Page 192 of Commanding Blood And Bonds

“That wasn’t an answer,” I bit out.

August squeezed my hand, subtle but steady. He had this.

Kade nodded slowly. “You're right, Mrs. Porter. My apologies. I'm out of my comfort zone here.”

“Because The Six will side with Adrastos?”

He nodded again. “Because my father left shoes I have no desire to fill. But I can’t blame the clans for seeing him when they look at me.”

“Kingsley Thornquist is one of our most trusted allies,” August said. “I was always a handshake kind of man. But we’re past that now. Lives hang in the balance. So tell me, how do we know your words aren’t hollow?”

“I knew Terramyst would cling to history.”

“Thirty years isn't exactly ancient,” I pointed out, watching his jaw tense.

“No, but my father’s crimes belong to the past. I understand your friend hates my family—truly, I do—as any dutiful brother would be bound to. But my father...” He trailed off as Mira returned with our drinks. “Let’s just say Khaos was not known for diplomacy. But I am not my father.” His gaze landed on me with the force of a blow. “You, of all people, know what it means to rise above the sins of the past.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked flatly, my finger tracing the edge of the mug’s porcelain handle as the image of that cruel king’s smile flickered in my memory. August’s thumb traced the back of my hand again. A silent reassurance that I wasn’t alone.

“Only that your gifts likely grant you more empathy than most.”

Still. Unreadable. He knew something. I could feel it in my bones.

“Sure,” I replied. “I understand carrying the blood of a betrayer.”

“But Kingsley’s wounds aren’t some sin to wash away,” August interjected, clearly pulling the attention back to him. “Children died,” he added, voice low. “Babies thrown from rooftops. Six years later, their queen was found hanging from a garden gate. If you were reigning, who was responsible?”

“I don’t know. But it wasn’t by my command.”

“I’d hope not. That would be unforgivable.”

The tension lingered.

“I fought in the last stretch of the Solskari war,” I reminded him. “It was genocide, not just an assassination of the royal family, which would have been horrific enough. We fought undead with survivors, while your hierarchy hunted their blood.”

“Then let us atone,” Kade said. “Let us face the demons together. With necromancers at your front lines, you’ll never run out of soldiers. We only ask for rest and refuge between shifts. Adrastos sees our value. Without us, your people will bleed.”

“They’ll bleed regardless.”

“But more without our numbers—without the gifts we possess.”

Fighting beside corpses made my skin crawl. But corpses couldn’t feel. Couldn’t suffer. Maybe...

August blew out a breath so burdened it weighed down the air between us. “If we accept, how do we know you won’t switch sides when the tide turns?”

“Intend to lose, Commander?”

“War always has losses. But I intend to stand with my allies when the dust settles.”

Kade smiled. “Then treat me with dignity, and my loyalty stays. I’m not an easy man to sway.”

His attention shifted to the window as food arrived. August thanked the servers before returning to the matter at hand.

“We have an understanding. For now.”

“For now,” Kade echoed. “And perhaps I can prove my loyalty with a gesture of good faith?”

“I think⁠—”