“Will you grant it?” I step closer to him. Not to intimidate him, but so he can see how serious I am.
He draws a slow breath, tilting his head as he considers me. “Consider it done. I will draft the decree, seal it with magic, and have it ready within the hour.”
“Thank you. I-I intend to keep Gwen,” I say, suddenly feeling the need to explain myself. “She is my mate, and I will never let her go. But…”
“I sense she is a headstrong human female, just like my Helena,” the king says, surprising me. “And so, I can understand why being considered a slave, even though she is your mate, might bother her.”
I nod, appreciative of his support.
“What is the second thing you must ask of me?” he says, then he tenses. “Gods. You are planning to do the same thing Commander Ashvale just did, aren’t you? You are about to resign from the Winter Court army. Fucking fires. I am losing all my best soldiers to the fates.”
Surprise courses through me. I didn’t know about Commander Ashvale’s resignation. His last letter didn’t mention it, though I suppose it was likely a recent development, one that I can understand perfectly. He probably wants to keep his human mate away from the darkness of the war camp. He wants to make her happy, just as I want to make Gwen happy.
“Yes,” I finally say. “I am resigning from the Winter Court army. Effective immediately.” I take a deep breath and brieflyglance toward the mountains. “We will not even spend the night here. I want to get Gwen away from the war camp as soon as possible.”
“Where will you go?”
“I am not certain yet, but my mate has an adventurous heart. I believe I will take her to visit her family in Braemar first, then I will show her all the sights the realm has to offer. After that, we will see where the fates take us.”
A peal of laughter cuts through the air, and I glance toward the tent. I sense Gwen’s joy through the bond, though I am not certain what she is talking about with Helena. My heart warms to feel her genuine happiness, to know she is making a connection with Helena and healing old wounds in the process.
King Theron glances toward the tent once more as another peal of laughter drifts through the air.
“It would seem our mates are becoming better acquainted,” he says. “Perhaps once the fighting dies down, Helena and Gwen might visit one another from time to time.”
“Yes,” I say. “I believe my mate would enjoy that.” Though part of me would like to keep her to myself, always, Gwen deserves the chance to cultivate friendships and a life beyond that of our mating bond. I will keep her close and forever at my side, but at the same time I will give her the space and even the freedom she desires.
Theron gestures toward the cluster of tents near the center of camp. “Come. We keep parchment and seals in the strategy tent.” His mouth curves. “Let us make your human female officially free.”
Less than an hour later, the decree rests safely inside my rucksack, a second copy tucked into Gwen’s dress pocket at my insistence.
As I hold her in my arms and launch into the sky, leaving the Winter Court army behind, I feel her curiosity through the bond. Her happiness. Her excitement.
Braemar.
We are flying toward her home.
Toward her family.
The tips of my ears burn when I recall the way she threw her arms around me and pressed a kiss to my cheek when I revealed our destination. If that is how she reacts when I indulge her wishes, I may find myself compelled to grant her every desire.
As I beat my wings faster and head for the mountains beyond the war camp, I keep sending her waves of warmth.
There is a large fae settlement only a few hours’ flight from here, I tell her through the bond.We can spend the night in another lavish inn.
Will it have hot, running water?she asks with a laugh that tickles my mind in the most pleasant way.
Yes. I promise. I tighten my hold on her and fly faster, eager to reach the settlement in question, a town called Yellona that I’ve visited before during scouting missions.
But before the town even comes into sight, something happens.
The land beneath us suddenly changes.
The ussha-blessed greenery, the meadows and the forests below, vanish beneath a layer of black frost that swallows everything in its path.
Gods.
No.
