I take it and gulp down a large sip. The cold water hits the back of my throat and eases the churn in my stomach.
“Thanks.” Swiping a hand across my mouth, I pass it back.
He flashes me a wide smile, then turns and starts heading back toward the camp. For a while, we stroll in silence, but he seems relaxed enough today that I figure I might as well try some simple questions.
“Why’s she called JC?” I ask, watching the two dragons flying ahead.
He lifts a shoulder, the leather of his jacket pulling across the muscle beneath. “Well, her full name is Jhaecyrianthos… So JC is easier.”
“How did you know she was your dragon? Did you have any dreams?”
“No,” he scoffs. “I didn't have a fucking clue.”
“Why did you enter the ceremony then?”
“I was young and cocky. Still am.” He throws me a wink. “And I went into the Blood Moon pretty naive, to be honest. The ceremony is really short, a few hours, but the juice from the Vega fruit is brutal. It doesn’t just open your Threads—it rips them apart and everything you’ve ever buried comes crawling up.”
A slight tremor rolls through him, as though he’s reliving the memory.
“And it’s not only your fears or your memories, but things you didn’t even realise were sitting in you. Your possible futures too. And the dragons… they’re there. In the distance, watching all of it. Not just what you do—but how you break, how you hold it together. And then they decide if you’re worth it.”
He huffs a quiet laugh and lifts his hand to fiddle with the dull gemstone around his neck.
“Still not sure why JC actually picked me. Guess she saw something I didn’t...”
My mouth opens to ask more, but as we reach the outer ring of tents, Lucien spots Reya and calls after her with a piercing whistle. Her eyes roll when she spots him—grey and bright against her dark, tanned skin.
“Save your shit for later, Luc.” She bites out, stopping in front of us. “The bosswants to see me.”
A flash of purple catches in the corner of my vision as Shanwyn, Reya’s purple dragon, swoops past us, landing on a nearby tent with JC and Ahria.
“Goldie flew down?” Lucien probes, his brows drawing together. “What the fuck—he’s going to ruin himself. I told him he doesn’t need to be here today.”
My pulse spikes. Talen’s here?
Reya gathers her thick black waves back into a quick bun, exposing the tip of the fire tattoo along her neck. “Well, I don't know why he's here, but apparently he’s pissed at me again, so...”
Lucien lets out a charged breath. “Yeah, no shit. Sneaking around, disappearing for days on end, not telling anyone where you’ve been. What did you think was going to happen?”
She doesn’t reply—simply shoots him a stern glare, jaw locked, then turns and stomps off.
“You’re asking for it, Reya,” he calls after her.
“Eat my arse, Lucien.” She throws up a finger and keeps going, not looking back.
“If only you'd fucking let me!”
Either she doesn’t hear him, or she chooses not to, because she keeps her head down and disappears around the next corner with her dragon.
Beside me, Lucien drags a hand over his cropped hair and exhales hard through his nose. “God, she does my bloody head in… But damn do I want her.”
“I’m surprised you haven't already slept together,” I joke, “you seem perfect for each other.”
“Oh, we fuck. That's not the issue.”
His throat works once, and his expression softens, as his attention stays fixed on the corner she just turned.
“No? Wait… is this love?” I tilt my head at him. “Is Officer Thornviel in love? I didn’t think you had it in you!”
