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“The leader of the Aurora Collective,” I explain. “They’re the ones who extracted your mother from the Syndicate. They want an alliance with the Cravens.”

“Not that they get to decide what I do now,” Lila adds, a steel edge to her voice. “I’ve had enough of being told where to go and what to do.”

I squeeze her hand, proud of her fierce independence. “I’ve got your back, whatever you decide.”

Elena looks between us, brow furrowed. “So this Aurora Collective… they’re what, exactly? Another dragon faction?”

“More like a coalition,” I explain. “Dragons, witches, others with abilities. All united against the Syndicate’s vision of dragon superiority.”

“And you’re part of it?” Elena directs the question at me.

“I was,” I admit. “Now… It’s complicated.” I glance at Lila.

“Like Caleb and me,” Elena says with understanding, her hand finding his across the counter.

“Similar,” Lila agrees. “Though your situation seems more established.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Dorian interjects with a smirk. “Life-or-death situations, magical connections, overprotective dragons who’d burn the world down for their witches… Seems pretty identical to me.”

Caleb glares at his brother, but I don’t get a sense that there’s any malice between them. “Speaking of overprotective dragons,” he says pointedly, “you’re one to talk.”

Dorian’s arm tightens around Juno, who rolls her eyes but leans into him.

“I died once,” she explains to Lila and me. “He’s still processing it.”

“You what?” Lila’s shock is evident in her voice.

“Phoenix,” Juno says, as if that explains everything. And maybe it does. “I came back. Different. Stronger.” She glances up at Dorian. “But he still acts like I’ll shatter if he breathes too hard.”

“Youdidshatter,” Dorian growls, the dragon rumbling beneath his human voice. “I watched it happen.”

Juno’s face softens. She touches his cheek, a gesture so tender it feels almost intrusive to witness. “And now you’ll never have to again.”

The moment stretches, heavy with emotion I don’t fully understand but recognize, nonetheless. Loss. Rebirth. Love that transcends death.

“The Heartstone,” Lila says suddenly, breaking the silence. “I can feel it. It’s here, isn’t it?” Her fingers drift to the Shard hanging at her throat.

Elena nods. “We keep it close now, after Malakai tried to steal it.” She exchanges a look with Caleb. “We learned that lesson the hard way.”

Lila nods slowly, as if mulling this over, then suddenly turns to Juno. “You use it too. I felt it mingling with your power last night. When you brought Talon back from the brink.”

“I do,” Juno acknowledges. “It responds to me. Like it recognizes me somehow.”

“It does,” Lila says with certainty. “I’ve seen it in the Shard’s memories. The Heartstone wasn’t just a dragon artifact. It’s connected to phoenix fire somehow. To rebirth.”

Juno’s eyes widen. “That explains… a lot, actually.”

“It’s more than that,” Elena adds, excitement coloring her voice. “When I touch it, I can see things. Feel things. It’s like it holds memories, but not mine. Ancient ones.”

“Blood memory,” Lila explains. “Rossewyn witches carry our ancestors’ experiences in our blood. The Heartstone—and the Shard—amplify it.”

“You’re right.” Juno is nodding quickly. “I’ve been feeling all of that. I just don’t know how… to describe it.”

“We’ll figure it out,” says Elena. “Especially now that we’re all here together.” She smiles at her mother, whose answering smileis radiant. It’s an expression I love on her, but there’s something else that’s bothering me.

“You realize that having you both here makes you targets,” I say, seeing the bigger picture. “Together, with both pieces of the Heartstone… the power would be unprecedented. And adding Juno to the mix…”

A silence falls as the implications settle over us. Mother and daughter, each with access to a piece of an ancient artifact that magnifies power beyond comprehension. No wonder Creed is desperate to reclaim Lila. No wonder Malakai hunts Elena. No wonder they’d both sell their souls to get their hands on this trio.

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