Jax winced like he'd been punched. "She's not going to war," he muttered under his breath, the sapphire magic in his palm flaring slightly. "No. No chance in hell."
Fin's face was unreadable at first, but his hand had curled into a fist so tight that his knuckles cracked. When he heard Nova cough on her tea and then laugh about dragons, it did nothing to soften him. If anything, it made his expression darker.
Fin pushed off the wall and muttered, "She's kidding, right? Marra's messing with her."
"Dragons. No armor. Alone in battle. What the actual fuck are we letting her walk into?" Jax whispered, running a hand down his face.
Fin didn't answer. He didn't have to. He was already making a mental list of who would die if any of this came true.
But then they both froze, hearing something that made their blood run cold.
"Did she just agree to let Redmoon's heir ride into battle with her on a dragon?" Jax's jaw dropped.
Fin's fists clenched at his sides, barely bothering to hide the fury now bubbling under the surface. Jealousy twisted in his gut. He'd heard Rex Redmoon referenced now one too many times for comfort.
Why now? Why did he have to be marked when everything was about to go to hell? He should be the one beside her. Protecting her. What if something happened?
Jax muttered darkly, "I swear to the gods, if that cocky bastard so much as breathes near her on that battlefield—"
Fin didn't respond. His jaw was locked so tight he was pretty sure he was grinding enamel straight off his teeth. Rex. Of course it'd be him. The charming, capable, battle-hardened flirt with a hero complex and a smirk women fell for.
"She wouldn't agree to that," Fin said, trying to convince himself more than Jax. "Not really."
"She just did," Jax snapped. His voice was sharp, cold. "Because in that version, I'm not there. Which raises a bigger question—why the hell wouldn't I be?"
A beat of silence settled like a weight between them.
Then Fin said quietly, "We're not letting that prophecy play out. None of it. She's not going to need a backup."
Jax nodded once. "Agreed. But if it ever does come to that…"
Fin turned, voice low and lethal. "Rex is getting shoved off that dragon mid-air."
The moment Marra mentioned eight languages, both Fin and Jax turned toward one another—first in shock, then in the silent, immediate agreement that it was entirely possible. Nova never volunteered anything about herself. Not truly.
"I guessed she spoke at least two," Jax admitted quietly, brows lifting. "I didn't realize it was eight."
Fin exhaled slowly, absorbing it. He had known she read ancient texts; he had heard her voice shift when she slipped into them. But consciously? Fluently?
No. He hadn't known that at all. Not even close.
As soon as Nova stepped back into their quarters, Fin was there already moving toward her. The second he saw her face, streaked with dried tears and emotion but trying so hard to hold it all together, he didn't wait.
He cupped her cheeks and kissed her.
It wasn't soft or hesitant. It was desperate, grounding, full of everything he'd been holding back. She gasped into the kiss, overwhelmed by the intensity of it, her hands gripping his tunic for balance. When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against hers.
"I love you," he whispered. "I love you so much it terrifies me."
Her eyes flickered, lips parted, breath trembling. "Fin—"
"I know you and Jax had something raw and real. I know he loved you—and I know you loved him. I would never try to diminish that. But I need you to know something," Fin said, his voice low, steady, and fierce. "I won't hesitate. I will choose you every single time."
His gaze locked on hers, unwavering.
"You're mine, Nova. In this life and the next. You are mine, and you always will be—and I will protect you, and love you with everything I am."
She closed her eyes, the warmth of his words wrapping around her like a shield.
"I'm so proud of you," he continued, his thumb brushing a tear off her cheek. "For everything you did last night. Everything you've carried. I know it hurts. I feel it through the bond. I see you." He said pressing his forehead onto hers.
Her breath hitched.
He continued, voice low. "Not just the pain. The fear. The grief. The weight of the whole room pressing down on you. The fire, the stone, the whispers. I was there, even when I couldn't touch you."
She buried her face in his chest, breath shuddering, and he wrapped his arms around her tighter without hesitation.
"You're so kind to me," she murmured. "I don't really know how to respond."
The words hit her harder than she expected.
She tried not to think about the last time she'd said them. To Jax. She'd meant them then.
And she meant them now.
"You don't have to say anything back," he murmured. "I love you. And I'll make damn sure you know it every day."
They stood there for a moment, just breathing. Just existing in each other's arms like nothing outside this embrace could reach them.
She leaned in and kissed him, softer this time. Like a vow.
And somewhere deep in both of them, the bond pulsed. Gold and silver, fate and choice, fire and shadow. Perfectly aligned.