“The leathers?” I asked.
“Yeah. I’ve known forever, but Uncle Artton said he’d demote me to mess hall janitor for”—he threw up air quotes with his hands—"the rest of my miserable life." His mock accent was bang on, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Is that so?” I said with a raised brow at Artton. “I don’t know, Kaelun. I still think it’d be a better job than being stuck with his miserable ass.” I tipped my chin up, indicating his uncle.
“Ha. Ha. You two,” Artton deadpanned, which had us all smiling.
“She’s not wrong,” Tarrin threw over his shoulder, coming to stand by my side.
“I’d threaten you with demotion,” he snipped back, “but I’m pretty sure human is about as low as it gets.”
“Hey,” I said in protest, throwing a hand on my hip, “I’ll remind you that your precious Spark chose to incarnate into a human.”
Sidrick gripped both of Artton’s shoulders. “She’s got you there.”
“You’re all going to get fucken demoted if you keep this up,” the second commander grumbled, shaking his friend off and taking the spot next to Caius.
Kaelun leaned into me. “Soooo? What’s the verdict?”
“I love them,” I said back with a wink.
“See, Uncle C? I knew she would.”
It was Caius’ turn to go crimson. “Um,” he said, needing to clear his throat before he continued. “You guys need to get going to stay on track. Remember the plan. Stick together. Follow the chain of command. And no matter what, if you run into trouble, you get back to the safety of our borders, or Myron’s. Understood?”
The three fae stood at attention and bowed their heads for a moment before standing tall and saying, “Yes, High Lord.”
Caius dipped his chin in acknowledgment, then placed a hand on Artton’s shoulder. “You bring her back…”
“Or we don’t come back at all,” the High Lord’s second-in-command finished without missing a beat, and my heart jumped into my throat.
Looking his best friend and commander in the eyes with his grip still firmly on his shoulder, Caius nodded, indicating for Artton to speak.
“From the molten at our core,” he began, “to the skies above, to everything between, we thank you, Mother, for sustaining our lives.May we be continually blessed by our sacred connection to you, and may your power be at the ready to aid us in this first true step in our journey to mend what was broken so long ago.”
“My Mother,” they said in unison, and remembering the words Caius and I had spoken before crossing into the sacred cavern during the solstice, I bowed my head and finished the sacred words with them. “Our Mother. The Mother.”
I sensed her as if she was watching, and I could’ve sworn her the threads of magic went taut, as if she had granted our prayer.
Stepping away, Caius said, “Artton and Sidrick, you go on ahead with Tarrin. Kaelun will bring Nyleeria in a moment.”
“Be well my lord,” Sidrick said before placing a hand on Tarrin’s shoulder and disappearing. Artton shared one last look with his High Lord before joining them.
“I wanted a moment alone with you two,” Caius said. “Nyleeria, I know we haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, and you have every reason to be wary. But I need you to hear me when I say youmustcome home. Please know that I don’t say this as a High Lord, or even as a fae. I say it as a son who sacrificed everything because I believed thatyouexisted. No matter what, you need to remember the stakes. Tarrin was right the other day, though he was wrong in who we’d wouldn’t risk—and that’s you. I know the guilt you harbor for the twins. But I also know the love you feel for them and your propensity to sacrifice yourself for others. You must keep hold of the bigger picture at all times. They are your family. But you are the spark. I’m not saying it’s fair, but you must choose to survive over all else.”
My throat made an audible sound as I swallowed the lump that had formed. “Even over their lives,” I said, already knowing the answer as I tilted my chin at Kaelun. “Because they either come back with me or die trying to get me back? That was what the exchange meant between the two of you, isn’t it?”
Caius nodded, his features hardening. “Artton and Sidrick’s mandate extends well past recon. They have orders to execute that will help us immeasurably moving forward. Theonlyreason I’vebeen forced to consider letting you go, Nyleeria, is your ability to get them through the border and the wards waiting for them on the other side. Otherwise, you’d let them into autumn and come straight back here.”
“Don’t be stupid. Stay alive. Come back,” I summarized.
A tiny smile formed. “Yes.”
Feeling helpless to soothe his worry, I slid my hand in his and squeezed. His eyes slid down to where we were connected, and like him, I realized that was the first time since coming here that I’d be able to touch a male without a utilitarian purpose—like valenning. He offered me a soft, knowing smile as I slipped my hand back and took a step away, knowing he wanted a moment with his nephew.
Watching his attention shift to Kaelun was unexpectedly heartbreaking. All pretense. All authority. All masks melted away as he looked at the kid with so much love it melted my heart. And stars did Kaelun’s love and adoration for his uncle make him look so innocent as he looked up at the male he idolized, and not because of rank or title.
“Your brother’s and uncle’s job out there is to protect you as well. Do you understand me, Kaelun?”
