I imagined what it would be like to finally destroy Kellan and everyone who had ever harmed my family. My need for revenge slickly worked its way through my veins as if it were oil, and my fingertips ached as they traced over the saddle’s stitching, waiting for vengeance to come.
Ignystae.
Veli’s word from the tongue of the gods rattled me. Its power radiated through my soul as I readied myself to put it to use for the first time—praying to those very gods that the witch was right and that Nox would answer to its command.
My breathing turned heavy when I felt the weight of Jace’s hand bearing down on my shoulder and his evident worry for me through our tether. As I turned toward him, his concerned hazel eyes locked with mine. My mask no longer worked on him because of the mating bond, but I would continue to fake the smile with him all the same.
I moved to face forward once more. “Hold on, everyone.” I grinned as I felt all three of their bodies stiffen behind me. “Nox…let’s go for a ride.”
His enormous wings shot out from his sides, and with three booming flaps, we were in the cerulean midday sky.
Chapter three
Kellan
I leapt from myhorse as we arrived back at our camp on the outskirts of the Sylis Forest. I couldn’t believe how much of a fucking disaster everything had turned into.
The entire ride back, I was forced to clutch the nape of my neck to prevent my body from bleeding out, thanks to Elianna’s little stunt she pulled. I couldn’tbelieveI let the bitch slip through my gods-damn fingers—literally. I had never fled from a battle in my life, but it was clear that her blade had nicked a vital vein. It took all my efforts to hold the skin closely together with my bare hand until it worked to heal. I had to survive. Too much was at stake, and I’ve worked too gods-damn hard to lose it now,especiallyat the hands of Elianna.
How had I missed the dagger strapped to her thigh? And how did she evenhavethat?! I fucking snapped the damn thing in half the last time we were in this gods-forsaken place. I knew it was the same dagger, too—I noticed the wolf’s head atop the hilt.
Stalking through the camp, we pushed our way through the soldiers that awaited our return, and I ignored thepassing looks as they realized how beaten to shit we all were.
“Vincent!” I barked. I hadn’t seen him since we were forced to flee. I roared his name over and over as I stumbled through the camp and arrived at my tent.
Where the fuck was he?
I picked up a bucket of water that remained on the ground within my tent from the day prior, splashing some up into my face and onto my wound that had finally begun to stitch itself closed.
As I peered down to try to get a better look, a growl crawled up my throat. That would scar. I would make Elianna pay for that. My gaze drifted down to my thigh, where the commander had slashed my flesh with his blade, and I thanked the wretched gods that it had nearly healed entirely already.
I stalked over to my cot in the far corner of the tent and started rummaging through the bag I had hidden beneath it.
After grabbing hold of the small jar of salve that I had stolen back in Isla, I began to generously apply it to my neck.
I cleared my throat and yelled, “Vin—”
My words were cut off as Callius appeared between the flaps of my tent’s door. He looked me up and down carefully as a scowl twisted his face.
“Well,” I started. “You’re not Vincent.”
“What the fuck happened, Adler?!”
“Wonderful to see you too, Callius,” I mocked as my head tilted.
He stormed halfway across my tent and stopped abruptly. “Don’t try to pull your bullshit on me, Kellan.”
I eyed him. “What? Are you pissed about the salve?”
A grin twisted my face as I offered him the jar with one hand as the other continued to spread it onto my wounds.
“I don’t give a shit about the salve!” he boomed as he smacked the jar out of my hand and sent it flying across the tent.
My brows flew halfway up my forehead as my gaze followed it through the air, and then slowly moved back to face him. “Woke up on the wrong side of the tent, did we?”
“Enough!” he roared. “Tell me what happened. Now.”
“The humans were slightly more prepared than we anticipated. We would’ve won, but I was injured.” I gestured to the side of my throat and the bloodstains that soaked my entire front. “Obviously.”
