His eyes shot open, and he was staring right at me. He chuckled as he scratched his beard. “Oh, shit.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
He rose to his feet and offered his hand to lift me up. I stood beneath his towering stature, clutching the front of my torn shirt to me as my gaze wandered to where my ripped pants remained.
I huffed out a breath that was a half laugh. “Shall we go face the music?”
“If by music you mean an annoying amount of teasing and mockery, then, of course. We have a lot to plan for when we leave for The Elora Isles.”
After everything that happened yesterday, I had somehow forgotten what Veli had unveiled and how our arrival in Anerys would be short-lived. After we had only just arrived, we now had to embark on a quest across the sea.
I picked up what remained of my pants and tugged them on. Jace laughed as he wrapped his cloak around me, and we set off towards the house.
We strolled through the back entrance of the estate to find Lynelle in the kitchen, cooking endless piles of bacon, eggs, and fresh bread.
“Thank the gods, I’m starving,” I announced.
“Is that Lia I hear?!” Avery called from the other room, and I chuckled as I moved to stalk in the direction of her voice.
“Now, now, breakfast is almost ready,” Lynelle said as she turned to us. She stopped in her tracks as her eyes wandered over the two of us and the state we were in. “Mother of the gods, was the house locked?! You appear as if you slept in the grass last night.”
My cheeks burned with heat as I halted in the room's archway.
Gage appeared in front of me then, wrapping his arm around my shoulder as he shot Jace a knowing look. “Good morning, lovebirds,” he cooed. “I know you absolutelybehaved yourselves in your mother’s old house. Right, brother?”
“Behaving was not achieved, and we also werenotin his mother’s house,” I admitted as I grabbed his hand that rested on my shoulder and twirled beneath it. His booming laugh sounded through the kitchen as Lynelle waved us all away.
We found the rest of our rebel court in the living area as they waited for breakfast.
“Good morning everyone!” I chirped.
Avery suppressed a laugh. “Lia, you have leaves in your hair.”
“Ah, yes, it’s all the new fashion,” I said as I sat beside her on the settee, moving to rub my dirt and leaf-crusted hair onto her. She tried to shoo me away, but I wrapped my arms around her in a hug that she eventually reciprocated.
Lynelle appeared in the room then with piles of plates in her hands that the boys jumped up to assist her with, placing them all atop the tea table. We moved to help ourselves to the early morning feast.
As we were finishing up in near silence, the front door opened, and Leon appeared in the foyer a moment later.
He gave Jace a curt nod. “That was quite the speech last night, Commander. I’m equally shocked as I am proud. I only wish your mother could see you now.”
Instant sorrow threatened to suffocate me, and my eyes flared in response as they shot to the general. “She is,” I said to him, and his gaze moved to me as he tilted his head in confusion. “She’s proud of him from where she watches in the vale.”
Leon gave me a tight-lipped smile, and something that resembled pride beamed in his eyes. “Of course she is. I apologize, Miss Lia.”
I returned his smile and moved my attention back to my plate.
Jace cleared his throat. “We need a ship. Is there one ready to sail in our most eastern harbor?”
“Indeed, there is. I can summon a crew, of course. Where are you setting sail off to so soon?” he asked as he helped himself to a cup of tea.
“The Elora Isles,” my mate answered, causing the general to choke on his first sip.
“I’m sorry?” he asked through a few subtle coughs as he tried to clear his throat.
“You heard me correctly,” Jace stated.
“The men won’t be too keen on sailing there, even if they are just legends of myth.”
