Suffocating silence wrapped around us, and I swallowed thickly as I stood beneath my husband’s piercing stare.
“My actions and methods have doomed us, Jace. Can’t you see that? My own sister is captured, stuck in the hands of the enemy across the continent. We had Nox and Veli on our side. That was it! We went to the isles for allies, and all it did was present our enemy with their own witches and wyvern. We are evenly matched in numbers and magic; only our men are significantly weaker. I’m the descendant of the first of the fae, and I can’t even get the realm to answer my call. Idina is right, and I’m a fuckup. The prophecy is bullshit.”
He took a step closer to me, his breath warm on my nose. “Speak that way about my wife one more time, and you will regret those words.” A growl rumbled through him.
My lips parted. “Jace, this isn’t a game. I’m being serious.” A single tear slipped and rolled down my cheek.
“And so am I. Don’t speak of my queen that way.” He took my chin between his fingers and forced my stare to meet his. “Tell me what you need.”
A hate-filled laugh left me. “I need to hit something. I need to scream and erupt and get my fucking kingdom back, Jace.” My voice cracked.
“Then do everything you just said.” His head tilted as his eyes remained locked on mine.
My hands lifted to rub my temples. “I’m working on it.”
His hand shot out then and gripped my wrist, making my eyes flare. “No, you aren’t.” He released his hold on me and took a single step back, his arms stretched out low at his sides. “Hit me. Scream. Erupt. Andthenwe will take your fucking kingdom back. It’s not going to work until you start with what you need first, sweetheart.”
I let out a bewildered huff, feeling my breath catch in my throat. “Hit you? I’m not going to hurt you, Jace. You’re the last person I would do that to.” My eyes narrowed in on him in confusion.
A smirk played on the edge of his lips. “You’re not going to hurt me, baby.”
He moved to strike then, his fist coming for my side in a slower movement that I easily side-stepped, trying to provoke me.
“What are you doing?!” I spat, and then we moved to circle each other. “I’m not going to fight you.”
“I’m not fighting you—I’m sparring with you. Training you. We all need reminders sometimes, Lia. Get just enough of your anger out to be levelheaded and then release the rest on the queen once we arrive at her gates.” Without warning, his foot hooked under my ankle, and he sent my body crashing down to the terrain.
My gaze whipped to him, my lip curling back. “That’smymove.” I jumped up to my feet then.
“Do you not like when your own tactics are used against you, my queen?”
An annoyed cackle left me as we moved around each other in a predator-like dance. “And tell me, husband, why is itnowthat you choose to go full commander on me?”
“You didn’t need it before, but I see now that you’ve lost hope, and it's not something I’m willing to accept for you. It’s not just you in this, Lia. It’s both of us and our court that’s waiting for us to come home. When one of us falters, the other provides strength.”
“I can’t show them I’m feeling this way. They’re relying on me to lead them into war! They can’t see me unraveling like this.”
“You’re not showing them, Lia. You’re showingme. I feel everything you feel. Every burst of joy, fear, and heartache. I’ve told you before, and I will say it again—you are the crown, and I am your sword. I will fight any battle for you that I can, so long as you let me. So share this with me, Lia. It shouldn’t only be your burden to bear.”
My breathing quickened at his words, and what he said next was spoken into my mind. “Now, be a good girl and do as you’re told. You’ll never get out of your own head without the release you need.This is life or death, and you’re not going into battle without being as levelheaded as possible.”
I let his words seep into me, and my lips tilted into a grin. “As you wish.”
Without another thought, I lunged at him. Jace expertly blocked every blow I threw at him. His maneuvers were effortless and composed, yet he didn’t counterattack.
My throat tightened as my body unveiled all the built-up tension, devastation, and wrath that festered within it.
Visions of the queen flashed through my memory with every strike I made. Of her staring at me with pure hatred in her eyes when she caught me using her hairbrush as a youngling. The look on her face when I watched her emergefrom my father’s chambers with his wine the last night I saw him alive. How she appeared in our room on our gods-damn wedding night and threatened me, my mate, and people.
“Come on, Lia. Harder,” Jace urged, his voice steady and strong, yet soothing.
Frustration seeped into every punch and kick I threw at him, causing them to become more forceful, yet all he did was continue to block. “Why won't you fight back?!” I shouted, my voice breaking with emotion.
Jace finally grabbed my wrist mid-punch and pulled me close, our chests heaving as they pressed together. “Because this isn't about me. It's aboutyou. Let it out, Elianna.”
I nearly broke down right there as my husband confessed he only wanted to let me unleash the storm brewing within myself—even if it was at his expense.
In a burst of raw emotion, I let out a primal scream that echoed through the valley and wrenched my wrist free. Jace dropped his arms and purposefully absorbed a hit, my fist hitting his chest as if it were a solid wall.
