Kaldoras E-Book

Lynette Noni

• Herausgeber: Pantera Press
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Serie: The Medoran Chronicles
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Seitenzahl: 313

Beschreibung

Journey back to the world of Medora to follow Alexandra Jennings and her friends – and enemies – for one last adventure. Spanning four years after the final book in Lynette Noni's #1 bestselling series The Medoran Chronicles, this is an epilogue like no other, full of laughter, tears, and above all, the unending power of friendship. EMBRACE THE WONDER Praise for Lynette Noni and The Medoran Chronicles 'Lynette Noni is a marvelous and inventive storyteller, whose books are absolutely impossible to put down.' — Sarah J. Maas, #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses series 'The Medoran Chronicles have richly developed characters, superb world-building that makes you feel like you're actually there, and stories that pack a punch, full of emotion and thrills. Highly recommended!' — James Dashner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maze Runner series 'Her books tell stories that draw you in and refuse to let go. Her characters are memorable and quick to surprise. I cannot wait to see what she will do next.' — Terry Brooks, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Shannara Chronicles

Leseprobe

About the Book

Journey back to the world of Medora to follow Alexandra Jennings and her friends – and enemies – for one last adventure.

Spanning four years after the final book in Lynette Noni's #1 bestselling series The Medoran Chronicles, this is an epilogue like no other, full of laughter, tears, and above all, the unending power of friendship.

EMBRACE THE WONDER

Also in The Medoran Chronicles

Akarnae Raelia Draekora Graevale We Three Heroes Vardaesia

To Medoran fans everywhere:

This book is for you.

Forever and always.

WARNING

Dear Reader—

This book offers an epilogue to The Medoran Chronicles covering four years after the end of Vardaesia. As such, it’s full of spoilers for the whole series, so DO NOT READ IT unless you’ve finished all the previous books.

I’d also recommend that you read the novella collection We Three Heroes before starting this one, since some of the characters and places mentioned in these pages are first introduced there. (I’ve tried to write the following in a way that will still make sense if you haven’t read We Three Heroes, but you may miss out on the full reading experience!)

Thank you for loving these characters as much as you do, and I hope you enjoy taking one final journey with them!

CONTENTS

Title PageAlso in The Medoran ChroniclesDedicationMapWarningPart IAlexPart IINiyxPart IIIAvenPart IVJordanPart VAlexPart VIRuvaAuthor’s NoteAcknowledgementsAbout the AuthorCopyright

PART I

ALEX

“We’re late, we’re late, we’re late!”

“Calm down, Alex,” Kaiden said in a soothing voice, reclining on her bed with his hands casually behind his head. “They know we’re coming.”

“Calm down?” Alex repeated shrilly. “It’s the first Kaldoras since—since everything. Nothing about today is going to be calm!”

Kaiden sat up, his hand shooting out as Alex rushed around her dorm room in a panic, his strong fingers threading through hers and tugging until she fell onto his lap. He swivelled her so she was facing him, one of his arms curling around her back to pull her closer, the other cupping her jaw.

“Breathe, sweetheart,” he said quietly, his piercing blue eyes holding hers.

When he looked at her like that, she was helpless to resist. She drew in a breath, then another, feeling her tension begin to fade.

“That’s better,” he murmured, still holding her gaze. His hand at her back started to draw small, soothing patterns, making her skin pebble into goosebumps. “Do you want to tell me the real reason why you’re so frazzled?”

“Frazzled?” Alex released a quiet snort. “Who says ‘frazzled’? Are you eighteen or eighty?”

“I know what you’re doing,” Kaiden returned, albeit with a glimmer of humour in his eyes. “Don’t change the subject.”

Alex sighed. “Fine.” Then she remained silent.

Kaiden gave her a squeeze. “I’m not letting you go until you talk to me.”

“You say that like it’s a threat,” Alex said, wiggling closer.

Kaiden gave her a look. Thelook, as she’d come to consider it. The one that meant she wasn’t fooling him, nor would she succeed in distracting him. Sometimes she really hated that her boyfriend was so good at reading her. Especially on days like today—the hard days.

“You’re worried,” he murmured, his thumb stroking her cheek.

“Aren’t you?” she whispered back, grateful that Kaiden was one of the few people she could be so honest, so vulnerable with. She felt safe with him—she always had, and she always would. “It’s the first Kaldoras since last year.”

Kaiden’s lips twitched. “Yes, they do tend to come around annually.”

Alex swatted his shoulder, more tension leaving her. “You know what I mean. It’s the first Kaldoras since the battle. Since we lost so many people.”

Kaiden nodded, all traces of humour gone from his expression.

“And since we’re heading to Woodhaven…” Alex continued, then trailed off into nothing.

“With William gone, you’re worried about what’s going to happen today,” Kaiden filled in the silence.

Alex’s fingers fidgeted against his hard chest. “It’s more that I don’t know what to expect. Last year, Jordan had just been Claimed, and Bear, Dix and I were so focused on saving him from Aven that I don’t even remember the holiday.” At least, not the first part of it. She did, of course, remember the part where she went back in time. Thatwasn’t something she would easily forget. “This year, everything is different. Plus, it won’t just be the Ronnigans and their village friends. You’re coming. Jeera and Nisha, too. Not to mention—oh, hell. My parents.” Alex froze in his lap. “I can’t believe I forgot. My parents are coming. And you’ll be there. With your family. This is going to be even more of a disaster than I thought.”

“Your parents love me,” Kaiden said, a simple statement of fact.

He wasn’t wrong. They didlove him. It was something they were deliberate in making known to Alex as often as possible. Usually in the most embarrassing of ways.

Like at Roka’s coronation, when the newly crowned Meyarin king announced the date of his and Kyia’s upcoming nuptials, and Alex’s dad had said, loudly, “How about that, Kaiden? Weddings are a beautiful thing, aren’t they?”

Then at the actual wedding, when Alex’s mum had said, loudly, “In case you’re wondering, Kaiden dear, you have Jack’s and my blessing.”

Alex had wanted the ground to swallow her, even as all her friends—human and Meyarin—snickered and coughed their amusement. Instead, Alex had hissed back, “Mum! I’m barely eighteen!”

“That means it’s legal,” her dad had returned. “No point in waiting for the grass to grow. Am I right, Kaid?”

Kaiden, to his credit, hadn’t run screaming into the hills. He’d instead spent an hour after the ceremony easing Alex’s mortification and assuring her that he didn’t intend to propose anytime soon.

“Don’t worry, I’ll wait until we’ve both graduated,” he’d said, his eyes dancing at the knowledge that his words would still give her heart palpitations. The fact that he was even thinkingabout it… Alex broke into a cold sweat every time the memory came to her.

… And then that feeling was always chased away by a warmth so acute that it nearly brought her to her knees.

Kaiden was it for her, she knew it like she knew her own name. But that didn’t mean she wanted to spend her Kaldoras wondering if—or when—her parents might say something to embarrass them. Or really, just embarrass her. Kaiden always seemed more amused than anything. He was so much better at handling her parents, a skill of which she was immeasurably envious.

“Did I lose you?” Kaiden said, pulling her back into the present.

She focused on him again, her face softening as she said, “Never.”

“Liar,” he replied, grinning. “You were spiralling. Let me guess? You think Jack and Rachel will try and force me to propose today?”

Alex pulled a face. “How is it that you can’t read my mind, and yet, you still can?”

Kaiden tweaked her nose. “It’s a gift.”

Rolling her eyes, Alex pushed back from him. But he didn’t let her go.

“Speaking of gifts…” he said. His face became uncertain, an expression Alex rarely saw from him. It was enough for her to stop worrying about the day and instead wonder what he was thinking.

She didn’t have to wait long.

Kaiden cleared his throat, looking adorably self-conscious as he said, “I thought we might exchange presents here, before we meet up with the others.”

Alex cocked her head to the side, squinting at him. “Wait. Was I supposed to get you something?”

Kaiden tickled her in the ribs. “Smart ass.”

“Stop, stop!” Alex gasped, laughing. “I take it back!”

Kaiden halted his attack, then stood, pulling her up with him so they were both on their feet. He then reached into his back pocket and withdrew a small box.

A jewellerybox.

Alex’s heart skipped a beat.

“Happy Kaldoras, Alex,” he said quietly, handing it over.

She peered back and forth between the box and Kaiden for long enough that he laughed and said, “It’s not a ring. Just open it.”

“Stop reading my mind. Again,” Alex said back, but she did so with a smile.

Carefully, she opened the box, her breath catching when she saw the shimmering bracelet inside. Charms dangled from it, but before she could look closer, Kaiden plucked it up and asked her to hold out her hand. As soon as it was clasped around her wrist, he moved behind her, his arms circling her middle, his front to her back.

“Touch one of the charms and say ‘kelarna’,” he whispered into her ear.

Alex tried to look back at Kaiden, but he avoided her gaze and kissed her neck, repeating his instructions.

Shivering at his touch, she held her wrist up to her eyes and, spotting a charm in the shape of a sword, touched her finger to it and said, “Kelarna.”

Alex jerked backwards when two people burst out of the bracelet and settled in the middle of her room. She stilled as she took in the life-sized holograms, before melting against Kaiden as understanding washed over her.

Kelarna. It was the Tia Auran word for ‘remember’.

The charm bracelet—it was full of memories.

Kaiden’s memories.

Of Alex.

One of which was now playing out in front of her, a holographic depiction of both Alex and Kaiden facing each other, swords raised.

“Doyouknowwhattodowiththat?”hologram-Kaiden asked.

Alex grinned at the memory, leaning deeper into her boyfriend, nostalgic tears prickling her eyes.

“Stab,stab,stab,right?”Alex’s hologram replied, thrusting her sword with each word.

“I genuinely thought you were going to gut me that day,” the real Kaiden murmured into her ear. She felt him smile against her neck as he added, “Accidentally. Probably by tripping over your own feet.”

Alex elbowed him in the stomach. “If memory serves, I beat you. Soundly.”

Kaiden nuzzled her with his nose, his voice rumbling with humour as he replied, “I’m pretty sure I let you win.”

Alex shushed him, not wanting to miss anything.

“There’s a little more technique to it than that,” hologram-Kaiden replied, his tone dry. “Finesse.Etiquette.It’s likea dance.”

“As much as I enjoyed our first ‘dance’, I enjoyed our second one more,” the real Kaiden said. “Do you remember?” He twisted the bracelet on her wrist until it revealed a charm of a man and woman dancing. “Try this one.”

Alex was tempted to let their Combat exam continue playing out, just for the sake of reliving the memory, but since she knew Kaiden hadlet her win, she was happy to come back and watch the rest of it when she was on her own. Multiple times. For now, she touched the dancing couple and said, “Kelarna.”

Instantly, the sword fighting duo vanished into dust, and a new hologram erupted from the bracelet. This time, Alex was dressed in an emerald ballgown, and Kaiden in a tuxedo, both of them twirling in each other’s arms around the glittering opulence of the palace in Tryllin. New tears prickled Alex’s eyes, these ones because of how much damage had befallen Medora’s capital city during Aven’s months of attacks—months that Alex and her friends had missed while they’d been undergoing the Gates of Testing in Vardaesia. Barely a week had passed for them, only to return and find their world in ruins.

Like the rest of the warzones in Medora, Tryllin had been restored to its former glory in the nine months that had now passed since Aven’s defeat, but the scars remained. The survivors had begun to heal physically and mentally while their cities were rebuilt, but none had forgotten. And they never would.

In Kaiden’s memory, neither he nor Alex knew about the coming danger. Instead, they were lost in each other’s eyes as they danced around the room, oblivious to everyone and everything around them.

Alex groaned with embarrassment.

“What?” Kaiden asked.

“Look at my face! It’s so red that I’m surprised I didn’t spontaneously combust in your arms.”

Kaiden chuckled, pulling her closer. “I thought it was cute.”

“Cute,” Alex deadpanned. “What every girl wants to be called.”

“I love this next part,” Kaiden said as their dancing selves came to a halt but didn’t move apart. It was only when D.C., Jordan and Bear interrupted them that they realised the orchestra had stopped, and they were still holding each other. Both the real Kaiden and the hologram of him laughed softly when memory-Alex jumped away as if burned, before she quickly ‘introduced’ him to her friends, all of whom he’d already known—for years.

“I’m pretty sure I wanted to die, right then and there,” Alex said.

“I’m glad you didn’t,” Kaiden said.

“You and the rest of the world,” Alex returned dryly.

“Stars forbid the Chosen One expire before fulfilling her destiny,” Kaiden said, in a mocking voice.

She elbowed him for the second time, then reached for another charm. There were so many of them, the bracelet brimming with memories. Instead of picking one, she turned around in Kaiden’s arms and pulled his face down to hers, kissing him lightly on the lips.

“This is the most thoughtful gift I’ve ever received,” she said, the words insignificant in the face of all she was feeling. “I love it. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Kaiden said against her lips, before kissing her again, this time much deeper.

When they broke apart, Alex inspected the bracelet again. “I know we’re running late, but maybe another quick one? Or two?”

“I’ll bet you anything that Jordan and Dix will be later than us,” Kaiden said knowingly. “We’ve got all the time in the world, beautiful.”

Alex was smart enough not to bet against him, aware that Jordan and D.C. had left early that morning to spend Kaldoras breakfast with her parents in Tryllin, after which they planned to head to Woodhaven for the rest of the day. Knowing how much Jordan liked to eat, there was no way he wouldn’t be taking advantage of Medora’s best chefs while at the royal palace. It’d be a miracle if they arrived at the Ronnigans’ in time for lunch. But then again, the call of Gammy’s apple pie was strong. Jordan wouldn’t be able to resist for too long.

“Maybe a few extra minutes,” Alex said, rifling through the charms. “I don’t know which to look at, though. There are so many.”

“May I?” Kaiden asked.

She held out her hand.

He peered at the bracelet, his brow furrowed in concentration. “How about a teaser for a few? Then you can come back and watch them all properly later?”

When Alex nodded eagerly, he pressed his fingers against a number of the charms at once and said, “Kelarna.”

Images appeared all around them, one after another, quick bursts of movement and sound erupting in the room before disappearing into the next memory. A crescent moon-shaped charm revealed snippets of their disastrous SAS overnight trip. A delicate grave-shaped charm showed Kaiden telling Alex about his childhood illness and the death of his parents. A glittering cottage-shaped charm displayed them sitting in Nisha’s home with Jeera afterwards, the four of them eating his aunt’s famous chocolate mousse.

Next came a scene Alex wasn’t in, just Kaiden and Declan alone, with Kaiden saying, “Whenyouknow,youknow.Andwhenit comes to Alex, I know, Dec. I just do. I’ll wait as long as I have to. As long as she needs. She deserves that much.” That was a heart-shaped charm, and Alex’s chest swelled with feeling as the scene faded out, keeping her from hearing any more. For now.

A shiny draekon charm activated next, revealing the memory of Alex pulling Kaiden over the balcony in Vardaesia, with them falling through the air until Xira caught them. Then came a charm shaped like a stoppered medicinal vial, which showed Alex and Kaiden stumbling along a pathway at Akarnae—well, Alex was stumbling, while Kaiden tried to keep her from falling over. The real Alex tried to recall the scene, but another memory took hold before she could do more than crinkle her brow. Her expression cleared when a shooting star charm showed her dressed in her Vardaesian finery and being held in Kaiden’s arms on their balcony in the otherworldly city.

More memories flashed by as Kaiden whispered the command word again and again, scenes of their times together in Combat class and SAS, as well as their sessions with Master Athora. Then came glimpses of the Gates of Testing, and the quiet, tender moments in between the harrowing trials.

Times of grief and times of joy, there were so many memories, with plenty of scenes like the one between Kaiden and Declan that she hadn’t been a part of—and she couldn’t wait to go back and watch those later. But something about the stumbling memory kept niggling at her, so when Kaiden reached for the next few charms, she halted his hand and touched the medicinal vial, saying, “Let’s go back to this one.”

Kaiden stilled, his expression caught between trepidation and amusement. “Are you sure?”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “Your tone suggests I should be concerned.”

“Not at all. I did say that I’d remind you about it one day.”

Apprehension filled Alex. “Remind me about what?”

In answer, Kaiden pressed his finger to the charm, right next to Alex’s, and uttered the activation command.

As Alex watched what played out next, heat filled her cheeks, her mortification growing with every second that passed. She wasn’t sure what was worse—Fletcher dosing her on pain meds after her Combat exam and asking how she felt, to which she’d answered, “Like I’m a cloud of happiness riding a rainbow of tranquillity,” or everything that came afterwards.

But as she continued watching, the answer was easy: everything that came afterwards.

Alex groaned as she witnessed her drugged self being escorted from the Med Ward all the way back to her dorm by Kaiden, repeatedly veering off the path and stumbling the whole way. Just when she thought it couldn’t get any worse, not only did she declare—loudly—that she really loved his smile, but she did so while grinning at him like an absolute lunatic, before tripping so badly that he had to catch her and hold her close until she could stand on her own again.

“Kill me,” Alex groaned again. “Please. Do it quick.”

Kaiden laughed quietly. “I think that’s the moment I knew.”

Not sure she wanted the answer, Alex hesitantly asked, “Knew what?”

“That I liked you.”

Alex’s embarrassment vanished in an instant.

“And that you liked me, even if you weren’t willing to admit it,” Kaiden added. “Not even to yourself.”

Alex shot him a look. “Careful. There’s a thin line between confidence and arrogance.”

He laughed again, then pulled her in for another kiss. “Good thing you love me.”

Alex harrumphed, but didn’t disagree. Instead, she looked back at her bracelet. Squinting at a charm shaped like a rolled up piece of parchment, she said, “Maybe one last memory before we go?”

Kaiden stopped her before she could touch it. “Save that one for later.”

His tone was gentle, but it also held enough warning that Alex swallowed, having an idea of what memory it might show.

The letter—Niyx’s letter.

Knowing better than to open that can of worms before heading out to see their friends and family, she nodded in agreement and said, “In that case, it’s your turn.”

She stepped away and headed over to D.C.’s side of the room, where she’d hidden his gift beneath her friend’s bed. Similarly, D.C. had hidden Jordan’s beneath Alex’s bed, the two boys visiting their dorm room so often that neither Alex nor D.C. had wanted to risk ruining their surprises. Bear, of course, could be trusted not to go snooping, so it didn’t matter where they hid his presents.

Returning to Kaiden with the gift-wrapped box in her hands, Alex’s stomach fluttered with nerves as she held it out to him.

“Merry Christ—er, Kaldoras, Kaiden,” she said, stumbling slightly over the holiday name. Some Freyan-isms were hard to shake.

“You look uncomfortable,” Kaiden observed, taking the box carefully from her.

Alex moved from foot to foot and didn’t respond. She was uncomfortable, but only because she feared her gift was too sentimental, that it gave away too much of how she felt. But then she looked at the charm bracelet on her wrist, confidence filling her as she watched Kaiden unwrap the bow and lift away the lid.

His expression was curious as he looked inside the box, carefully withdrawing what appeared to be a snow globe, but instead of snow, the glass held dull, multicoloured sparkles that were floating lazily through the otherwise empty space. In the light of the dorm room, it was an unremarkable gift, seemingly thoughtless in comparison to the effort Kaiden had gone to for her. But before he could thank her for it—and Alex knew he would, even if he didn’t know what it was yet—she pressed her fingers to his lips and spoke first.

“One second,” she said, and then raced over to switch off the overhead light. She frowned at the amount of morning sunshine still coming in through the window, fearing it would ruin the effect of her gift. Thinking quickly, she called out mentally for Soraya, the Shadow Wolf arriving in a flash of shadows and lightning.

“Hey, pretty girl,” Alex cooed, stroking Soraya’s silky black coat. “Help me out here, would you?”

The wolf uttered a quiet woof and bounded over to Kaiden, who petted her head, bemused, but remained quiet as per Alex’s instruction.

Walking over to her boyfriend, Alex watched as Soraya pressed her muzzle to the ground, her three black paws beginning to bleed shadows that spread from her body outwards. It was a new ability, something she hadn’t been capable of during the war, still young in body and mind. But as she grew to adulthood, she continued to surprise Alex with unexpected skills, like what she was now doing: filling the room with an impenetrable darkness that consumed everything around them—everything exceptthe gift in Kaiden’s hands. Not even Soraya’s shadows could keep it hidden, just as Alex had anticipated.

Kaiden sucked in a breath as he looked down at the globe, his face illuminated by the brightness of the enclosed sparkles enough for Alex to see the understanding hit his eyes. He now knew what he held in his hands, the gift she had given him. It wasn’t just dull specks floating in the air—they were bioluminescent starbursts, now glowing vividly against the darkness. More than that, they were something Kaiden had seen before. Something he would never forget. Something he had first witnessed on a floating island, high up in the Tia Auran sky.

With an inner smile, and no small amount of trepidation, Alex placed one hand on the globe and whispered, “Kia ellarna”—the Tia Auran equivalent of ‘my love’.

At her words, the glass shattered and vanished into nothing, the bioluminescent sparkles exploding out of it and multiplying by the tens, hundreds, thousands, until Soraya’s darkness was transformed by the hovering lights.

The wolf gave a happy yip and pressed her nose to one of the colourful specks, before sneezing when it stuck like paint to her fur. She blinked in confusion, before her intelligent amber eyes looked around the room. With a snuffling, excited sound, she leapt forward, smears of colour latching onto her coat as she collided with the bioluminescent orbs.

“Someone’s going to need a bath after this,” Alex murmured, grateful that the wolf would see to that herself. She smiled as Soraya continued jumping around the dorm, chasing the floating specks, reminding Alex of her own actions when Xiraxus had first delivered her and Kaiden to the sparkling island in the Sky Kingdom.

“Alex.”

At her name, she turned back to Kaiden, finding him staring at her with an expression she’d seen directed at her many times over the last few months, but each instance was nevertheless a gift.

Awe. Wonder. Love. It was radiating from him.

Alex cleared her throat and, feeling embarrassed, explained, “Zaylin helped me. Or really, Raife did. When I told Zaylin what I wanted, she just muttered about humans being hopeless romantics, but Raife was all in. Xira, too—which I guess is obvious, since we had to travel through the abrassato get to Tia Auras.” Alex scratched her nose and continued babbling, “But once there, it was Raife who helped me collect the—the—” She paused, looking around helplessly, and admitted, “I don’t actually know what these coloured thingies are called. But he helped me gather some of them into the globe, then he had his genius friends come up with a way for it to activate at a word, and then—”

Alex stopped rambling only when Kaiden’s lips met hers. His kiss was long and deep and thorough enough that she was panting when he pulled back, his forehead resting on hers, his eyes shining with a thousand glowing sparkles when he said, “I love it. But not as much as I love you.”

“I should hope not,” Alex whispered back, albeit breathily.

Kaiden smiled as he kissed her again, softly this time. It was too brief for Alex’s liking, but she allowed him a moment to look around their glowing surroundings, nostalgia etched into his expression.

“Our first kiss truly was memorable, wasn’t it?” he mused.

“Which part?” Alex said wryly. “The part where we were covered in rainbow splatters?” She jerked her head towards Soraya, who was still bounding happily around the room, her black fur streaked with glowing colours. “Or the part where Xira was an unintentional third wheel?”

Kaiden grimaced. “I’d forgotten about that.”

I wish I could forget, came Xira’s mental reply as he approached the academy, soaring lazily downwards. Believeme,I’mmore scarredthan eitherof you will everknow.

Alex grinned at the mental shudder he sent down their link, sharing the reaction aloud to Kaiden, who remained entirely unapologetic.

“I guess that means our ride is almost here?” he said, nodding in the direction of the window, even if Soraya’s darkness—now speckled with light—hid it from sight.

“Don’t move,” Alex warned when Kaiden was about to step forward. “So far, neither of us have any extra colour on us. But if we touch any of the glowing thingies, we’ll have to clean up before leaving for Woodhaven.”

“Or we could tell the truth about where the colour came from, and why,” Kaiden suggested.

“Or we could lie,” Alex returned just as fast, certain she’d never hear the end of it if her parents learned about her first kiss with Kaiden—and the Kaldoras gift she’d given him to recreate it whenever they wanted.

Chuckling at the look on her face, Kaiden gestured toward the floating lights and said, “I assume there’s a way to deactivate this?”

In answer, Alex touched the base of the globe and repeated her words from earlier. At her command, the starbursts sucked inwards as if caught in a vacuum, the shattered glass reappearing and reforming around the coloured specks until they were fully contained once more.

After a quiet word to Soraya, the wolf released her shadows, the darkness dissolving as sunlight flooded back into the room. And just like that, the globe in Kaiden’s hands looked as unremarkable as when he’d first unwrapped it.

“Best present ever,” he said, kissing her again. “Truly.”

Alex could argue that his gift to her was better, but she knew he would just shake his head. Instead, she led him towards the doorway and said, “I’ll have to find a way to top it for your birthday.”

Behind them, the colour-splattered Soraya disappeared in a flash of shadows and light. The wolf could have easily delivered them to Woodhaven, but despite the wintry temperature, Alex still enjoyed flying with Xira as often as possible. Perhaps after their Kaldoras meal, they’d return to Akarnae with Soraya—or through a Bubbledoor. Whichever would be kindest to her full stomach.

“My birthday is ages away,” Kaiden said, helping her into her Myrox-threaded coat before donning his own, both gifts from their Meyarin friends. “And besides, the only thing I want is you.”

“You say that now,” Alex returned as they left her room and started down the hallway, “but remember how you reacted when you thought I hadn’t gotten you a Kaldoras gift? I don’t want to be tickled to death, thanks very much.”

Kaiden squeezed her hand. “There are worse ways to die.”

He’s not wrong, Xira agreed, before sending a mental image showing that he was just about to land outside.

Alex had long ago given up asking her draekon to stop eavesdropping. There was no point, especially when she was so terrible at blocking him. And it wasn’t like she wanted to keep secrets, anyway. She’d had a lifetime of them—more than enough for one person.

“Ready to face the music?” she asked Kaiden as they stepped down the staircase and approached the front of the dorm building.

“Are you?” he replied, serious.

Alex bit her lip, unsure. Exchanging gifts with Kaiden had offered a reprieve from her worries, but now she was back to not knowing what she was about to walk into once they reached Woodhaven.

And then there was what she planned to do afterwards…

“Let’s leave that as a rhetorical question,” Kaiden murmured when she failed to answer, drawing her close enough to kiss her cheek before guiding her out the door and into the cold where Xira waited. “Kaldoras, here we come.”

By the time they reached Woodhaven, Alex was so cold that she struggled to do anything but breathe against the burning chill, her worried thoughts frozen along with the rest of her. If not for their Myrox-threaded coats, she and Kaiden would have turned to solid ice long before their arrival at Bear’s house. It was a relief, therefore, when Xira dropped them off just outside the front gate, huffing a laugh at their discomfort and ordering them to get inside before frostbite set in.

Neither Alex nor Kaiden argued, but as they hurried up the snowy garden path and were approaching the front door, it swung open, revealing the harried face of Bear’s second eldest brother, Blake.

“Finally!” he cried. Rushing forward, he tugged Kaiden’s hand free of Alex’s and said, “Mate, I need a word.” He then dragged Kaiden back down the path, the latter looking over his shoulder at Alex in amused confusion as they disappeared from sight.

“Good to see you too, Blake!” Alex called after them, unsurprised when she received no response.

Kaiden’s earlier use of ‘frazzled’ was an apt description for Bear’s brother, especially when he was normally so carefree, but Alex was too cold to question his behaviour. Instead, she staggered up the steps and into the warmth of the house, closing the door behind her. Within seconds, heat began to seep back into her bones, a grateful sigh leaving her as she unbuttoned her coat and left it on the rack.

Moving down the hallway, Alex inhaled deeply at the inviting aroma. Meat was roasting, and vegetables, too. Hints of apple and cinnamon tickled her nose, along with a mixture of other holiday scents that had her taste buds watering with anticipation.

“Alex! You’re here!” Bear cried as she stepped into the living room. He was seated on the couch beside Declan, with Evie wedged in the middle and showing them what looked to be every gift she’d ever received over the entire course of her life.

Jumping up, Bear left his sister in Declan’s capable hands and bounded over to Alex, wrapping his arms around her in a warm hug.

“Didn’t Kaiden come with you?” he asked after letting her go.

“Blake kidnapped him.”

“Ah,” Bear said knowingly.

Alex sent him a questioning look, but before she could ask, Evie climbed up onto the back of the couch and flung herself off it, a child-sized missile spearing through the air. “LEXIE!”

“Ooof,” Alex grunted as she caught the young girl in her arms. “Well, hi there, gorgeous.”

“Evie, what did Mum tell you?” Bear said in a stern voice as he untangled his sister from Alex and placed her on the ground.

The young girl scrunched up her face in thought. “Don’t let Jordan eat all the candy?”

“The other thing,” Bear said patiently as Declan joined them, giving Alex a quick hug in greeting.

“Don’t let Jordan eat all the pie?” Evie guessed.

“Nothing to do with Jordan,” Bear said, less patiently. “Or food.”

The young girl looked adorably confused.

Sighing, Bear leaned down until they were at eye level and said, “No jumping on people.”

Evie’s face cleared before her mouth puckered and she said, “But Dec lets me jump on him all the time. He throws me in the air, too. I go reallyhigh!”

“Dec’s about three times bigger than Alex,” Bear said. “He can handle it.”

Looking worried, Evie turned to Alex. “Did I hurt you, Lexie?”

“I’m good, baby girl,” Alex assured her. “I’m stronger than I look.” When Bear coughed pointedly, she hastily added, “But you should listen to your mother. Best not to jump on people. Kaiden will be arriving any minute and you’ve seen him—what a weakling. You’ll topple him right over.”

Evie’s eyes widened. “But I like Kaiden! I don’t want to topple him!”

“Stick with me, kiddo,” Declan told the young girl, nudging her gently with his elbow. “You won’t topple me.”

She beamed widely at him, and Bear rolled his eyes, grumbling under his breath about favouritism.

Alex used his distraction to shoot a quick glance at Declan, who gave a furtive nod in response to her unspoken question.

Howishe?

He’s okay.

Both of them had been worried about Bear—and all the Ronnigans—in the lead up to Kaldoras. But Declan’s nod helped ease some of the weight in Alex’s chest.

“Why don’t you go and tell the others that Alex and Kaiden are here?” Bear said to his sister.

Before he could finish his sentence, Evie was off like a rocket, sprinting out of the room. Immediately, a shadow passed over Bear’s face, as if he’d been keeping his emotions in check for her sake.

Alex wrapped an arm around his middle, leaning into him, waiting.

“I’m all right,” he told her, unprompted. “Not great, but all right.” He paused. “I think today will be good for us all, to see the house full again. Even if—Even if Dad’s not here.”

Alex gave him a squeeze of encouragement, earning a grateful one in return, then turned to Declan. “How long have you been in Woodhaven, Dec?”

“Since the start of holidays,” the burly boy replied. “With Jaxon gone…” He trailed off at the mention of his grandfather, but then straightened his spine and continued, “I don’t have any family left, so Dorothy insisted.”

“You know what Mum’s like,” Bear said, humour replacing his melancholy, if only for a moment. This would be a hard day for them all, Alex knew. “No orphans at Kaldoras.”

Alex felt a pang of longing. The Ronnigans had invited her to stay with them, as they had in previous years. But for the first time since arriving in Medora, she had declined the offer, instead remaining at Akarnae with D.C., Kaiden and Jordan. It wasn’t, however, entirely by choice. She, Kaiden and Jordan had been partnered by Hunter for a Stealth and Subterfuge assignment which they’d failed to complete before the start of holidays. They’d decided that it made more sense for them to remain together at the academy—with easy access to the Library—until they finished their nightmare tasks. D.C. stayed with them as a show of support, but Alex knew the princess was also motivated by the surplus of homework-free time she could spend with her boyfriend.

“Well, I’m jealous,” Alex stated, looking around the comforting room and taking in the shredded wrapping paper all over the floor. Home—it felt like home.

Declan grinned at her. “How’s old Hunter?”

“If he heard you calling him ‘old’, he’d probably skin you alive,” she replied.

His grin widened. “I loved SAS, but I’m glad I’m not apprenticed there, unlike Kaiden.”

“I don’t know,” Bear said musingly. “You’re apprenticed to both Finn and Karter. PE and Combat—you’re a glutton for punishment.”

“But I still have Kaid in both of those, and Alex in Combat. It’s like hanging out with friends.”

Alex pulled a face. “You’re crazy. And I don’t even want to think about apprentice positions yet.” She shuddered dramatically.

“Better start soon,” Declan said, his dark eyes filled with mirth. “You only have, what, six more months before you graduate? Then you’ll find out if—”

The rest of his words came out muffled when Alex leapt forward and covered his mouth with her hand.

“Shhhh,” she hissed at him. “Happy thoughts only today!”

Bear laughed louder this time, and Alex felt as if she’d won a battle.

Not wanting to talk more about their studies—and definitely not wanting to think about her SAS assignment, since she felt as if Hunter had them running around on a wild goose chase—Alex instead asked, “Who else is here? I thought we were running late, but—”

Before she could finish, they heard the front door open and close, followed by footsteps, and then Kaiden and Blake entered the room.

“How’d you go?” Bear asked his brother.

“Well, I didn’t throw up,” Blake answered. “So I guess that’s a win?”