Turning away from the legion, I face the bridge with magic flooding me in a gold river. I raise an arm and march forward, leading Hunters across the passage to our future.
CHAPTER 17
VEYA
Present Day
WE STAND BEFORE the blazing pyre, mourning Aurelia and Samantha.
Huddled together, Hartley, Nix, and Ellie shed convincing tears and distraught cries for their cellar companions all these years.
Second and Charlotte left with Aurelia and Samantha a few hours ago, slipping into the tree line a mile from castle grounds. And I can barely breathe under the stress of it.
Del is frozen, a statue of striking perfection as his stony gaze refuses to move from the forest beyond.
“Del,” I whisper.
“The not knowing is going to rip my fucking heart out,” he breathes, just over the sound of the surging pyre and howling wind swirling through our cloaks.
I nod at him, barely able to focus on anything but Second, Charlotte, and the girls. With a few more hours of night left, Second and Charlotte will need to shelter for the day andlock themselves away for the full moon. Which means our girls are on their own at dawn.
“Second and Charlotte will protect them for as long as they have them. I swear it.”
Del still doesn’t move. “I know,” he utters, breath pluming before us.
“Where do you think they are right now?” I ask him, my mind running wild.
“They should be an hour from the stable I sent them to. And their shelter is nearby.”
“Good,” I say, my voice drowned out by the roar and pop of the bonfire, which reaches into the sky so high I have to crane my neck to see the tips of the flames.
Del’s chin dips, his focus in the snow as he inhales deeply and then blows out a slow exhale. Determined, amethyst eyes spark at me through the darkness before he says, “We should continue our conversation regarding our mutual interest.”
Yes. We should.
“Agreed,” I say and stare into the flaming empty grave, the sharp snapping of burnt logs striking nerves down my spine, and I try to muster hope to counter it, to sustain me through the day ahead. I try to find a bearable baseline because Del is going to need one of us with our head straight.
A throat clears from behind us, and Del and I spin to see General Balor scowling at us.
“What is it, Balor?” Del demands in a voice I haven’t heard from him, his demeanor flipping from concerned to callous instantly.
Balor hesitates, and I’m thrilled Del sets this male on edge. “The king requests an audience with Queen Veya.” Emmanuel steps next to me, and Balor’s gaze slides to him. “Alone,” he clarifies.
“That seems unnecessary,” I say. “Surely he can’t expect such an intimate conversation so soon?”
Balor sneers at me. “I’m not privy to his intentions,Queen. But I’m sure, whatever they may be, are …deserved.”
I leash a snarl and glare at Balor.
“Let’s get you to the king then,” Del says in a chipper voice, striding past all of us toward the castle.
I appreciate Del’s unassuming chaperone and keep my face neutral under Balor’s focus still pinned to me.
“Girls, go to my suite,” I tell them, and they shuffle off together.
“I’m by your side until I can’t be,” Em says, and we follow Balor, who’s turned on his heel.
“You always end up where you need to be. I’m not worried,” I say, despite the dread building in my chest.
