“He’s already out there.”
“What?” I half scream. “We need to get down there, Jace. I’m not letting him fight alone!”
“He’s not alone, he’s with our armies.”
“You know what I fucking mean.”
“I already spoke to him. We have a plan.”
“Great. Mind clueing me in?” He says nothing. “Wait, when did you speak to him? Jace. Did you know they were going to attack?”
“Max’s men reported it an hour ago.” He shakes his head in disgust. “I should have known he would retaliate like this.”
“Retaliate? Against what?”
Jace forces a breath through his nose, his jaw clenching.
“What are you hiding from me?” I demand.
“I launched an attack on Vod two days before the wedding.”
“You did what?!” My heels dig into the ground, but he holds on tighter, dragging me alongside him. “Jace, why would you do that? We had a plan!”
“I had to do something,” he growls, sliding his molten eyes towardme. “Did you really think I would just sit back and wait for him to come whisk you away?”
“You have no idea what you just set in motion. He is going to come at us ten times as hard now. This was my mess, and it was contained?—”
“Wake up, Serena. It wasn’t contained! It never was! It was an avalanche waiting to happen. There was never going to be any containing it or stopping it.”
“If you had trusted me and stuck with the plan?—”
“You know, if I didn’t know any better, I would think you actually wanted him to take you.”
“You’re a bastard,” I spit, struggling against him. His grip doesn’t relent as we weave through the chaotic passageway. “I can’t believe you did this.”
“You’ll get over it.”
“You sure? You sure I’ll get over the blood that will be spilled here today? The people that will die because of your ridiculous pride? No one else needed to be involved.”
“When are you going to get it through your thick head? This mess is all of ours. It’s yours, mine, your familiar’s. It’s Kai’s and Marideth’s too. This is bigger than you. This is about protecting what is ours. Our land, our home, our people. And you are one of them. So stop acting like a fucking martyr.”
We reach a part castle I’m not familiar with. The halls are dark, leading up to a narrow spiral staircase.
“Where are you taking me?”
“Just trust me, Serena. For once.”
“Forgive me if I have a bit of trouble with that at the moment.”
He doesn’t answer. He just stares straight ahead, his face set in a hard mask of determination as I follow him up the steps.
Where are you? I call out to Zadyn in my mind.
I’m fine. Stay with Jace.
Zadyn, tell me where you are right now, or so help me.
Worried about me?he teases.
