Page 69 of A Thread of Breath and Bone

The sound of the ocean rushing in and pulling back out soothes me to my very soul. The sand beneath my feet fills the space between my toes as I wiggle them, delighting in the wet grains. I’ve left my hair down today, so it lifts and falls in the light breeze as Ryker guides me with interlaced fingers toward the forest of trees.

We’re both silent, but in a comfortable way. Every second I spend with him, I fall in love a little more.

We round the corner of the black cliff face, and there’s a home nestled in the trees. It’s two levels, with white-washed walls and a wooden roof. Seven arches span across the front leading to the front door. To the right, there seem to be smaller living quarters.

“This is for the Bonding phase.” He grins, and my cheeks heat. “We had it completely remodeled. Only a few servants will be here with us. They will live there.” He points to the smaller living quarters.

I look around, realizing how secluded the home is. “How will that work? I feel like with the state of everything, and a war on the horizon⁠—”

“We’ll figure it out. We can stay here in the evenings and still take meetings at the palace.”

I exhale slowly, crossing my arms over my chest as I look out at the glittering waters. After last night, it’s not the sex that bothers me. It’s the feeling that this is so irresponsible. War is coming. This isn’t the time to focus on our relationship.

Once he is crowned king, and I his queen, we will rule over Okenen. And for now, my parents will remain the ruling monarchs of Treon. We have time to figure out how their transition of power will happen.

If it happens.

War will destroy us. It’s inevitable. The perfectly safe, normalized state of our system is going to be in shambles, and our wedding…

Gods, it's not the right time to even think about any of it. Our minds should be focused on training.

Ryker sighs, taking a seat in the sand, offering me his hand as I gather my skirts and sit beside him. “I know what you’re thinking.” When my head swivels to him, he chuckles. “Okay, not like that, but we’ll be ready. As much as we can. Just because war is coming doesn’t mean we have to stop living. Each day is a gift, and I plan to make the most of it. So we train harder, we spend longer days with evacuations or fighting or whatever, but at the end of those days, I still want to enjoy my wife. My mate. And I won’t regret it for a moment.”

I nod softly, resting my head on my arms that are propped up on my knees.

Ryker nods to the water, and when I look, two water spouts are moving across the sea. Each time they get close, they spin out of control. Eventually, they crash and dissolve back into the sea.

Seeing him control the water spouts makes the hum in my own blood vibrate in sync. It’s not about the sex or the proximity. It’s that our magic feels incomplete when it isn't reflecting the other. I'm not falling in love—I'm being woven into him.

“You’re incredible,” I say with a genuine smile. “What else can you do?”

Chapter 26

Ryker

The first round of communications comes not long after Raea leaves.

Draerr—the furthest planet in Ateria—has been breached. Just like Khyreth, Ateria’s moon was overtaken by that onyx mist and cloud cover so thick nothing could penetrate it. Now Draerr is shrouded too.

Whatever is happening, it’s spreading.

All focus shifts to Sector 12. Reports range from black clouds choking the skies to a thick, crawling mist swallowing entire streets. Thankfully, most of the planet had already been evacuated.

Within the hour, communication goes dark.

Our quadrants begin working with Treon’s to put together a reconnaissance mission—something to get eyes on Draerr and figure out what we’re dealing with. But before anything can be confirmed, Ateria itself goes silent.

No communication.

Their quadrants have stopped responding, and their Protos have been grounded.

I’m called to the command room as reports come in of another small energy surge in the sector outside the Oris Kingdom—smaller than before, but enough to keep everyone on edge.

Thankfully, there are no new reports of planets being overrun.

My mother sits calmly at my side while our commandants, guards, and generals argue across the room about how to protect what’s left of our system.

The only thing I can do right now is start evacuations.