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“Recruits?” I probed, turning to each of them in turn. “Do any of you wish to return to the ranks?”
The recruits steeled their spines and bit their tongues.
“But, commander! You can’t possibly expect—”
“Quiet!” The thundering command reverberated throughout the chamber, Kiara’s protests freezing on the tip of her tongue.
I cursed all the gods, wishing to wipe away that look on her face. The one that had my insides twisting and my pulse soaring. She hated me. I could see it clearly enough.
Looking away from her, I began conveying orders to the recruits, telling them to head to the stables once they finished packing. Thankfully, Isiah and Carter started rattling off a list of preparations, though deep lines formed across Isiah’s forehead, my friend shooting me a curious glance.
Throughout, I felt her stare on my back like a red-hot brand.
Leave, I begged.Be smart and fucking walk away.
She didn’t. Stubborn woman.
Harlow shouted an order, and those not selected scrambled away to the upper training fields. I didn’t move to join them. Not yet. I merely turned, knowing full well what awaited me.
Kiara’s stare could cut through metal. With her chin lifted and her eyes clouded with shadows, she looked nothing short of a lethal warrior.
“I told you to leave, recruit,” I growled, stepping into her space. Even though I was a good foot taller than her, it still felt like she was looking down on me. It had to be a gift.
“What did I just say?” I hissed, my voice low enough that the others across the room didn’t hear. “I told you to leave!”
“And I was told I would be on that list of yours,” she answered boldly.
I moved until my chest pressed against hers. “You’re wearing on my last nerve, Frey,” I snapped, losing what little patience I retained. If she didn’t leave now, I’d be forced to make a scene and punish her for disobeying an order from a superior.
“And I simply don’t care.”
Inhaling a jagged breath at the insolent words, I clenched my fists and swallowed every curse I wanted to release. “Youwilldie if you go out there. Don’t you understand that?” My voice softened, if only slightly. “This mission of the king’s is a fool’s errand. A suicide mission. One I’ve carefully deliberated on and decided not to put you through. Especially when you have the potential to be great.”
I’d debated all through the night, and sometime around three in the morning, I’d made a decision. Call it impulsive, but for once in my life, I refused to be a puppet, a pawn. A harbinger of death.
“I’m coming, Jude,” she snarled, pressing a finger into my chest. Her eyes turned even darker, narrowing into catlike slits.
“No, you’re not coming. I will not be the cause of your death.”
“If you think for one moment that I will let them go and die in that cursed fog without me, then you don’t know me at all.”
I knew her, and that was the problem. Once Kiara had claimed those boys as her own, she would do everything in her power to protect them. Just as she had defended her brother during The Calling.
“Too. Damn. Bad.” I bared my teeth in challenge, and a muscle in my jaw feathered.
“You’re going to regret that,” she threatened, a twisted smile curving her sensuous lips. The certainty of that promise stole my air.
Without bothering to utter one more word, Kiara turned on her heel and bolted, her boots thundering like a storm of wrath and ruin.
I watched every step she took, knowing full well I’d done nothing but poke at the beast lurking within. But my beast matched hers, and we’d only tear one another to pieces in the end.
Chapter Nineteen
Kiara
The time is approaching, and I grow weaker by the day. This will be my final letter to you, as my previous queries have all gone unanswered. I worry that your relationship with Cirian has changed, and I fear your closeness. I pray you have not forgotten the mission at hand. If we do not succeed, then Asidia will pay the price.
Letter from Aurora Adair to unknown recipient,
