Chapter 19 – The Other Contender
The candlelight in Eira’s chamber flickered low as she sat on the window seat, her knees hugged to her chest, heart still racing from the events of the night before. The memory of Alric’s kiss remained etched into her skin like fire—scorching, forbidden, impossible to forget. But it wasn’t just the kiss that lingered. It was the rage that followed.
Selis had not been silent since. Not even in sleep.
Eira rubbed at her temple, trying to shake the echo of Selis’s voice—furious, guttural, inhuman. Her dreams had been filled with smoke and flame, the feeling of drowning in a firestorm that wasn’t hers.
She didn’t know how long she had screamed before Mira found her, trembling and soaked in sweat.
“Are you all right, Your Highness?” Mira asked now, entering
