She gripped the collar of his shirt and shook her head. She knew the feelings she had for him ran deeper than love. It was more than that—her soul sang when his was near.
“I’m thelastheir that would be chosen for the crown.” She leaned away from him. “If this were Carwyn, perhaps it would be hard to convince our mother and the council to allow her to be with a fae of her choosing, but we all know I’m not Carwyn. I’m not even Ren or Lyria.”
He sighed and took her hand in his. “You really believe we could convince the council and the queen to let us be together?” he asked quietly, his eyes fixed on where his fingers were laced with hers.
“I do,” she swore. “When this is over.”
He looked up, bringing his gaze to hers. “When this is over,” he said with a sad smile.
Deep down, she knew this was the least of their concerns. Even if the council approved, Daimon’s fate would still hang over their heads until the day the dark gods decided to claim him.
But in this cave, with the blue light fluttering, she couldn’t feel the weight of the outside world anymore. No Nyx, no Vidaris, no Moros or rebels. It was just them, together, beneath the false stars.
Fifty
Daimon
The moment Daimonstepped back into his cabin, a smile still on his face, he found Keir waiting for him.
“Word came from Beta Fleet Ten,” he said. “Rebels were spotted returning through the cavern where we saw them last. We’ve decided to launch an offensive and clear them out of the mountain range. We leave at dawn.”
Daimon had always known their brief bubble wouldn’t last. There was still a war to fight. And with Evelina’s light power, they could finally push the enemy out past the border.
The rest of the night was a blur, hardly giving him time to see Evelina as the army prepared for the attack and she trained with Gloriana and Brielle to shield.
He had so much more to lose now. Evelina had shown her skill on patrols before, but the rebels they encountered were still battles they won fairly easily.
This time would be different; it would be war in a way Evelina had never seen.
“Today we fly into battle.” Daimon stared into the faces of his Alpha Fleet, along with hundreds of ground soldiers. Keir stood beside him, his presence calming Daimon’s nerves. “The Alpha Fleet will fly ahead, leaving the betas to remain stationed around the empire. Soldiers stationed with the naval fleet on the coast are being diverted to us, so the betas will be covering the gaps of coverage in that area and beyond.”
Keir nodded and cleared his throat. “We’ll track the cave we saw them at and delve deeper into the mountains from there. If we spot their army from the skies, we’ll send two riders back to prepare the ground troops for what’s to come.”
Daimon saw Evelina hug Gloriana out of the corner of his eye. He fought to keep his gaze fixed forward, but it drifted back toward her as Keir spoke.
“Be ready for anything. May Eurydice’s light guide us all back home.”
The soldiers prepared to leave.
This was it. Their chance to secure a stronger foothold on the border.
Daimon pulled Evelina closer as Zephyr flew above the clouds. The fleet was spread out, giving them time to be alone. He dragged his mouth along the curve of her neck, cold chills pebbling her skin with each kiss he pressed against her. He would savor every moment with her he possibly could.
They couldn’t see the mountains beneath them, but Daimon could feel them. The pull in his chest was tugging him toward them, as it had every time they’d swept along the mountains.
He spread his hand out on her waist, holding her tight and breathing her in. The scent of lilies that clung to her chased awaythe feeling in his chest. He could breathe a little easier, think a little clearer.
Zephyr slowed, and a pang of worry shot down their bond. He patted her neck, her scales prickly and tense.
“What’s out there?” he whispered to her.
They had flown so high above the clouds that the forest below was entirely obscured. It made for good coverage from any unwanted eyes on the ground, but also left them unable to see what was happening.
“Daimon, something’s wrong,” Brielle shouted from his right, breaking through the clouds along with the rest of the fleet.
He twisted around, bringing one arm tighter around Evelina’s waist. The wyverns wereallrestless. They were shaking their heads and nipping at one another, their wings beating rapidly as they tried to slow down and hover in the same spot. Zephyr snapped her jaws, gaining the beasts’ attention.
“We need to get below the clouds,” he commanded. He turned to Keir on his left and added, “Brielle, fan out but keep formation. Keir, I want you further back and low. Willow and Aster, keep close and stay side by side. Ranick and Elias, flank us on the sides.”
