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“You are never a burden. You are a joy to me.” Anaria’s smile was as gentle as I’d ever seen as she cupped her mother’s face and tilted her forehead against Adele’s. “Always, do you understand?”
“Be safe. Don’t take chances.” Adele’s eyes filled with tears. “If I don’t…”
“We don’t ever talk like that, ” Anaria chided gently. “After this battle is over, we will get you fed and cleaned up and you can rest. Then we’ll talk about what comes next.” She squeezed Adele’s shoulder gently then stepped away.
“Wrap your arms around his neck. Hold on tight. Stay with Tavion; he’ll get you out of harm’s way if needed.”
The wolf cocked his head and lifted his lip, baring his teeth.
I fought the urge to snarl right back.
31
ANARIA
Tavion loped smoothly away, Adele’s arms wrapped tightly around his neck. I watched until they disappeared around the first sharp bend, swallowed down a millionI’m sorrysand faced Raziel.
There was nothing on his face except dried blood and anguish, and my heart lurched in my chest. I despised these impossible choices that always resulted in someone getting hurt.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know how else to get her to safety and help Zor at the same time.”
His jaw worked for a moment, his dark eyes brimming with hurt. But Raz didn’t say a word as he held the gelding steady for me to mount then got on behind me, one hand braced on my belly to hold me in place while he kicked his heels into the horse’s side.
I would have been better with an argument than his silence, because the tense quiet stretched out further and further, cutting me to the quick, deeper than words would have.
I’d hurt him and I wanted to scream, primal and loud and shrieking, at the sheer injustice of juggling too many feelings and too much pressure. Even with Raz’s hard body pressed tight against mine, even as close as we were, I felt like we were miles away from each other.
And I despised that, too.
We were galloping so fast tears streamed from my eyes, my fingers twisted into the gelding’s dark mane, thighs squeezing tight to keep my balance as we navigated around rocks and twists of the path leading down to the flatlands.
The battle came into view, dust choking me as we rode into the brisk wind blowing from the west. Raz pressed his lips to my ear, his voice a rough rasp. “There had better be a godsdamned long period of negotiation.”
I squeezed my eyes closed and clasped my hand over his. “As long as I can make it, I swear.”
“Good.” I heard his teeth grind together. “Because you aremine, Anaria.Mine.”
Normally, I might have pushed back on that statement, but after what he’d been through…I decided Raziel was due a little bit of male possessiveness.
We thundered down the trail toward the battle, while to our left the silver wolf streaked toward the rearguard of the Solarys army and the supply wagons, heading for the line of tents barely visible through the haze of dust.
Adele clung to his back, her fragile body leaned down until she lay almost flat, her thin, wispy hair flying behind her, along with the tatters of her dress.
A miracle.
That she’d survived that place for almost twenty years. That we’d gotten her—all of us—out of the city in one piece was a wonder.
I didn’t allow myself to think about everything that might have gone wrong. What could still go wrong since we weren’t finished fighting. At least we were alive, even though we rode into battle, even though we were battered and bruised, we would fight today, until we couldn’t.
Raziel guided us through a gauntlet of rocks, pointing to a small circle of black uniformed soldiers, fighting their hearts out, surrounded by a sea of blue and silver. “My guess is, Zor’s somewhere in there.” He kicked the gelding and headed straight for them, my heart pounding in my throat as I gripped the mane as tight as I could.
“How close do you need to be?” he shouted over the deafening hoofbeats, his hand tightening around my belly, trapping me tightly against him. “I’ve got you; I won’t let you fall.”
“I know.” Raziel kept me firmly in place, while I uncoiled my fingers from the horse’s mane, fighting my rising panic as we dodged ravaged bodies instead of rocks and trees.
The scent of blood thickened the air, along with fear and adrenaline, the faint odor of ozone stinging my nose. There were not many magic wielders in the Caladrian army, but Zor had an entire battalion of soldiers for shielding his front lines. They’d been put to the test by the amount of spent magic I detected.
“Closer,” I urged, searching for a clear shot, some way to kill only the Caladrian forces, yet leave Zor’s men untouched. But the battle was down to knots of men fighting hand to hand; there wasn’t a single opening where I wouldn’t hit our soldiers.
