“But Michlael,” I continued. “He was onourside. And you squashed him like an insect.”
“You think he would have advanced on the demons if I killed Jarkas alone?” Malakai asked, his voice cold as he searched my eyes with a sharpness I wasn’t ready for. I looked away, but he continued.
“You think he wouldn’t have taken advantage of the ungifteds’ vulnerable state?”
I opened mymouth—
“Sweetie,” he softened his voice again. “The war has been going on for a long time. The leaders have always chosen the easier target, the closer victory before attacking the demons. Every. Time.”
He was a First Lieutenant, he would know…
“Why?” I asked.
“Oh, I don’t know, why do people quit when things get hard? Why don’t people tell the truth? Why don’t people admit when they’ve done something wrong?” Malakai smiled, but there was no warmth in it. “No one likes showing their weaknesses or fears, kitten. That makes them vulnerable. And no matter if it’s an Aetherion or Ashen Corp soldier, they all fear the demons.”
“I don’t fear anything!” Ashley shot out, before her hands covered her mouth. She was clearly eavesdropping.
“Sorry, how far away are you from the part where you two kiss and make up?” she sneered and I rolled my eyes at her.
“So, you mean that you killing the leaders was like a reset of the system?” I asked Malakai, making Ashley gasp because I ignored what I am sure to herwas her very ’important question’.
“If fear of weakness was the obstacle all along, nothing has changed… Rather, they would be more confused and scared now?” I continued.
“No.” The corner of his mouth twitched amused. “They saw their light and hope first-hand. They saw you killing the demon who had corrupted the Aetherion. They saw how the Ashen Corps didn’t dare raise a weapon against you. And as you continue pushing forward, they’ll follow. You’re our torch, guiding us through the darkness.”
I swallowed hard at his words, taken aback by his unwavering trust that I’d be able to bring the two factions together. It was his doing, not mine,hedeserved the praise.
“Right, but Malakai—” I snapped, turning my head to him, our eyes locking. “In that moment, when you killed them, I thought you had used me for your own goals. I washurt.”
His eyes softened, pain shining through them. “I’m sorry, that was not my intent.”
I should’ve turned away, should’ve told him to stop pushing further. It was complicated, having feelings for him and not knowing if he simply played the fearsome demon or if he would ever give in to it. He hadn’t been allowed into the Rimefield camp after what he pulled at the battlefield, leaving the rest of us in the squad to clean up afterwards. Pushing him away was easier… No, it wassafer. But his voice, that quiet honesty beneath the arrogance, pulled at something I’d tried to bury. Maybe he was right, maybe this was me trying to take the easier way, the one where I knew I wouldn’t get hurt again…
Lionel’s voice broke the spell again, sharp as a trigger. “I’ll take first watch.”
Malakai leaned back, a smile without emotions in it lingering on his face. “Of course you will.”
As night settled, the mist thickened at the forest’s edge, curling like smoke over unseen ground. We were closer now, to the border, to danger, to everything waiting in the dark.
CHAPTER
4
Dawn broke pale and reluctant, light slithering through the trees. The forest smelled of mold and dew, the kind of air that felt refreshing after a cool rain.
We packed in silence. No one seemed eager to be the first to speak. The quiet was heavy, still tangled in everything that hadn’t been said around the fire.
Malakai knelt by the last ember, dousing it with careful precision despite his bound wrists. He didn’t look at me, not directly, but I could feel him, his awareness of me, constant and patient; always near enough to catch me if I fell, never close enough to make me flinch.
I brushed past him to grab my pack.
“I’ll keep my distance if that’s what you need,” he murmured, softly. “But I’m still right here, kitten. Always will be.”
I didn’t answer, couldn’t.
The words hung in the cool air between us, warm in a way I didn’t want to admit.
Lionel approached from the other side of camp, his rifle slung lazily across his back.
