Page 61 of A Court of Darkness and Dragons

Zander followed him a few paces before peeling away, making his way back to the podium at my side. His eyes swept the assembly, the steel in his voice matching the glint in his gaze. “We are at war. We fight together, and we die together. There is only one way to truly win, and it will not be by defeating the army at our gates. I will lead a team to infiltrate the Blood Isle, but I need every one of you here to keep the Blood Fae at our gates engaged.”

The words settled into the silence.

Jax’s voice rang out over the crowd. “We fight as warriors and die as riders.”

A chorus of shouts and battle cries answered him, echoing off the stone and carrying into the open skies. In the midst of it, Ferrula’s hand slid into Jax’s, her fingers curling tight in a rare, unguarded moment of affection.

Jax’s answering grin was blinding, pride and love lighting his features in a way I hadn’t seen before, and for a heartbeat, the war felt…winnable.

Zander’s voice cut through the fading battle cries. “Ferrula. Jax. Naia. With me.”

The four of them stepped forward without hesitation, falling into stride beside us as Zander handed command over to Major Ledor with a clipped, “Hold the line. No one lets the Blood Fae breach the gates.”

He led us to a smaller table set just left of the podium. The wind still carried the scent of metal and leather, but here the air was taut with planning, not battle. Spread across the table were two maps—one of the Blood Isle, jagged and forbidding even in ink, and another of Veralin’s throne room, its stone and shadow rendered with precise detail.

“Why were Riven and Cordelle left out?” I asked, my eyes still scanning the map.

Zander didn’t look up. “We need to keep our party small. I need Jax, and Ferr won’t let him leave alone.” His gaze flicked briefly to them before returning to the parchment. “Siergen suggested Naia and was adamant Cordelle stay back. I left Riven to stay with him.”

I exhaled slowly, nodding. “Fair enough.”

A shadow moved across the table as Siergen stepped closer, the heat of his presence making the hair on my arms rise. I will aid you from here if I’m able, his voice rumbled in my mind, as deep as bedrock, and will call the black dragons on the isle to you.

I looked up sharply. “You can do that?”

Siergen’s eyes glinted like molten gold. I hope so. It depends on how powerful the Blood King is.

I had a bad feeling we wouldn’t get any help.

Chapter

Twenty-Three

Zander’s voice carried a low, decisive tone that made my pulse skip. “We leave at nightfall. Until then, take the day off and rest. All of you.”

We all murmured agreement, the weariness in my bones making it sound like a vow, and one by one the others drifted away toward the barracks. Zander’s hand found mine, warm and certain, and without a word he steered me back toward his chambers.

“I want this day with you,” he said once the door was shut behind us.

I tilted my head. “That sounds ominous. We’re going to survive this. I believe in us, and in our team.”

His smile was slight but deep, like something he’d been carrying for far too long. “As do I… but I don’t think you understand what you are to me.”

When his thumb brushed over the ring on his finger, I caught his hand before he could pull it away. “I know what I am. Let’s just get through this, and I’ll agree to anything you ask.”

His eyes flickered—Dark Fire rising in their depths as if it were answering mine. “Anything?”

“I’m really hoping you mean kinky sex, but yes… anything.”

The corner of his mouth curved dangerously, which made my knees feel like water. “Then I can wait… but I’ll take you up on the sex part now.”

I laughed, the sound easing the knot in my chest, and slid my arms around his neck. If the world were going to burn tomorrow, then tonight, we would set our own fire.

His mouth was on mine before I could take another breath, the kiss hot and desperate, tasting of need and something that felt dangerously close to goodbye. His hands slid over me with almost frantic intent, tugging at buckles, loosening ties, discarding anything that kept him from my skin.

When there was nothing left between us, he lifted me onto the dresser, the wood cool against my bare thighs. His fingers gripped my hips, grounding me even as the rest of me felt like it were unraveling.

He trailed kisses down my neck, across my collarbone, each touch pulling a shiver from my spine, until his lips found the inside of my thigh. My breath caught. He looked up at me once, Dark Fire still flickering in his gaze, and then lowered his head.