Page 45 of Soul of Fire

“Of course.” Serrilda tilted her head to the side. “You should know I’m seeing someone.”

I blinked, not sure what to say. “Congratulations.”

Serrilda sighed. “I don’t tell you to make you jealous.”

“I’m not jealous,” I replied with complete honesty. I had long gotten over my heartbreak, and Kindra was far too wrapped up in waiting for her mate to show interest in anyone.

I’d thought the same was true for Serrilda’s dragon, Ulla.

“It’s new.” A faint pink blush stained her cheeks. “One of the Chaosborn, Adira. She works in the forges. I was going to say something the other day, but…”

But I had been lonely and sad and reckless, and she’d seen me after the dragons ended things between us.

I nodded in understanding. “And Ulla?”

The blush deepened. “She approves. She thinks maybe in the next Rifting…” She trailed off, and I felt an odd weight lift from my shoulders.

I hadn’t been waiting around and pining for Serrilda, but I had felt oddly responsible for our separation, as Kindra had initiated it. Her seeing someone—a Chaosborn likely to bond her dragon’s mate, no less—made it feel like we could finally put it behind us.

I grinned as Kindra returned from sending my request to Frostviðr. “Is she as messy as I was?”

Serrilda rolled her eyes, her face unperturbed as the blush receded. “More, if that’s possible. And I only tell you now because…well…”

She opened and closed her mouth once. Twice. It was so unusual for Serrilda to be tongue-tied that I was almost certain this Adira would end up her mate.

“If you’re about to suggest a threesome—“

Serrilda threw a book at me. I neatly caught it, my grin wide.

“You are the worst,” she said without rancor. “I told you because I won’t lie to her. About what I’m doing.”

I nodded, still smiling from ear to ear. “I wouldn’t ask you to. I’m happy for you, truly.”

Kindra barged back into my consciousness, clearly annoyed.Vidar acknowledges our request and will relay it to his human. As if it wasn’t an order.

I’m sorry.I gave her a mental scratch, thinking hateful thoughts of Tormund for the twisted way he treated the dragons. Kindra ranked below Vidar, but he knew she spoke for Baldur and Idunn.

Men are insufferable. Especially human ones.

“Would you like me to talk to Viggo?” Serrilda was looking at me with a bemused expression on her face. “It’s no trouble if Kindra needs you.”

“No, I’ll go.” I looked at the woman I had once loved, who I now called a friend and part of my family. “I really am happy for you, Serrilda.”

“Thank you.” She gave me a faint smile, which from Serrilda was practically a grin. “Perhaps you should go socialize more. Maybe one of the Chaosborn—“

“Absolutely not.” I cut her off with a raised palm. “Kindra is excessively picky. She’s already rejected half ofthe mountain, and I have too much to do to go out drinking or gambling to try to find her a mate.”

Us a mate,Kindra grumbled, though I noticed she didn’t argue about the pickiness.

You,I insisted.I’m fine on my own.

Serrilda rolled her eyes. “Go talk to Viggo. I’ll finish up here, then help Ingmar in the archives. Perhaps we’ll make more headway with two of us searching.”

“Perhaps.” I hesitated for a moment before adding, “Don’t lie to Adira, but perhaps don’t volunteer what we’re up to? At least not yet.”

Serrilda raised a brow, and I rushed to add, “If she asks, tell her, obviously. But I have a feeling that the fewer people who suspect what we do, the better.”

“And what is it that we suspect exactly?”