Page 102 of A Thread of Breath and Bone

Step four. I tighten my grip on Ryker’s hand and remind myself that I am not alone. At least we are crossing into this new world together.

Step five. The warriors in front of the gateway look like steel given breath—real in a way the shadows aren’t. They stand immovable, unyielding, a wall between us and annihilation. For the first time since the darkness rose, it feels like there might be a fighting chance.

Step six. My gaze finds Clara. Fat tears streak her cheeks as Trysten holds her close, shielding her without question. She’s too young for this. Too innocent. And yet—I’m grateful she’s with us. Grateful she isn’t alone.

Step seven. My eyes flick to my twin, my nightmare, frozen in time, her hatred sharp even through the spell holding her still. There are a thousand questions screaming inside me—but none of them matter right now.

Step eight. I look at Daeanna—at those wings and her steady gaze—and something in me says: safe. The certainty of it hits fast and unexplainable. I don’t doubt it. I don’t question it. Somehow I know.

Step nine. I look at Ryker. At my mate. At the storm and devotion and promise bound between us. Whatever comes next—we face it together.

Step ten: The air changes—sharp, electric, wrong. My skin prickles as I cross the threshold, and something ancient in me answers.

I pause to see Aolyn standing there. I reach back—not as a Princess, but as a friend refusing to lose one more piece of her heart.

Aolyn looks at my outstretched hand, then at the darkness swallowing the beach behind her. There’s a war in her eyes, a lifetime of loyalty battling a terrifying, unknown future.

She nods and slips her hand into mine.

The world lurches. The sound of wind roars in my ears, leaving nothing behind but the echo of a creature’s growl and the sound of steel meeting fate as the gateway closes behind us.

And just like that, there is no turning back.

Chapter 36

Raea

The humid, floral-scented air hits me the moment a breeze brushes past us.

I’m still in shock. My mind reels as I look back to where we came from—where the gateway should be. There is nothing now but cerulean blue water glittering beneath the sun, as if the world never tore itself open.

My friends all look dazed, shocked, and confused. I am too. What did I just do? I left my home, my family.

Ryker’s hand cups my face as he brings my attention to him. The sapphire in his eyes seems impossibly deeper, the silver now glittering almost like it’s alive. “Breathe, love,” he soothes, running a thumb over my cheekbone.

For a moment, I let him calm me.

I don’t think about the fact that the war started, and we left. I don’t think about our parents or our friends that we left behind. I don’t think about Ezra, Rune, Aksel, and Theovan probably fighting their way to find us. I don’t think about the fact that I have a twin sister or that Sienna betrayed us. That King Aki played a part in it.

“That’s it,” he says, “it’s going to be okay.”

For the first time, I look around, taking in our surroundings. Before us is a beach filled with tents and warriors who all pass us without looking our way.

I look down at my hands, still trembling, my ring still on the wrong finger. The light catches the sapphire dangling from my brow. Under the light of a different sun, the stone glows celestial blue, pulsing with the same rhythm as the waves. It matches the weight of Ryker’s necklace against my skin, and for a fleeting second, the jewelry feels more like a tether. My parents’ love and Ryker’s promise are the only things that haven't been distorted by the jump across the galaxy.

My gaze settles on a man walking toward us. He wears a leather vest over bare skin, tattoos winding across his chest like a story written in muscle and ink. His long, sand-colored hair is pulled back, his beard thick, his green eyes sharp without being unkind.

He studies Ryker for a beat too long—measuring, not challenging—then lets his gaze drift to me.

“Well,” he says mildly, as if we’ve merely arrived late to a meeting. “That was dramatic.”

Ryker stiffens beside me. I feel the wind stir at his back.

“I’m Finn,” the man continues. “And before you ask—yes. That was supposed to happen.”

A woman stands at his side. She is beautiful in the way sharpened steel is beautiful. Short. Lean. Braided hair pulled back tight from a face carved in restraint and irritation. Leather armor hugs her frame, practical and unadorned, and her pale blue eyes, which are almost as clear as glass, flick over us like we are problems she’s already tired of solving.

“Brynna,” she says flatly. No welcome. No ceremony. “This is the planet of Auralis. Come with us.” Her eyes flick to Ryker. “You stay close.” Then to me. “You stay alive.” She turns on her heel and starts walking, clearly unconcerned whether we follow.