My name cuts through everything.
I move without thinking, closing the space between us in two strides that feel too slow and too fast all at once. “I should stay,” I say, the words out before I’ve fully decided on them.
His gaze locks onto mine, silver eyes burning with something that isn’t hesitation. “You will not.”
Frustration flares, instinct pushing back. “I can fight.”
“I am aware.”
Something in his tone makes me stop. He’s not dismissing me, and there’s zero doubt in his tone. All I hear is trust.
“You will help protect the child,” he continues, voice lower now but no less absolute. “Solan will go with you. Sonny and Jack too.”
The weight of it presses into my chest even as I see Jack move out of the corner of my eye, no doubt racing ahead to find his nephew.
Jamie.
Of course.
Of course that’s the priority.
Still, instinct has me resisting. “You’re sending me away from the fight.”
“I am placing you where you are required.”
The words hit differently because he means it. This isn’t about keeping me safe. It’s about trusting me with something that matters more than anything else right now.
Another impact shakes the walls, closer this time, and the decision is ripped out of my hands. There’s no time to argue. No time to hesitate.
“Right,” I mutter, already turning.
He catches my wrist. The contact is brief and devastating. Heat flares through the bond, dragging my attention back to him fully. For a fraction of a second, the noise drops away. The movement. The urgency. Everything.
Just him.
“Stay alive,” he says.
I huff a breath, my chest loosening despite everything. “Yeah,” I reply, quieter. “You too.” And then I lean in.
The kiss is fast, hard, and entirely unnecessary, which is exactly why I do it.
His mouth meets mine without hesitation, the contact grounding in a way nothing else is right now. Heat, breath, the faint taste of him—it hits harder than it should, sharper because of everything pressing in around us.
I pull back first because if I don’t, I might not.
Across the room, Sonny grabs Kael by the front of his armour and kisses him just as abruptly, earning himself a startled breathbefore Kael steadies and returns it for half a second longer than expected.
“Don’t die,” Sonny mutters.
“You either,” Kael replies, already turning back to the fight.
Aelith moves then. It’s not graceful. Pain laces every step as he crosses the space towards me, one hand braced briefly against the table to steady himself before he straightens again.
Up close, he looks worse. Too pale. Too taut. But his eyes are clear and focused. He reaches for the chain at his throat and yanks it free, the medallion catching the strange light of the room as it swings between us.
“Take it.” The command is quiet and urgent.
I hesitate for half a second. “Why me?”
