Morning came without ceremony.
No proclamation.
No spectacle.
Only warmth lingering in furs that had not known it in years.
Cara woke first.
Vyrisa was already awake.
Watching.
Not assessing.
Not claiming.
Present.
For a moment, neither spoke.
The cave felt different.
Quieter.
Softer.
Cara shifted closer without thinking.
Vyrisa's wing adjusted instinctively.
Shelter.
Their eyes met.
For half a breath—
No queen.
No captive.
Just heat.
Alive.
Then Vyrisa stood.
Authority returned in layers.
Shoulders straightened.
Chin lifted.
Distance restored.
"You will come," she said evenly.
"Yes."
Not pet.
Not yours.
Just yes.
They entered the main chamber together.
Dragons noticed.
Not because they walked side by side.
Because something had settled between them.
The mark pulsed softly.
Stay steady.
Cara understood.
Vyrisa stepped forward.
"You will tend the lower basin. And bring fresh water to Drakon."
"Yes, queen."
Formal.
But she held Vyrisa's gaze as she said it.
Through the bond—
Warmth.
Choice.
Vyrisa turned away first.
Stone again.
Cara worked carefully.
Deliberate.
Steady.
She felt the shift before she heard it.
Lyris.
Coiled.
"You seem rested," Lyris observed lightly.
"I slept well."
A pause.
"Did you?" Lyris asked softly. "I was not aware Her Majesty had taken to sharing her furs."
Placed.
Measured.
Other dragons stilled without appearing to.
Cara wrung out the cloth.
"I was not aware it required announcement."
Lyris's nostrils flared.
"Humans are fragile. I hope you did not overexert yourself trying to satisfy the queen."
There it was.
YOU ARE READING
Ashes Embraced
FantasyA Dark Sapphic Romantasy A century ago, the Red Dragon Queen burned Frairdale to the ground. Now she rules from the cliffs above the lake-untouched, unchallenged, and unrepentant. When Cara steps into dragon territory, she expects death. Instead, sh...
