Page 32
JULES
One month later—The Public Library just outside the Eyrie
Since there’s still so much I don’t know about Nightfall— its history, its magic, its people —I’ve found a way to begin learning that feels right.
Teaching the children.
Every morning, we gather in the newly built public library, a sunlit stone hall filled with scrolls and storybooks, with thick rugs for sitting, and shelves stacked with lore.
Alaric had it constructed just outside the keep after I offhandedly mentioned how nice it would be to have a space for the little ones to learn and dream.
I didn’t expect him to follow through so quickly— or so extravagantly.
But he always does.
Fulfills my every whim as if it were sacred.
“As I always will, Myrrin ,” he murmurs now from the shadows, his voice low and warm with promise.
The moment he speaks, the class erupts.
A flurry of cheers, giggles, shy waves, and one bold little boy— Thimble —who throws his arms in the air and shouts, “Lord Alaric!”
I smile as my Dragon Lord steps fully into view, silver eyes softening when they meet mine.
And just like that, the day feels brighter.
He moves to lift Thimble up, giving the boy a spin before setting him down on his feet. Then he stands at my side without hesitation, his hand finding the small of my back like it belongs there.
Like I belong.
And I do.
Not just beside him— but with him.
As Lady of the Eyrie.
As his viyella.
And maybe— please oh please —something more.
Because the past few days have brought more than just peace to our lands.
They’ve brought stillness to my body, a deep warmth blooming in my belly that no amount of magic can explain away.
I haven’t told him yet— haven’t spoken the possibility aloud —but every time I catch him watching me with that quiet reverence in his eyes, I wonder if he already knows.
Our bond has made us more than lovers.
More than mates.
It’s made us readers of each other’s souls.
His pride pulses through the zareth now, a comforting thrum against my skin as I lean into his side.
The children settle quickly, eager for today’s legend.
Today, we’re reading The Three Stones of Seryth , a Nightfall tale about a lost prince, the woman he falls in love with, and the magic they forge between them.
I wonder if Alaric chose it on purpose.
He often does things like that— tiny, hidden gestures only I notice.
It makes me fall harder.
Each day, I love him more. Not just because of the way he looks at me like I’m his whole sky, or the way he listens even when I ramble, or how he makes love like it’s a vow.
But because of this life we’re building.
Where he gives me room to grow.
Where I want to grow.
I glance over at him as the children open their scrolls, their little fingers tracing painted moons and golden ink.
Alaric meets my gaze and smiles.
And it takes everything in me not to blurt it out.
I think I’m pregnant.
Instead, I place a hand low over my belly and let myself simply feel the moment.
The joy. The hope. The wild, impossible beauty of it all.
Tomorrow, maybe.
Tomorrow, I’ll tell him.
“Your thoughts are loud, Myrrin,” Alaric murmurs, voice low and thick with meaning as the children begin to gather their things at the end of the lesson.
He motions for Shade to take over the reading of the tale as he walks me into the hall for some privacy.
His hand remains at the small of my back, grounding me. Anchoring me.
“I will call my personal physician to the Eyrie tonight,” he says, silver eyes gleaming with pride.
My breath catches.
“You know?” I whisper, blinking up at him as tears threaten to well in my eyes.
He turns to face me fully then, the din of little voices falling away like mist as his silver gaze searches mine. His expression is reverent, almost stunned with joy.
“Of course I know,” he says, brushing a knuckle gently along my cheek. “Your soul speaks to mine, viyella. Every beat of your heart echoes in my chest. And so does theirs.”
I gasp, my eyes widening.
“Theirs?”
His smile turns soft and wild all at once.
“Yes, love. Dragons often have multiples. They are perfect. Our young. A presence unlike anything I’ve felt before. So new. So pure. And impossibly bright.”
He presses his forehead to mine, his voice trembling now with awe and adoration.
“You have made me so very happy, you wonderful creature. You’ve given me more than I ever dreamed I could have.”
Tears fall freely now, and I don’t bother to stop them. They’re not born of fear or uncertainty anymore.
They’re born of joy. Of love.
“I love you,” I whisper.
The words aren’t nearly enough for everything I feel, but they’re the best I have to offer.
He pulls me into his arms then, wrapping me in warmth and magic and the kind of unshakable certainty that I never thought I’d know. Not here. Not in this strange, dangerous, beautiful place.
But I do.
With him.
“I love you, too,” Alaric breathes, kissing my temple with such fierce tenderness I swear I feel it echo in my bones.
“And I will love our young with every breath I take. As I love you, Myrrin . Until the stars themselves go dark.”
And, in that moment, I know—with more certainty than I’ve ever known anything before—that there is nowhere in this multiverse I would rather be. Not Earth. Not some version of the life I used to think I wanted. Just here.
With him.
“You are right where you belong,” Alaric says, his voice like velvet over steel. “In Nightfall. With me.”
A laugh slips past my lips, soft but real. “Well, technically , I’m only here because you came to Earth and stole me.”
His eyes gleam with heat and something even more dangerous— devotion .
“And I’d do it again, Myrrin . Every. Single. Time.”
He says it without shame. Without hesitation.
Like stealing me from everything I knew was the best decision he’s ever made.
And maybe it was.
Because it brought me here— to love, to purpose, to this impossible, beautiful life.
To us.
To a love that makes my heart soar and my soul sing.