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“I’m glad you’re okay,” he said, his voice tight. He helped her to her feet. To Morgan, he said, “My gratitude for saving her life.”
Then he stalked off and addressed his victorious men. “Five of you pile the bodies and burn them. The rest of you, follow me.”
There were other factions to conquer.
Morgan said to Jade, “He told you to stay in the village.”
“The wraith had arrived before the king’s army,” she breathlessly explained in her defense. “What were we to do? Sit and wait? Let them prey upon us without even fighting back? Without protecting ourselves or the others?”
Morgan’s jaw worked vigorously for a moment, then he said, “Don’t go to the castle, Jade. He won’t be in any mood to receive you.”
Her heart constricted at the dire expression on the general’s stony features. “Ever?”
He executed a stealthy about-face and sauntered off.
Jade’s breath was still labored from exertion, but also from the emotional pain that shredded her.
Her eyes squeezed shut as every fiber of her being burned in agony.
She’d defied Davian yet again.
And this time, the Demon King did not appear inclined to let the slight go.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Jade delivered Michael safely to his house.
She said, “This’ll be the one and only time you accompany me—or Toran—on such a dangerous excursion.”
“Hey, I did everything you told me to do,” he asserted, his expression a strong and determined one, sparking more admiration for him on Jade’s part.
She couldn’t dispute his ability to follow orders—or react swiftly to save his own life. However, because of her concern for his welfare, she reiterated, “Only once, Michael.”
Riding off with a heavy heart over the harrowing evening, she thought of how her friend had abided her direction and how she hadn’t done the same when it came to Davian’s instructions—and the promise she’d made to him. Yet she still felt justified with her intention to keep demons away from Ryleigh.
Nonetheless, a tremendous amount of guilt besieged her. She’d been petrified something would happen to Michael—and Davian had to feel the same way about her. Therefore, she could understand how incensed the king was at this point.
Jade had no doubt the alliance had expeditiously put an end to the rebellion, yet her stomach plummeted further when she noticed a lone figure sitting on the bench outside her cottage.
She slipped from the horse’s back. After patting his neck, collecting her thoughts and composing herself somewhat, she walked toward the patio.
“Been here long?” she asked as she settled next to the vampire.
“Yes.” Sheena swept back the hood from her cape and stared at Jade with piercing green eyes. “You were supposed to stay within the village borders. I came to keep you company. Protect you if it came to that. But apparently you had other plans.”
Jade shook her head in astonishment. “What exactly is the range of your hearing?”
Ignoring the query, Sheena said, “I’ve been waiting for you since the sun set. And when you didn’t return to your home, I knew precisely where you were.”
She sighed. “I can’t seem to help myself. No matter how hard I try to do what I’m told, I constantly find myself in these treacherous situations.”
“Yes, well, I suspect you don’t help matters,” the vampire snapped. “You thrive on sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
Jade’s teeth bit into her bottom lip but for a moment. She couldn’t hold back what she had to say regarding Sheena’s accusation. “Has it occurred to you I don’t wander into these messes, but that I’m somehow thrust into them? I don’t seek out trouble, Sheena. And as a matter of public record, I’m now one of the few who are supposed to counteract potentially fatal circumstances when they threaten human lives.”
Sheena crossed her arms over her chest, looking indignant. “You act impulsively, Jade. And look where it’s gotten you.”
Jade stood. Confronting her friend, she said, “I’m not injured. I didn’t do anything impulsively. I put a great deal of thought into my actions this evening in order to stall the fire wraith. In order to keep Toran, Michael and I from harm. In order to keep demons at bay until Davian and Morgan arrived. I didn’t do anything that was careless or could be misconstrued as a blatant neglect for my own safety. And I certainly didn’t instigate a demon attack on my village,” she insisted.
