“So do you, Ilayna. We could never have done this without you.”
I lean forward and kiss her on the cheek. There’s a soft smile on her face when I pull away—one that’s taken effort and practice to perfect.
It’s the saddest thing.
My heart clenches as I drop her hand.
She’s the kind of person I could see myself with. Someone with a pure heart and an innocence that is so rare in this world. And maybe if I hadn’t been given to Serena at birth, things would be different. I would be with someone like Ilayna.
But things aren’t different. And my heart belongs to Serena completely. I will love her until it destroys me.
So I turn my back to Ilayna, making my way toward destruction herself.
“Tough goodbye?”Serena teases as I reach her side.
“Don’t be a dick,” I snap, trudging ahead through the tall grass and wildflowers. “Did you eventhank her for her help?”
“I did,” she says defensively. “If you’re so in love with her, why not bring her along?”
“I asked her to come. She said no.”
Serena’s eyes shoot to me. I avoid looking at her.
I don’t know what surprises her more. The fact that I invited Ilayna or the fact that I’m defending her the way I am.
We fall silent as we make our way to the giant purple dragon on the beach. She’s right where we left her, roaming the sand, chomping the leaves off the towering trees.
Serena preps her for flight as we climb onto her back, settling in the best we can. There’s no real method to staying on top of her. We just have to grip the spikes and hope for the best.
“Are we ready?” Serena says, taking her place in the saddle.
The five of us nod in confirmation.
“Alright. Let’s go home.”
Derek’s keep finally comesinto view between the mountains, flashing its sparkling glory up at us through the breaks in the clouds. We veer toward it, clinging to Furi’s back as she dips down.
And that’s when we see it.
The hordes of gold-armored troops surrounding the perimeter, already lodged in battle.
Shit.
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SERENA
Shit.
No other word comes to mind as we circle the castle to get a better view of what we’re dealing with. There are so many golden soldiers. They outnumber our armored guards by double.
No, triple.
I expected Kylian to come for me, but I didn’t think it would happen this soon. The fighting is already well underway, shouts floating up to us as we coast along the treetops. I turn back to Jace.
“You’re the Ex-Captain. What’s the order?”
“If we use dragon fire, she’ll take out half our armies, and you’ve never tried to wield before,” he responds over the roaring wind. “Have Furi drop us inside the gate and tell her to stay close by. We need to make sure the king and the princess are safe, then round up everyone we can and get them out. Kai, Mar, and Dover—stay with Furi. We don’t know if the walls have been breached yet.”
