The next morning, the air felt different.
A low wind moved through Saphira's gardens, stirring the silver leaves so they made a soft sighing sound. Spirits that usually darted about playfully seemed to keep their distance, gliding by with quiet, watchful eyes.
Ren felt it first. A slight prickle at the back of his neck. Like someone was staring right at him, even when no one was there.
Lyra noticed his frown. "What is it?"
"Not sure," he said. "Feels like the world's holding its breath."
Lyra's mouth tightened. Her hand slid into his, power faintly glowing where their fingers linked. "Then let it. As long as it knows who stands at your side."
They spent most of the day in the palace's high terraces. Ren liked it there. From above, the rivers below looked like flowing ribbons of gold, and he could almost forget the weight of so many eyes turned their way.
Lyra sat close, her legs draped over his lap. She idly combed her fingers through his hair, eyes half-lidded.
"You know what I hate most?" she asked suddenly.
He tilted his head up to look at her. "Tell me."
"That every court that hears your name starts plotting how to get you for themselves. They don't care about your heart, or your choices. Just your power. Your legend. Like you're some story they can rewrite if they're clever enough."
Ren wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her down until she was nearly nose to nose with him. "They can want all they like. But wanting doesn't mean having."
Lyra's smile was small but fierce. "You're right. Because they'll have to go through me first."
Later, they walked through one of Saphira's many halls, lined with thin waterfalls that caught the light. Servants stepped aside quickly, bowing deep. Whispers followed them, but no one dared speak openly.
Near a bend in the corridor, a nervous spirit with bright green eyes hurried up to them. "My lord, my lady. Lady Saphira asks for you. She's in her star chamber. It's… urgent."
Ren shared a look with Lyra. That word — urgent — didn't get thrown around lightly in a place like this.
"Lead the way," Ren said.
The star chamber was one of Saphira's private rooms. Tall windows let in sunlight that spilled across a map of tiny floating lights. Each light hovered in place, slowly moving as if pushed by an unseen breeze.
Saphira stood in the center, studying the lights with a serious expression. When she turned to them, her usual calm smile was gone.
"You've felt it, haven't you?" she asked. "The way the air's changed. The quiet. The waiting."
Ren nodded. "It's like something's getting ready to happen."
Lyra's hand slid possessively over his chest. "Or someone."
Saphira waved them closer. As they stepped forward, she flicked her fingers and several lights came together, forming a rough shape — a long curve with jagged tips. It took Ren a moment to realize what he was seeing.
"A wing?" he asked.
Saphira gave a slow nod. "A dragon's wing. This map tracks the movements of major courts and their messengers. Last night, these lights shifted — fast. A sign a dragon envoy crossed realms to enter my borders."
Lyra's power jumped, silver crackles dancing up her arms. "They didn't even bother to warn you?"
"No," Saphira said. "Which means they're confident. Or arrogant. Likely both. Dragons don't play the same careful games we do. They take what they want, or they burn everything trying."
Ren frowned. "So why come here? To this palace?"
Saphira studied him, eyes narrowed slightly. "Because of you. And Lyra. They've heard the stories — the mortal who walked through demon courts and made the frost queen doubt her own power. They're curious. And curiosity is a dangerous thing in creatures who think the world belongs to them."
Lyra's grip on Ren tightened. "Let them be curious. They'll learn quick enough that not everything bends to their claws."
Saphira's mouth pulled into a tight line. "I'll host them here, for appearances. It keeps them from trying to invite you to their own lands — or worse, from simply grabbing you to see who comes chasing."
Lyra's power snapped like a spark. "I'd do more than chase. I'd drag them from their stone halls by their scales."
Saphira gave a small, real laugh at that, though her eyes stayed worried. "Which is exactly why they'll want to test you both. To see how far your loyalty runs, how deep your power truly goes."
That night, Ren and Lyra returned to their rooms. Neither felt much like resting. They stood on their balcony, watching the stars shift slowly overhead.
"They're really coming, aren't they?" Ren said after a while.
Lyra's hand slid under his shirt, her palm warm on his skin. "Yes. And they'll think they're clever. That they can tempt you. Maybe even steal you from me."
"Let them try," he said. His voice was calm, but inside he felt a dark excitement. Not fear — something sharper. A need to prove, again, that nothing could break them.
Lyra leaned her forehead against his. "When they come, stand close. Let them see I'm not afraid to hold you. Let them choke on it."
"I will," he whispered. "I want them to see exactly who I belong to."
Later, when they finally fell into bed, Lyra curled around him like she couldn't stand even an inch of space between them. Her breath tickled his neck.
"You're mine," she murmured. "Even if a hundred dragons roar for you. Even if gods promise you whole worlds."
Ren rolled, pinning her under him, his mouth finding hers in a hard kiss. "Always. I'd tear those worlds apart before I gave you up."
She laughed softly, hands threading into his hair. "Good. Then we'll show them together."
Far off in the night, a low sound rolled through the sky. Not thunder — something deeper. Almost like a giant heart beating under the stars.
Ren pulled Lyra tighter. She shivered, then smiled against his chest.
"Let them come," she whispered. "I've been waiting for someone foolish enough to try."
And somewhere out in the darkness, bright dragon eyes blinked open.
Stories of the mortal who defied demons and frost queens had reached them — and dragons did not like to be left out of such tales.
They were coming.
And Ren was ready.