I twisted my neck to look in William’s direction and watched as he eyed Callius’ body cautiously and then lifted his stare to mine.
What the young male did next would determine his future—or whether he had one.
“Hmm?” I hummed at him as my jaw ticked.
He cleared his throat. “Do you have orders, Captain? Only eighty-three soldiers remain, and most are wounded. They are working to salvage anything left.”
I smirked at him as I pressed the tip of my boot to Callius’ shoulder, holding his body in place as I ripped my blade free from his flesh. I then wiped the blood clean on the side of my pants before re-sheathing it on my hip.
My gaze focused back on the male. “Care for a promotion, William?” I asked him as I sucked on my teeth and scratched at my beard, acting as if nothing had just happened.
He answered with a grin that I imagined mimicked my own.
I could’ve sworn that in the far-off distance across the continent, the agonizing screams of the queen shook the realm.
Chapter eight
Jace
I watched Lia closelyas she leaned back on her elbows and stretched across Nox’s saddle to take in the late afternoon sun as we journeyed back home.
She was acting as if everything was fine, wearing her mask of bravery that I’d come to recognize all too well with her. However, down the bond, I sensed nothing but dread.
“Lia, that was badass,” Gage interrupted the silence that we sat in.
She smirked, but it didn’t meet her eyes. “It didn’t exactly go according to plan, but I’d say we made a statement.”
“You killed the ‘heir’ to the throne. I’d say that’s more than a statement. In fact, I will take that as us winning the war,” Zaela said with a victorious laugh.
Lia blinked, and her eyes roamed around the clouds as we passed them in the sky. “It’s not over yet.”
My heart fluttered painfully, which I assumed mimicked her own, as I felt her concern hanging over me like a looming shadow.
Zaela and Gage began bickering about who had the most kills once we had our feet on the ground back at the war camp. I crept up closer to Lia, pushing aside the burningpain in my arm as my body worked to heal the gash with the wyvern’s blood. She sat at the very nape of Nox’s neck as if it brought her comfort to sit in her former seat.
“You’re upset,” I whispered. “That’s okay, you know.”
She turned to face me. “I’m not upset that he’s dead or the nature of how he was killed. In fact, that part is quite poetic…” She let out a sad, breathy chuckle. “When I first met Nox, I told Kai that I hoped the wyvern would eat him.” She pursed her lips to hide a tiny smirk I could sense forming.
An involuntary snort left me at her words. Only my Lia would come up with such a threat.
She blew out a breath. “Kai deserved to die. He deserved the death he was dealt, and I stand by that. My concern isn’t for me or for that of the kingdom but for Avery and Finnian.”
My brows furrowed in thought. I hadn’t even considered the prince and princess that we were about to come home to. The past two days had been such a whirlwind that, combined, they felt as if they were a year.
Only four days ago, we found the citizens who fled Isla, led by Avery and Finnian, and then last night was when we fell under attack by Kellan’s army.
I looked back at my mate and realized that exhaustion had overtaken her features. The vibrancy of her eyes had dulled significantly, and her shoulders sagged as she forced her body to sit upright. Even as she joked about her threat all those months ago, her gaze was distant. When was the last time either of us slept? I honestly couldn’t remember.
“You can just tell them you believe he succumbed to the flames,” I suggested.
She met my gaze and shook her head gently. “I’m tired of lies and secrets.” My jaw ticked nervously in response, hoping that it wasn’t directed at me lying to her the night prior.
Her eyes turned distant again. “My entire life, I have been those very two things. If I’m to be a worthy queen, then I need to be honest and fair. They deserve to know the truth, and if they’re upset with me for the outcome of the events, then so be it. I will learn to live with it.”
I took her chin between my fingers, lifting her stare to mine. “Just that alone makes you the most worthy queen the realm has ever seen.”
The corner of her lips tilted upward, and we turned to face the setting sun as it disappeared below the horizon, watching the sky transform into a melting pot of warm, fiery hues.
