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A king who sought to own what was never his, now reduced to something useful for his enemy. I turn and see Nyxara is waiting. She lands, her massive form shifting, scales shrinking, fire dimming, until she stands before me in her human form, emerald eyes both confused and wary.

"Thought you might want this," I say, twirling the staff between my fingers, letting the pearl at its peak pulse with the remnants of Aldric's soul.

Nyxara doesn’t take it.

Not yet.

Her emerald eyes flick from the weapon to me, dark and unreadable, her lips pressed into something that is not quite a frown but not quite amusement, either.

"You could have told me," she says at last, her voice low, slow, carrying the weight of something unspoken beneath it. "I don’t like things being hidden from me."

There’s something dangerous in the way she says it, a razor-edge beneath each syllable, a warning wrapped in velvet.

And gods, it makes my pulse race.

I smirk, letting my fingers trail lazily along the length of the staff before offering it to her once more. "Where would the fun in that be?"

She doesn’t move. Doesn’t take it. She just watches me.

Waiting.

I sigh dramatically, shifting my weight to one hip. "You had a whole war to win, my love. I couldn’t have you worrying about me when your realm was in danger." I flash her a slow, knowing smile. "Besides, this way, you never had to doubt the outcome. Even with my power on his side, I made sure Aldric never stood a chance."

Her jaw clenches slightly.

"Is that what you think?" she murmurs, stepping closer now, slow and deliberate, her fire-bright gaze holding mine hostage. I don’t step back. I don’t even breathe.

I can feel the heat of her magic, the weight of her presence wrapping around me, something dark and possessive curling in the space between us.

"And I am supposed to just believe you didn’t let him touch you," she says softly. "That you didn’t whisper your siren song in his ear and let him think you were his."

Ah.

So that’s what this is.

I let my smile sharpen, lifting my chin as she closes the distance, until her breath is warm against my cheek. "Believe what you want, Dragon Queen," I purr, tilting my head, letting my lips brush the air just beside hers. "But the king is dead, and here I am, handing you his soul wrapped up in a pretty little weapon. Would you rather I had let him win?"

Her eyes darken, Viridian Wrath glowing.

"I would rather," she murmurs, her fingers finally curling around the staff, "you remember exactly who you belong to."

A thrill runs through me, electric and sharp, but I mask it with a lazy grin.

"Oh, my queen," I whisper, stepping back just enough to let my gaze roam over her, slow and deliberate. "I never forget."

She holds my stare a moment longer, then lifts the staff between us, her fingers tightening around it. The pearl at its peak glows, pulsing in time with the soul trapped inside.

Aldric’s soul.

Hers to break. And just like that—The war is over.

Chapter

Twenty-One

NYXARA

The war is over.