Page 14 of Shrine of Fire

Sure enough, they were right. A huge kitchen dominated the center of the second floor. Circular in shape, there were enough ovens and hearths to feed an army.

There was space for that same army to eat comfortably in the dining hall next to the kitchen.

“Looks like the Shrines were self-sufficient on their own, like we suspected.” Stefan looked around the dining hall. “You’ll need wall hangings and tapestries of course. The larders are probably in a sublevel.”

I rubbed my face, overwhelmed. “Do we really need to fill this place back up with people?”

Hashir raised an eyebrow. “We should assume you’ll need to be training omegas. Either Zara’s overflow or omegas with the sort of magic you can help with.”

Stefan was nodding. “Setting yourself up as a legitimate place for omegas to come and learn will also give you the political clout you’ll need in the future.”

I made a face. “I hate that both of you are right.”

“I’m just saying, dollface, you’re gonna need help. Might as well start as you mean to go on.” Hashir winked.

We went up to another level and found a private living area. A large master bedroom was at the end of the hallway, with a large balcony that opened to the ocean.

“We found the master bedroom,” I grinned. “Let’s make sure the first bed goes in here.”

“A big one,” Hashir said, nipping my neck.

“Sure.” Stefan’s face was beet red, and he turned away.

With that, we headed back to the boat, and I steeled myself for our arrival at the Ember Palace. It would be a den of vipers, but at least I had Hashir, Aki, and Stefan with me. Perhaps we’d be able to go island-hopping, later.

For a moment, I let myself dream of what the future might be, a future that had more to it beyond the existence I’d been living of just getting through each day.

Maybe this could be the life I made for myself. Sailing around the Broken Sea with Hashir and Stefan.

But, as we pulled back into the main harbor of the Burning Flame, the biggest island and where the Royal Palace was located, my reverie was disturbed by a buzz of activity.

Artifacts all over the world were waking up, and people were seeing more and more spirits.

Like it or not, the world was forever changed. The sooner we could stabilize things, the better.

Afew days later, we headed back to the Shrine of Everlasting Fire under the guise of needing to bring supplies over. Zara was to arrive through the Gate, bond me to the Shrine and then I would be able to start stabilizing the snatches of spirit magic still lingering in the Ember Islands.

We still hadn’t had an audience with the Ember King, something that, admittedly, was a bit of a relief.

As promised, I had my own suite at the Royal Palace. Hashir and Aki had stayed with me, while Stefan slept in his own quarters.

The palace was large, opulent in its display of wealth, but it didn’t feel like a home to me.

Hopefully, once I bonded to the Shrine, I would feel steadier. I wasn’t naïve enough to think the connection would fill the hole in my heart where my lost loves had been, but at least it would give me something to focus on.

Hashir stood beside me, shifting his weight from foot to foot, waiting for Zara and her pack to appear. I’d spoken to Zara through the mirror glass, a two-way long-distance communication tool, and we’d tried to time it so that she would arrive mid-morning.

“Maybe they got lost,” Hashir said, then snickered when he looked at Stefan.

The quiet alpha looked faintly alarmed, and Aki rolled his eyes. “They can’t get lost. Don’t be an idiot.”

“It’s an expression.” Hashir crossed his arms over his chest, resuming his waiting stance.

None of them wanted to admit it, but the bonding process made them nervous.

As I looked back toward the archway, it began to glow with an eldritch blue light. The brightness increased until a silhouetted shape finally appeared in the archway.

Rayth was the first through. Zara’s alpha stepped inside the cavern. Tall, with curly black hair and light brown skin, he nodded at us, before stepping to the side.

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