Twin Hybrid POV
Saphira & Liora
The twins couldn’t stop staring.
The dragon lands were more magnificent than they had ever Imagined, more than the whispered stories traded between cage bars back in that cold, dark place. This wasn’t some fairy tale. It was real.
Real skies. Real wind. Real magic. Real dragons.
And now… a real home.
The portal shimmered behind them as their new parents, Elandra and Kirel, guided them down the winding path from the transport stone toward a house nestled into the mountainside. It wasn’t grand like the castle, but it smelled like safety, cedarwood, roasted meat, and the warm pulse of magic woven into the stone walls.
Saphira squeezed her sister’s hand. “It’s got a red roof! That means good luck.”
Liora grinned. “We’re the lucky ones.”
Elandra turned, her long auburn braid swinging. “This house has waited a long time for laughter again.”
Kirel, quiet and strong, knelt beside them. “We built it stone by stone. Now it’s yours too.”
The front door creaked open, releasing a rush of warm, enchanted air that wrapped around the twins like a hug. Inside, a cozy living room spread before them. It was complete with a sunken hearth and shelves carved into the walls, already filled with toys, spellbooks, and tiny dragon statues. Runes shimmered softly across the floorboards, glowing in color when the girls stepped on them.
They gasped when they reached their bedroom. There were two cozy beds tucked beneath the sloped ceiling, and matching crystal lanterns above each one that dimmed when they whispered “Good Night.”
Beyond a sliding door waited a garden of twinkling flowers and a pond that glowed like liquid moonlight.
Liora darted toward the window seat, her eyes shining. “This is where I’m gonna write spells!”
Saphira plopped onto her bed, bouncing once. “This one’s mine. It smells like cookies and rain!”
Elandra laughed and handed each of them a steaming mug of sweetroot tea, sparkling and warm, brewed just for hybrids like them. “This will help balance your magic until your dragon shifts come in.”
Saphira’s eyes went wide. “You mean we really can shift?”
Kirel chuckled, ruffling her hair. “Not today. But soon. You’ve both got the glow. I’d bet scales on it.”
After that, they practically glowed for the rest of the evening.
1/2
18:02 Thu, Oct 23
Chapter 196
…
:
Dinner was honey–glazed root stew, toasted bread, and plum syrup for dessert. The girls helped wash up afterward, then Kirel showed them the enormous wall chart in the hallway, their training schedule.
Fae lessons, magic basics, dragon control, flight prep.
“Do we get flying lessons?” Liora asked, nearly vibrating with excitement.
“Eventually,” Elandra said with a wink. “First, you’ve got to grow your wings.”
Both girls nodded solemnly, accepting this as perfectly reasonable.
That night, tucked into warm beds with dragon plushies in their arms and stars winking beyond the window, the sisters whispered to each
other.
“Do you think they’ll keep us?” Saphira asked quietly.
Liora smiled into her pillow. “They already have.”
Just before sleep claimed them, Kirel peeked into the room. His voice was soft and reverent as he looked at the two small shapes beneath the blankets.
“You are our treasure now,” he said. “No one will ever cage you again.”
For the first time in their lives, their hearts believed it.
And their dreams….were finally free of fear.
Elowen POV
The comm crystal shimmered to life in my hand as I plopped down in one of the oversized chairs in the strategy room. I looked like death warmed over in a silk robe with wet hair and a piece of toast in my mouth, but I didn’t give a damn. This wasn’t a beauty contest….it was
war.
Taya’s face popped up first, all sunshine and sarcasm. “You look like you’ve been tackled by five mates. Oh wait…”
“Correct, actually,” I said, smirking as I bit into my toast. “And if the goddess doesn’t give me a pelvic blessing soon, I may never walk again.”
