Darin's eyes were more intensely green than they'd been when we danced. He bore no obvious injuries from whatever had happened between him and Reece earlier, but with advance healing, that didn’t mean much.
“Did you want something?” Reece asked shortly. “We’re on a tight schedule here, what with trying to save the damn worlds.”
Darin’s lips tightened, but he didn’t bite. “As the princeps of the Guardians, I request that I and my Desertlandians be allowed to go on this journey also."
"No," Reece said in a hard snap of that one word. "I trust my family only.” He waved a hand toward one of the prisoners, who was standing with the others, waiting for their punishment. “We were attacked tonight by a Guardian."
Darin’s brows bunched heavily as his expression grew darker. "They will be dealt with in the harshest of punishments. But don’t tar us all with the same brush. Rohami stand with the traitors as well.”
Reece’s expression indicated that he’d kind of hoped Darin wouldn’t notice that.
“We are Guardians,” the princeps continued, “and generally the ones who stand between the sacred lands and the rest of the worlds. I won't fail at that again. You don't know what you're up against. You need us."
Reece barked out a harsh laugh. "I could kick your ass all day every day and you know it. This is not my first battle in the Delfora, and no doubt it won’t be my last. We do not need your assistance."
Darin's let out a curse in their native tongue. "The sacred lands are our responsibility," he repeated.
Reece shook his head, and it was clear he would not budge on this.
“What if I take another vessel?” Darin changed tact. "We would stay behind yours and be backup only. You can't argue with that."
Reece wanted to, but with all the princeps and Desertlandians watching him—not to mention the metaphorical countdown clock ticking—he must have decided to try and be a team player. "Do not get in my way," he warned Darin. "And if you betray me in any way, I'll wipe out your entire dynasty."
A few gasps and whispered words followed that threat, but Reece and Darin were too busy locking eyes to notice any of it. At this point I was the one ready to kick some asses because we were wasting time in this redundant pissing contest.
"I accept your terms," Darin finally said, breaking the tension by turning to a redheaded female beside him. "Ready our vessel and warriors. We set sail immediately.”
Without a glance our way, she hurried off, followed by the other Guardians who’d been in attendance. “I’ll meet you at the East River,” Darin said, and as his gaze met mine, I wondered if this princeps was playing games or not.
He didn’t wait for a response, striding after the others from his dynasty. “You should hurry too,” the Crani female said. “We cannot allow this to come to pass.”
“We’ll need supplies at the docks,” Reece said, before jerking his head toward the traitors. “And if you get any new information from this lot, send word on the sands.”
"We will," she murmured, her pink lips tilting in a harsh smile. "There’ll be no more secrets between them by the time I'm done."
This satisfied Reece, and then it was time for us to leave. The rest of us hadn’t spoken during the impromptu Desertlandian council meeting, and that silence continued once we were outside. With the warm winds having picked up a little, I felt the power surging much stronger than it had been when we first entered.
We needed to get to those docks as soon as possible.
Reece led us to the northern point of the Ostealon, toward the largest docking stations and our best chance of a speedy vessel.
"Will they have the ship and supplies already?" Mera asked, finally breaking this silence we’d been in.
At this point we’d reached the glass fences of the yards, the security at the helm of the gates opening them for us without question. Someone had sent word already, making it all much easier.
"We will take whatever ship we deem the best," Reece said. "And I assume the supplies will make their way onboard at some point.” Despite his words from before, he clearly trusted the Desertlandian council to follow through on this promise.
As we passed through the gates, the guards dressed in ochre tunics, saluted Reece with the traditional fist to chest and then out in front. He returned the gesture, and from here, we were in the shipping yard with its sand bay—the quieter stream before the river systems.
This was the point Mera lost her shit. "Oh my fucking demons," she cried, grinding to a halt and clutching her stomach.
"Sunshine!" Shadow barked, reaching out to snatch her into his arms, but she sidestepped him before he could.
"No, no, no no," she said in a rush, waving him off. "I'm not in labor, I'm seeing sands move like water for the first time."
Shadow, who appeared to be having a stroke, if the pulsing vein near his temple was any indication, let out a rumble loud enough to shake the ground.
Mera realized at that point that she’d actually scared her mate half to death. "Sorry, babe," she whispered, stepping back to hug him. "I got caught up in the moment."
