My jaw drops when she obeys, shedding the black fur for smooth brown skin. Ulric lifts her in his arms and presses hislips to her forehead. She doesn’t push him away or demand he put her down. Her head falls to his shoulder and her body goes limp in his hold.
“So beautifully fierce and wild,” he says, carrying her to the dying fire and setting her on his lap. He lifts a canteen to her lips, watching intently as she drinks.
I glance at Greer, who curls her lip and shrugs a shoulder. She claps her hand on my back before wrapping her arm around me and guiding me into the alcove. I leave her at the fire and crouch in front of Kyron.
“You’re pissed,” I say.
He lifts a dark eyebrow. “I’m pissed.”
I sweep his hair back from his eyes and examine his face. He’s mad, but it’s only a fraction of the emotions written on his features. “I won’t say I’m sorry,” I say.
He scoffs. “I don’t expect you to. You’ve never been one to apologize for following your heart, no matter how much it terrifies those who love you.”
I smile at that. He falls into that category of people, and I’m grateful every day that he does.
Opening my hand, I show him the Imperium. “It was worth it. I don’t understand why it worked for me.”
“I do,” he says, lifting the stone from my palm. He twists and turns it, mesmerized with how uniquely beautiful it is. “It’s always been you or nothing. There is no heir to the crown without you, no restored Pliris. I’ve told you from the start that you are my queen. It’s a truth that transcends the Statera and the bond it created between us.” He lifts his gaze to mine. “I love you Raelle Mansi, and nothing will ever change that.”
I slide my fingers behind his neck and pull him to me until our lips brush. “I love you, Kyron,” I breathlessly say, and kiss him. My eyes flutter closed, and I savor the soft give of his mouth. It’s a balm to my battered body, making every sting andache surrender to need. Our kiss is slow and lingering. The kind of exchange where you breathe each other in and drown in the sensation. I want to exist in the exact same space as him, for his taste to always be on my tongue and his voice forever in my ear. I want to give and give and give and for him to take it all. He presses his hands to my cheeks and holds me in place as he peppers my face with kisses before pulling away.
He plucks the Imperium from where he discarded it on his lap and pulls the thin leather tie from my hair. I watch in confusion as he wraps the cord around the stone, fashioning it into a necklace. He lifts it and wraps it around my neck.
I open my mouth to protest, but he speaks up first, saying, “We fight what’s ahead together, but this power is yours to control. It’s safe with you. I don’t trust myself not to use it to entirely wipe out the Allaji. One day you can teach me, but not now. Not when I want them all dead for idly standing by while Zekel harmed you.”
I nod before lowering my head so he can tie the necklace in place. The stone hangs heavy against my chest. Not just the physical weight of it, but the power it holds. The ability that comes with this Divine Gift is unlike any other. I don’t fear it, but I respect it. And I will treat it with the utmost care.
I stand and hold my hand out to Kyron. When his fingers wrap around mine, I say, “Let’s go stop a war.”
Twenty-Eight
KYRON
Istep into the abandoned farmhouse we chose as our shelter for the night. Greer, Terro, and I walked the perimeter of the property three times while Raelle, Ulric, and Ashavee checked the inside. In any other circumstance, the extra precautions would have been overkill, but we’re just outside Pliris’ border. The Allaji had no qualms about sending small groups to find us in another kingdom. I don’t doubt that they would attack with full force with us this close to home.
The house hasn’t been lived in for ages. Thick layers of dust cover the couch and rustic dining table. Terro started a fire in the hearth with a large pot of water boiling. I climb the stairs to the second floor, each step groaning under my weight. The first room contains two single beds with Terro and Greer’s satchels on top of each. I look into the room across the hall and find Ashavee sitting on the edge of the mattress, and Ulric applying the healing salve the Sara queen gave us to her wound.
I’m not surprised that he is so attentive to Ashavee. Ulric was always the one in our group of friends that I pictured falling inlove first. Yes, he goes out of his way to receive attention, but he’s also the one who will bend over backward for someone else. Caring for people is what he does best.
“How are you holding up?” I ask, stopping in the door frame and sliding my hands in my pockets.
Ashavee glances at me and gives a half-hearted smile. “The pain is manageable. I’ll be ready to take on whatever we face tomorrow.”
Ulric nods for Ashavee to fix her tunic. Tossing the salve container in the air, he catches it and holds it out to me. “This stuff is a miracle. She’s almost as good as new.”
“Yeah, I’m feeling better because of it too. There are just some new terrifying scars to add to my collection,” I say, sliding it into my jacket pocket.
Ashavee fidgets with a loose thread on her sleeve, and so quietly I almost miss it, says, “I’m sorry about that.” It’s a little unsettling to see her this way. She always comes off as confident. Granted, the majority of the time I’ve spent with her she has been in her jaguar form, and felines have a natural arrogant quality about them.
“You’re sorry for what?” I ask.
She lifts her chin and says, “All of it, capturing Elle, invading your land, and especially enslaving the Cyffreds. Not every Allaji believes what’s happening is right. My people are better than this.”
Her statement stuns me. Over the past months, I’ve begun to lump the shifters all together. My hate for them has festered and expanded to include their entire kingdom. It’s unjust and ignorant of me. Ashavee is proof that there is good in Allaji.
“I know that. All it takes is one brave person to go against the grain and others will follow. You are that person, Ashavee.”
I’ve seen it happen firsthand. Micah tore our kingdom in half to build a new one where every person was treated equally.Raelle broke free of the duty that bound her to walk into an army camp and gather soldiers to save her father. They’re the rebels who were never satisfied with the way things were.
