Rhiannan POV
Elisha's chest rose and fell beneath me like a goddamn mountainside, all golden skin, sweat, and satisfied smugness. One massive arm was slung around my waist, claws still half out from whatever primal dragon instinct said mine. He snored like a drunk warhorn.
Typical alpha hole behavior.
And I fucking loved it.
But sleep? Nah. My brain was still wired. So there I was, tangled up in sweaty sheets, scrolling FAENet like a lunatic.
Trending đ„
My name. Of course.
#RhiannanTheGoddess
#QueenOfAllMates
#SirenSlayersAndDragonFuckers
Charming.
I raised one brow as I swiped past fan art, memes, reaction videos, and⊠fanfics. Somebody actually made an edit of me ripping Lettie's throat out to some over the top orchestral remix. I snorted. It was glorious.
Then I saw it.
A royal palace livestream replay.
Lorelei had been in the middle of one of her staged "grace and glory" moments when BAM, the evil entity exploded into the throne room like a pissed off banshee. Screams. Magic. Shattered glass. And my personal favorite, Queen Lorelei tripping over her own delusions in heels too high for her own ego.
I cackled. No shame.
The guys woke up one by one and leaned over to watch. Kaleb smirked. Arwen arched a brow. Liam wheezed, "I haven't laughed this hard since the great fae orgy of '42."
But the laughs didn't last.
I must've dozed off on Elisha's chest, because next thing I knew, she came.
The Moon Goddess.
Not in a dream . more like a cosmic hack. The vision was cold. Heavy.
A glowing countdown: 17:00:00.
Then she appeared, flickering like a broken signal.
"Seventeen hours, daughter," she said. "Prepare. You and your mates will be summoned to the Divine Realm. The Chalice of Truth awaits. But not without cost."
I shot awake, heart pounding like a war drum. The guys surrounded me in seconds.
"We've got seventeen hours," I told them. "Shit's about to get divine and deadly."
Cue panic. Arguing. Training scramble.
"Train for what, exactly?" Liam groaned. "Divine dueling? Cosmic karaoke? Clown juggling?"
"You juggle clowns?" Arwen deadpanned.
"Only the sad ones."
And yet⊠we trained.
Element control. Shift syncing. Hand to hand. Group defense. Elisha sparred shirtless because of course he did. Arwen barked commands. Kaleb flexed. Liam threw knives and sarcasm in equal measure.
But the tension⊠it was thick. Sticky. Heavy.
They were all trying to protect me. Arguing about who'd take point. Who'd cover me. Who'd bleed first.
Kaleb growled.
Arwen paced.
Elisha sharpened weapons he didn't need sharpened.
Liam rolled his eyes and muttered, "Who's measuring dicks next, lads? Should I bring a scale or a microscope?"
I'd had enough.
"I'm getting a fucking sandwich," I snapped, already storming out barefoot with my wild ass hair trailing like a fire halo. "And if one of you tries to follow me, I'll kick your nuts so hard your next reincarnation limps."
Silence.
Glorious silence.
I followed the scent of cinnamon and strawberries through the halls like it was my fated mate. Found myself in the massive castle kitchen, dimly lit, quiet. Warm.
Behind the counter? A curvy dragon maid with bronze glinting skin, flipping waffles and humming like nothing in the world was wrong.
"You hungry, darling?" she asked, not even turning around.
"Starving," I muttered.
She slid a plate in front of me like magic, syrup drenched waffles, fluffy eggs, crispy bacon, strawberries piled high. My stomach growled like it owed her rent.
"You made all this?" I blinked.
"You're the goddess," she said. "But more importantly, you looked like you needed it."
And damn⊠I did.
I ate like I hadn't tasted joy in years. It wasn't just food, it was comfort. Warmth. Home.
She told stories while I ate. Young dragons. Glitter fights. Flying lessons gone wrong. Getting scolded for stealing treasure from the wrong cave.
I laughed. I listened.
And then I started to ache.
Because I didn't have stories like that. No warm childhood memories. No fae pillow fights or dragon pranks.
Just blood. Loss. And a big, terrifying blank where my past should've been.
I stopped eating. Pushed my plate away.
"They'll leave me too," I whispered.
The maid paused. "What was that, love?"
But I was already gone.
I walked back into the war room like a ghost. My mates were still bickering, formations, weapons, strategy. Elisha was shirtless and brooding. Again.
"Rhi.." Kaleb started.
"Stop," I said. Quiet. But solid.
They froze.
"Come here." I choked back a sob.
They hesitated, then moved like a pack, slow, unsure. I grabbed all four and pulled them into the biggest fucking group hug this castle has ever seen.
No one spoke.
We just held on.
I took a shaky breath. "I don't fully remember who I was. I don't know what I'm supposed to become. But whatever's coming next? I don't want to face it without you."
Arwen rested his forehead to mine.
Kaleb kissed my temple.
Liam whispered, "Same, but with more snacks."
Elisha grumbled, "I suppose I can tolerate some emotional bullshit."
I tilted my head. "Hug me, dragon."
He groaned like it caused him physical pain, but he joined, wrapping one giant arm around the rest of us like the world might end.
And for the first time that day, I smiled.
"Alright, enough warm fuzzies," Liam announced. "Let's go learn how to control the raging cosmic chaos before it explodes and someone loses an eyebrow."
"You're the someone," Arwen muttered.
"Jealousy looks hot on you, tiger."
I rolled my eyes and stretched, magic buzzing under my skin.
The divine countdown was ticking.
And ready or notâŠ
We were about to find out what we were made of.