Page 2 of Shrine of Fire

So much could change in such a short time.

“How are you holding up?”

She wasn’t asking about protecting the Shrine of Soaring Ice.

Grief threatened to overwhelm me, and for a moment, I took a long steady breath or risked bursting into tears. Where my pack bonds should have been, there was nothing but an empty ache in my chest.

“I’m okay.” My voice sounded hoarser than I meant.

“You don’t have to be okay.” Zara patted my forearm. “Losing the last bit of your pack bonds must have been awful.”

I’d known casting that much fire magic would burn through the shreds of my connection to my lost pack. But I’d had to, or Yvenna’s armies would have broken the Shrine of Soaring Ice.

Zara had come to the Omega Sanctuary because of her spirit magic. I’d come because my beloved pack had died during a raid on the border.

Instead of dying with my pack, I’d survived. No one had known what to do with me, so I’d been sent off to the Omega Sanctuary.

“What’s next?” Zara snatched a muffin off one of the banquet tables and handed it to me. “The cook used a little too much flour, but the sugar topping is amazing.”

“You bond me to the Shrine of Everlasting Fire?” I took a bite out of the muffin. It was delicious. “Even though I don’t have spirit magic.”

“But you have a lot of fire magic.” Zara said, before she pointed at a group of ministers talking to Sister Aalina. “Look. She’s taking advantage of having so many dignitaries in one place to get more funding for the Sanctuary.”

“Good.” I nibbled my muffin, trying to picture our next steps.

Zara’s path brought us around to Nikki, one of Zara’s alphas, and Stefan, my betrothed.

Smiling widely, Zara kissed Nikki on the cheek.

The two heirs to the Ember Throne were a study in opposites. Prince Nikki was sullen, glaring at the crowd, although his expression softened whenever he was with Zara, while his younger brother Stefan smiled and spoke to the dignitaries. Nikki had been the Crown Prince of Ember Island, but he’d abdicated when he bonded Zara.

That had left Stefan next in line. When Zara and I had gone to the Shrine of Everlasting Fire to fix the spirit magic connection, the Ember King had demanded that I wed Stefan.

I’d agreed but then I’d reminded the king that we would be using the Omega Sanctuary’s marriage contracts since Stefan would be wedding a Sanctuary omega.

The King hadn’t been happy, and I could see trouble coming from him in the near future.

Stefan smiled softly. “Are you well?”

I nodded. I wasn’t, but I didn’t want to explain the sucking grief inside me, nor my bone weariness at being at the party.

It was important for our world to celebrate. We’d almost lost entire cities and countries under a wave of spirit magic.

But that didn’t mean I wanted to be part of the celebrations. Not when my pack was dead.

Zara still had my arm linked with hers, so Stefan flanked my other side and started walking so that our little group could move away from the press of the crowd.

He bent his head toward mine, saying, “I think you’ll find the environment – and the people – more to your taste out on the balcony.”

Despite the balmy sea air flowing in through the large open windows, it was hot in the ballroom.

As we strolled, I cast a glance at the two men. There was no denying that Nikki and Stefan were brothers. Both had dark, angular eyes, black hair, and slight builds. But since Nikki stepped down from being Crown Prince, and didn’t have to be formally dressed, he started growing his hair out.

Stefan wore red and gold embroidered robes while Nikki wore dark dress pants and a blue tunic. Stefan favored those colors, even down to the few bits of jewelry he wore. In the short space of our engagement, I noticed he wore a gold signet ring with a red stone, and a small gold amulet on a golden chain around his neck.

A baron from one of the outer islands approached us and bowed. “A thousand blessings. Thank you for saving us.”

I hid my discomfort with a polite smile. The baron kept talking, and Stefan stepped in, assuring him that we knew we could call on all the Baronies of the Sea if we needed anything.

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