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A warm chuckle met her ears. “That, I’m sure, can be arranged.”

When Alex stumbled back out of the Tower building with her Shadow Wolf, it was to a very different sight than when she’d entered.

The skies had cleared of veeyons, leaving only the draekons circling overhead, with Xira soaring down to land with a heavythumpat her reappearance, his brilliant eyes glowing with pride.

The grounds around them were no longer echoing battle cries and ringing steel. All was silent. All was still. And all, it seemed, were waiting for her return.

As soon as she staggered down the stairs, saved only by Soraya’s steadying form, the silence broke. There were shouts and cheers so deafening that she nearly needed to cover her ears. Those who were now free of Aven’s Claim had tears pouring down their faces—Meyarin and human alike—as they professed their gratitude for what she had done.

And it wasn’t just the newly Released people who were crying. All around Alex, there were tears. Tears of elation, tears of pain, tears of grief…

Tears of hope.

She had barely a moment to take it all in, because after that, she was swept up in a flood of arms.

Her Meyarin friends reached her first, if only because they, like the Tia Aurans, had the advantage of speed. But Zaylinand Raife and their otherworldly company were nowhere to be seen, so it was Roka, Kyia and Zain who pulled Alex close, holding her tight enough for it to hurt. But she didn’t feel the pain—not physically. Emotionally, she felt a pang of sorrow, knowing that Mayra would have joined their embrace had she survived, and Niida, too. But they were both gone from this world, having joined Niyx and Astophe in death, finding peace with their loved ones beyond the stars.

Alex would grieve for them, but later. Because now, in the wake of such victory, she would allow herself to feel nothing but triumph—triumph that became elation when the three Meyarins backed away with knowing grins as her human friends closed in on her.

Kaiden, Jordan, Bear and Declan—they were all safe. They had all survived the bloodbath this time around. And D.C., too, along with Alex’s parents, Queen Osmada, Dorothy, Gammy and Evie—they had all survived the battle that had intruded into the Med Ward.

Jeera and Nisha and Drock… Blake and Johnny… Darrius and Hunter and Karter… King Aurileous—there were so many faces she was overwhelmingly relieved to see. And Fletcher’s, particularly, since unlike the others, he refrained from hugging her in favour of shoving an armful oflaendradown her throat, insisting that it was a miracle she was still standing given the amount of blood she had lost.

Shadow Walkers, Dayriders, Jarnocks, Flips, Meyarins, humans—all around Alex was a sea of faces, many recognisable, many more not. But all of them were now free. All of them were nowsafe.

It was with that thought that, despite thelaendranow rushing to heal her wounds, the physical and mental strain of the fight caught up with her.

Incapable of remaining standing a moment longer, her knees buckled and she fell into Kaiden’s arms as she finally—and inevitably—lost her battle to remain conscious.

“It would appear that you’re just as dramatic in your world as you were in ours.”

It took Alex a few moments to come back to full consciousness enough for the words to process, especially since it was only because of them that she was no longer sleeping. But once they registered—or, rather, who said them—Alex’s eyes snapped open and she sat up with a quiet gasp, finding Zaylin seated at the edge of her bed.

“Your doctor wanted you under his care, but there were so many others who needed beds in his medical facility that he yielded, allowing you to awaken in your own room,” Zaylin said, looking around the dorm with apparent distaste, likely at the lack of gold covering anything—oreverything.

“What are—” Alex tried to speak but found that her throat was too dry to form words.

Zaylin offered her a flask of liquid and Alex drank it without question, relieved to find more warmedlaendrainside, the flower instantly helping to revive her further.

Glancing down at her now pyjama-clad body, Alex could see no evidence of the wounds she had suffered in her fight against Aven, all except for the deep scar along her arm that had a silvery sheen to it. Her newest—and hopefullylast—Claiming mark would never disappear, just like the scars she had across her palm. It would forever be a reminder of what she had faced, of what she had done. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Attempting speech again, Alex looked from her scar back upto Zaylin and asked, “What are you doing here? Saefii—”

“As far as I’m concerned, you proved yourself worthy of our aid,” Zaylin interrupted.

Before Alex could ask what the empress thought about the reneging group of immortals, Zaylin said, “You need to stop lazing about in bed and get dressed. There are many people who wish to see you.”

Alex raised her eyebrows.Lazing about in bed?Really?

Remind me why I’m grateful that Zaylin came to help?she called to Xira as the Tia Auran bustled around the room and began searching through Alex’s wardrobe, still in helper mode despite being in a different world.

How about because without the empress’s involvement, you would have died?Xira returned, amusement threading his tone.And everyone else after you?

Startled, Alex said,So Saefii decided to come, after all?That would certainly offer a reason for Zaylin’s well-timed intercept. But the empress had been so against allying with Medora that Alex struggled to comprehend her change of mind.

Saefii?Xira asked.What does she have to do with anything?

Warning bells started ringing in Alex’s mind.You said the empress is here.