The f*******n Obsidian

Holy incense caught in my throat. Heat raced across my skin, and for one awful moment, I was burning again. Flames had climbed my legs on the pyre. My own flesh had stunk of char. I had screamed Caleb's name while he watched without moving, the Saintess’s crown already in his hands for another woman. I opened my eyes. The Sunstone Altar glowed in the grand hall. My skin was whole. I was eighteen again, back on the worst day of my life. The Blood Oath ceremony. “Aurelia.” Caleb stood before me, my Alpha fiancé and the future king of the North. He offered me the golden chalice and smiled for the watching court. "It is time to pledge your blood, my love." His eyes moved toward the silent crowd of Alphas and Elders, checking that they had heard him. Elara stood behind his shoulder with her hands folded. The Mark of Light rested against her neck. The sacred crystal sigil passed from one Saintess to the next. It belonged to me. My hand went still. In my last life, I had dismissed Elara as a harmless substitute for my affection. Caleb had already given her my mark. He meant to erase me. "Aurelia?" Caleb's smile tightened. I left his hand hanging between us and turned away from the golden chalice. Gasps broke across the hall. At the far end of the altar lay the other Alphas' offerings. I passed the polished silver and gem-studded hilts and stopped before a plain piece of obsidian. The dagger had been carved from the heart of a volcano. Power beat through the black stone and numbed my fingertips before I even touched it. Kaelen’s. The Abyssal Tyrant. The cursed Alpha whose very touch was said to drain the life from a Saintess. I smiled. I pricked my finger on its edge. One drop of blood struck the night-black stone. The altar boomed under my feet. Purple flame shot from the obsidian to the ceiling. Every Alpha in the hall saw my choice. Voices rose on every side. Caleb and his guards blocked my path before I reached the doors. He looked amused, the way he did when a servant made a small mistake. "Alright, Aurelia. That's enough drama for one day." He lowered his voice. "You've made your point. You're upset about Elara. I get it." He stepped close enough to crowd me. "This little show is over. You have three days until the Alliance Summit. Go back to your tower, calm down, and remember your duty. The North needs its Saintess. *I* need you." He had already turned his body toward the doors. He expected me to follow. "I understand." His shoulders loosened. "Good. I knew you'd see reason. Don't keep me waiting." He walked away without looking back. Three days, he had said. I would not give him three hours. I passed the stairs to my tower and headed for the secret heart of his kingdom. It beat because I fed it.