I pull her into my arms.
She’s so small. Has always been so small. But she holds me like she’s the one doing the protecting. Maybe she is. Maybe she always has been.
“Until the shadows find us both.” I whisper it against her hair.
“Until the shadows find us both,” she whispers back.
Then she pulls away. Wipes her eyes. Squares her shoulders.
And becomes the queen again.
“You know what I’m going to say.” Kestra’s voice is steady now.
“Probably.” Ash’s isn’t steady and I think of our bond to see if there’s something there she’s hiding. All I get is the pain of goodbye with Kestra above everything else.
“He chose you over Father. Over the court. Over his birthright and his safety and everything he was raised to protect.” Kestra doesn’t look at me as she says it. Keeps her eyes locked on Ash. “He chose you before he even knew what you were. Before you were valuable. Before you were a queen.”
Ash blinks again and again, the muscle in her jaw ticking.
“Don’t make him regret it.” Kestra’s voice softens. “And don’t let him freeze over. He does that when he’s scared. Gets cold. Pulls away. Pretends he doesn’t need anyone.”
“I know,” Ash whispers.
“Then don’t let him.” Kestra reaches out and squeezes Ash’s hand. “Keep choosing him back. Even when he makes it hard. Especially then.”
“My mother,” Ash says quietly. The words cost her something. “You promised.”
Kestra doesn’t flinch. “When I take the court, she’s the first one I free.” She holds up her wrist where the bruise-colored binding still pulses. “This doesn’t fade with distance, Ash. It doesn’t fade at all. I will keep my word.”
Ash’s composure cracks. Then she rebuilds it.
“I know you will.”
I should be offended that my sister is giving my mate instructions on how to handle me. I’m grateful someone finally said it out loud.
“Follow the path, it will lead right to the tavern. If you rest, do so only on the path.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Orion shudders.
But I’m too busy watching Kestra walk away. Jadeve’s hand finds the small of her back, guiding her toward the village.
And then it’s just us. The four who are leaving.
Finnian still hasn’t spoken beyond those first sharp words. He’s staring at nothing, calculating horrors I can only guess at. The Crown pulsing warnings he’s filing away for later.
And Ash is looking at me.
“You’re bleeding.” She says it softly. Steps closer.
“It’ll heal.”
“That’s not what I said.”
She’s close now. Close enough to see the redness around her eyes. The evidence of tears she shed while I was sleeping. The dream that haunted her into waking.
“What did you dream?” The question falls out before I can stop it.
She flinches. Barely perceptible, but I see it.
