and the mortal world. The strange, silent light makes it feel as though time itself has paused.
Before us stands a temple carved from polished white marble, the structure stretching outward until the stone drops away into open sky.
A circular ring along the edge forms an intimate chamber beneath the heavens.
Massive slabs of stone—each towering nearly fifty feet high—surround the open-air space like silent sentinels.
At the center, a great fire burns, its embers glowing white-hot as blue flames curl and lick into the air.
For a moment, something brushes against my mind—a whisper of awareness. Ryker looks to me, then to the two figures standing before us. Beside Carys stands a young man, I know instantly must be Caelus. Much like his siblings, there’s an otherness about him, but he still wears a mortal form.
He wears thick armor of white and gold, his eyes blazing with blue fire. Golden curls whip around his windswept face, his pale skin almost luminous in the strange light.
I don’t know the proper protocol, but Ryker and I bow. Riven steps behind us. He does the same before standing beside us.
“Welcome to Auralan,” Caelus says in a lilting, deep accent. “I’ve been waiting for you. My siblings promised me you’d come.”
Without another word, he gestures for us to follow.
The hair on my arms rises. My mouth already feels dry, so I take another sip of water. The air here is thicker, heavier with the weight of something other.
Caelus stops before the strange fire, staring into it with his arms locked behind his back.
The four of us wait in silence, not daring to move or speak. Without looking back at us, he circles the fire, disappearing from view for a few seconds before his voice breaks the stillness. Low, yet carrying effortlessly through the air, he says, “It’s beautiful, is it not?”
He doesn’t wait for us to answer.
“The lifeforce of all living beings is an eternal flame. It calls to you, but…” The word cuts deep as those blazing blue eyes find mine. “…it would be deadly to answer the call of this flame.”
Caelus leads us to a small sitting space nearby. He gestures for us to take the seats, and the four of us obey.
“You must have questions.”