“I’m sure she’s been bullying General Vern into many dinners and chats since we’ve visited. She doesn’t do well with an empty nest.”
I remembered that General Vern was the man Jace had told me about when I first arrived in Ellecaster. He handled all affairs and his soldiers beyond the mountain range in their commander’s absence.
Jace laughed. “Leon doesn’t do well with an empty stomach, so I’m sure she never has to beg.”
Zaela smirked. “Perhaps you’re right.”
“I’ll head to the barracks and round everyone up that I can,” Gage announced. “We’ll move the first bunch of them now, and we can either come back for those who remain once injuries are healed, or they can head there if they choose to later. When do you want to leave, Lia?”
“As soon as we are able to. I don’t want even a second wasted. We need to think of a more permanent plan once we bring everyone to safety.”
He gave a curt nod. “Absolutely. I will go and take care of it.” My brows furrowed slightly as I watched him make his way to the door, but he quickly turned around to face Avery as if he had forgotten something mid-step.
Her cheeks blushed as he took a confident step toward her and lifted her tiny hand in his own, pressing his lips to it. “I hope to finally see you when I’m through speaking with them, Avery. These days have refused to allow me any time with you, and I dislike that very much.”
“Of course,” she whispered with a nervous giggle.
Gage flashed her a grin in response right before he continued his trek to the door and made his way into the street.
“Mother of the gods,” Jace grumbled with a sigh as he stood beside me.
“That’s a battle you’re not going to win, handsome.” I nudged him playfully with my elbow as I winked at Avery.
Her eyes widened with a hint of fear as Zaela leapt up from where she sat. “While he prepares the soldiers, I’ll head into the city and start moving door to door. This shouldn’t be a surprise to them at this point, but if they’re too reluctant to leave, I will let you know,” she announced with an edge to her tone, right before she followed Gage’s footsteps out the door and then slammed it shut behind her.
He turned to me then. “I don’t know why she cares so much…if she has feelings for Gage, she…”
Jace was cut off by a sharp cackle from Veli, who had remained silent in the corner for the last several minutes, earning a curious head tilt from me.
“You men are moronic,” she stated as she pushed herself off the wall and stalked across the space to her bedroom door.
I bit my bottom lip to try to hide my smirk as Jace turned back to me. “Is there something I’m missing? Or is she just always this wonderful?”
“If you would like honesty, it would be a bit of both,” I teased. I pivoted my body to face Avery and Finnian, who were the only two left in the room, aside from us. “What do you all say the rest of us follow her lead and make our way through the city to help warn everyone?”
They all nodded silently, and we moved toward the door, Nyra trotting alongside us.
Hours after we set out to inform our citizens of the new plan, Jace had found me and taken my hand, guiding me to one of his new surprises he said he had in store. However, when I reached down into the bond, it wasn’t excitement that I sensed, but lingering sorrow and empathy, further intensifying the dread I couldn’t seem to shake in recent days.
He cast a fleeting glance back at me as he led me past the city gates, as the vibrant sunset on the horizon ignited the sky in an inferno that stretched as far as the eye could see.
“Are you going to tell me where we are going?” I asked, mockery and the tiniest hint of sass filling my tone.
“Always so nosey, my Lia,” he cooed, causing me to blush. “I just have something I want to do for you, but it can’t exactly happen within the city.”
That piqued my interest.
Past Ellecaster stretched immense waves of boundless fields and meadows. So, when Jace veered right once we were beyond the gates and proceeded alongside thecity's wall, my mind raced regarding where he could’ve been bringing me.
After finally rounding the first bend, my eyes flared as I spotted Nox perched beside the outskirts of the wall, patiently awaiting our arrival. My breath caught as I took notice of what sat at my wyvern’s taloned feet—a wooden box adorned with intricate engravings and silver embellishments.
“Jace,” I whispered as my steps faltered and my hand slipped from his.
He turned to face me, and as his eyes met mine, the corners of his lips tilted upward. My mate gestured behind him to the box that lay atop a bed of freshly picked wildflowers and said, “A proper resting for a once great male.”
I moved past him, my strides slow. When I stood before my wyvern, Nox’s gaze fell from me and down to the box before him that beheld what was left of one of the greatest souls the realm had ever been graced with.
A small, sad chuckle of disbelief left me as tears streamed down my cheeks while I took in the sight of what Jace had made for me—for Lukas. A male he had never had the pleasure of knowing, but he took it upon himself to make sure that Lukas had a chance for his soul to rest with the gods.
