Her tone was fierce, unflinching, but the way her eyes clung to his face told a different story. A softer one. A breaking one.
Jax stood there, jaw tight, his broad shoulders coiled as if he were holding too much in. “Just wait. Give it some time,” he said, his voice low, raw.
And then he stepped forward and cupped her face.
Ferrula didn’t pull away.
Not when his lips met hers.
Not when he kissed her as if it were the last time.
The moment stretched, silent and aching, before he pulled back just enough to breathe the words against her lips.
“All I want is for you to chooseme.”
Then he turned without waiting for her answer and walked away.
Ferrula stood still, the storm behind her eyes raging as the fire in her heart threatened to consume everything she thought she knew.
My gaze moved from her to Zander’s best friend.
Cade and the rest of Iron Fang mounted up with military precision, every movement sharpened by purpose. The moment Cade swung onto his dragon’s back, Zander’s jaw flexed so tightly I worried he’d crack a tooth.
Then they took to the sky.
Not like a patrol.
Like they had a mission.
Zander’s hand trembled where it clenched at his side, and I slipped mine into it.
“Is there somewhere we can go?” I asked quietly. “It’s late.”
He didn’t say anything at first, but he nodded once and led me toward the ladders that went up the far turret of the eastern wall. We climbed in silence.
When we reached the top, the salt-kissed wind tangled in my hair, and the turret opened into a wide lookout point overlooking the sea. Zander moved to the far wall, sitting with his back against the stone, knees drawn up slightly, and I slid down beside him.
The moon hung heavy and full over the water, casting silver ripples across the dark waves below.
“I’m sorry,” I said after a moment, voice hushed against the sounds of waves and wind.
Zander let out a long breath, running a hand through his hair. “Theron’s always playing some angle,” he muttered. “And if it hurts me or Dorian… all the better.”
We didn’t speak for a while.
Not about war.
Not about riders.
Not about courts or crowns.
Just the two of us.
Zander tilted his head toward me, his eyes softer now, less flame and more starlight. “Do you ever think about where you’d be if none of this had happened?”
I glanced at him, smiling faintly. “Probably breaking into castles, stealing heirlooms, living in a nice brothel.”
He laughed, really laughed, the sound low and warm in the night. “I would’ve found you.”
