bCHAPTER /bb117 /b

    bNot /blong after, the warmth of the game room faded into a gentle lullb, /btheughter and bstrategy /bgiving way to afortable silence. Saphira stretched, her spine arching with a quiet bpop/bb, /blimbs heavy with the weight of bthe /bday. Her fingers flexed against the armrest, reluctant to let go bof /bbthe /b

    moment.

    Beside her, Raven yawned and rubbed at her temple, eyes half–lidded. Zafira blinked slowly. The quiet between them was no longer filled with tension or plotting–just the soft hum of shared exhaustion.

    “We should call it,” Raven murmured, voice low and velvety.

    Saphira nodded, rising with a slow grace. Her fingers curled around her empty ss. iSo /imuch had ihappened/ii. /iiHer /imind ifelt /iilike /iia /iicrowded /iihallway/ii–/iidoors /iiajar/ii, /iimemories /iiwhispering /iifrom /ievery cornerb. /bShe

    offered a tired smile, exchanged hugs that lingered just a second longer than usualb, /band stepped into

    the corridor.

    The soft glow of wall sconces painted golden streaks across the stone floor. Her footsteps echoed faintly, a rhythm that matched the quiet thrum of her thoughts. iRuby’s /iideception/ii. /iiVaelora’s /iiinstincts/i. iDamon/ii. /iiIt /iwas iall /iitoo /imuch ito /iihold /iiat /iionce/i. She pressed a hand to her chest, as if to keep it all from

    spilling out.

    As she reached her room, the door creaked open before her fingers touched the handle.

    Niks stood inside, sleeves rolled up, a towel slung over his shoulder like he’d just stepped out of a spa ad. “I ran you a bath,” he said, his smile warm and crooked. “Hot. Bubbly. Just how you like it.”

    Saphira’s shoulders dropped, tension melting like wax. Her heart gave a soft thud, the kind that came with being seen. “How did you know I was on my way back?”

    He stepped closer, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek with the back of his knuckles. “I asked

    Zafira to let me know.”

    Her lips parted in surprise, then curved into something tender. She leaned in, pressing a slow, grateful kiss to his mouth–one that lingered with unspoken thanks. “You’re ridiculous,b” /bshe whispered, forehead resting against his. “But thank you.b” /b

    “Come on,” he said, fingerscing through hers

    as he guided her toward the bathroom.

    Steam curled from the tub like a beckoning spirit, thick with bubbles that nearly spilled over the rim. Saphiraughed, the sound light and real. “There’s more foam than water.”

    “Only the best,” Niks said, dragging a chair into the room and settling beside the tub with theatrical ir.

    b1/3 /b

    Saphira slipped into the bath, the heat wrapping around her like a cocoon spun from silk and fire, She exhaled, sinking deeper until only her shoulders remained above the froth. Her muscles sighed, her mind beginning to unclench.

    Niks leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “I should just join you.”

    She raised a browi, /ismirking through the mist. “This is my rxing time. You can join next time.”

    Theyughed, the sound echoing off the tiled walls like a shared secret.

    Then his tone shifted, thoughtful. “We discussed a few angles to approach Damon. First, we’ll try to reason with him. Just talk. If that doesn’t work… we’ll threaten him. And if that fails, we’ll use magic. Physical, but not torture.”

    Saphira’s brows lifted, her fingers pausing mid–swirl in the water. Her face tightened, the word physical catching like a thorn. Violence wasn’t her way. She’d always believed in words, in empathy. But this wasn’t a simple disagreement anymore.

    Niks reached out, brushing her hand where it rested on the edge of the tub. His touch was calming. “Not evil. Just… strategic.”

    She nodded slowly, her gaze drifting to the ripples she’d made. iShe /iididn’t /iilike /iiit/ii. /iiBut /ishe iunderstood/i. With everything on ithe /ilinei, /iishe /iihad /iito /iilearn /iito /iilive /iiin /iithe /iigrey/i.

    “I’ll be ready if you need me,” she said quietly.

    Niks smiled, eyes steady. “You already are. You just don’t know it yet.”

    The bathwater had cooled, bubbles thinning into translucent wisps that clung to the porcin like fading memories. Saphira sighed, her breath curling into the steam as she rose slowly, the warmth slipping from her skin inzy trails. Her limbs feltnguid, her body flushed and heavy withfort. She reached for the thick towel draped nearby, wrapping it around herself with a shiver as the cooler air kissed her damp skin.

    Niks was already there, holding out another towel for her hair. Their fingers brushed–just a whisper of contact–but it sent a flicker through her chest. He always knew what she needed before she asked. She met his gaze briefly, then looked away, her heart fluttering in a way that had nothing to do with the bath.

    Back in the bedroom, the sheets were cool and inviting. Saphira slipped beneath them, the fabric brushing against her legs like a sigh. Her body still hummed from the heat, her mind quieter now, but not still. Niks joined her, the mattress dipping gently beneath his weight. He turned toward her, one arm tucked beneath his head, the other resting loosely across his stomach.

    “We’ll try to contact Asher in the morning,” he said, voice low and steady. “If there’s nothing urgent, we’ll train. Then visit Damon in the afternoon.”

    CHAPTER b117 /b

    Saphira nodded, pulling the nket up to her chest and tucking it beneath her bchin/bb. /bb“/bbAs /bbmuch /bbas /bb1 /bloved putting Ruby in her ce…” Her fingers curled into the fabric. “bI /bbcan’t /bbafford /bbto /bblose /bbfull /bcontrol again. Even though I trust Vaclora, I need to be the bone /bsteeringb./bb” /b

    Niks reached out, his fingertips tracing a slow, deliberate line down her arm. “It’s bnormal /bbto /bhave moments. But you need to be able to pull back control at any time. No matter how emotional byour /bdragon is.”

    She swallowed, her throat tight. The memory of the office shed behind her eyes–her bvoice /bbsharp/bb, /bher dragon’s fury bleeding through every word. She hadn’t just spoken. She’d roared. “You’re bright/bb,/b” she murmured. “I’ll work on it.”

    Her gaze flicked to him, guilt flickering like a shadow. “Sorry about the officeb./bb” /b

    Niksughed, the sound warm and unguarded. “Totally worth it. Honestly? It was sexy as hell how you took the lead.”

    Saphira blinked, heat blooming in her cheeks. “Really?”

    He leaned closer, brushing his lips against her temple, his breath warm against her skin. “If you hadn’t done it, I would’ve. I was holding Vorthar back with every fiber of my body.”

    Her blush deepened, a smile tugging at her lips despite herself. “That’s… good to hear.”

    Niks didn’t wait. He pulled her into a kiss–deep, passionate, threaded with everything he hadn’t said earlier. His hand cradled her jaw, thumb brushing her cheek as if memorizing the shape of her.

    “I’ve waited all day for this,” he whispered against her lips. “From the moment you took the lead… it killed me not to pull you aside and kiss you senseless.”

    Saphira’s breath caught, her heart thudding against his chest. She hadn’t realized how much she needed this–needed him. Not just thefort, but the fire. And now, wrapped in warmth and quiet, she let herself sink into it, letting the world fall away for just a little while.

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