“Thank you for getting here in time,” she tells me. “For stopping him.” She takes a deep breath. “Blumenfall has been steadfast and loyal to you and to all the Bonded, but there was no way we would’ve been able to hold off his attack. Come back into the city with us. We’ll bring Anassa immediately to be tended, and we can get you set up at Lord Blumenfall’s manor.”
I lift the corner of my mouth. “Thank you, Alpha.”
Egith bows her head. Several of the riders with her work with their wolves to bind Anassa’s wound tightly. Anassa’s own healing magic is already at work, and her labored breathing begins to ease a little.
Looking around, I realize I need to say something to the people here, the ones from Killian’s camp. As much as I want to run away to Blumenfall, tend to my direwolf, and fall into a light coma, I have to make sure these people know that I’m not the same.
I’m not likehim.
So I step forward, out of the fray of wolves and riders newly arrived. I speak loudly, and I speak plainly.
“I know many of you were under an influence that you could not resist, and I understand. You will not be punished, for you had no free will. But we will have a lot of rebuilding to do together, and it will take a while for all of us to earn one another’s trust again. I know that.”
The Phylax riders closest to me are shifting uncomfortably, glancing among one another. But they’re listening.
“From here on out, we will be stronger than ever before. If you do not believe you could ever trust me, and you do not want to be a part of the pack we are building here, leave now. I will not come after you,” I tell them.
When I turn back to Egith, I see that the loyal wolves and riders have fashioned a rough stretcher out of tent fabric and poles and loaded Anassa onto it. Cratos and Ephyse and two wolves I don’t know by name carry the ends of the poles in their teeth. The sight of them bolsters my courage.
I give Egith a tight smile. “Lead the way.”
A couple of hours later, I’m standing by the hearth of the huge suite of rooms Blumenfall’s welcoming nobles gave Stark and me. Their gratitude looks like a sparkling chandelier, a wardrobe full of fresh finery, and an enormous bed that’s giving me ideas.
They even provided a massive pallet of blankets and furs to make Anassa more comfortable while she recovers.
I look at my direwolf fondly, watching her sleep. The castle’s medic confirmed that her wound was clean and healing well. Her back legs kick a little in dream. Cratos is stretched around her, keeping her warm and safe.
I stoke the fire and watch the sparks explode from the wood. Something about the simplicity of bringing this fire to life is helping me calm down after everything.
A knock jars me from my trance, and I stand to go answer. When I open it, I freeze. “Oh.”
Ruby is standing in front of me. “Am I disturbing—?”
She doesn’t even get the question out before I step aside to let her in.
“I’m glad you survived,” I tell her as she enters. “I think both Lucien and my father would have my head if you didn’t, and I’m pretty fond of having a head.”
Ruby smiles wryly. She clearly doesn’t feel entirely in her element, being here in my chambers. “Fredrich was well when you left him?”
I move toward my little fire and cross my arms. She watches me closely. “He was. He misses you very much, but he’s taking care of my sister now. Have you been in communication with him?” I believe they’re able to reach each other mentally through their sire bond, and my shoulders tense as I wait to hear news of my sister.
She joins me before the flames, and they light her eyes beautifully.
“I have. He says Saela is adjusting well to her time in Brightbane. They’ve been touring around the city—he’s trying to feed her curiosity as much as possible. He’d like… well, he’d like to enroll her into a school, with your blessing. At least for now, until you make a permanent decision about her living situation.”
Tears prick my eyes. Aschool. I thought that future was gone for Saela. In Nocturna, it would be; even with the war over, I don’t see a classroom full of Nocturnans welcoming a Siphon into their midst.
But in Astreona…
“That sounds fine,” I say through the tightness in my throat. I don’t want to think about herpermanent living situation, not yet—it’s too painful to contemplate. “When you go back to Astreona, what will happen?”
Ruby stares into the flames’ light, and tension increasingly tightens her brow. When she speaks, she sounds certain of every word.
“I would not want to get in the way of their relationship. If I need to give them space, I will. However, if she would like to get to know me, I would also like that very much.”
Her words make something seize in my chest, and I look away before she can see the glimmer of my eyes clearly reflected in the firelight.
“You and my father…” There’s a lump in my throat. It’s still hard to think of him with another woman. “It’s been tough to accept that he’s alive after allthis time. But I’m glad he’s here. I’m glad he and Saela can have a relationship. Thank you for saving him.”
