“Yes,” she said helplessly. “I understand if you don’t fight. He’s your king, and it's his order. He’ll punish anyone that disobeys him."
He cleared his throat. “We’re fighting. The King will get over it or get new warriors.”
Grabbing Amara’s hand, I pulled her to the side. “I’m not leaving you. If you need me, I’ll be close. Do not go with Evian, Amara. It doesn’t matter how bad things are,” I said in a helpless whisper. “Do not leave me.”
Amara’s eyes built with tears, and she lifted onto her tiptoes. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I kissed her.
Tears leaked down her cheeks and into our kiss.
Pulling back, I rested my forehead against hers. “That felt like a goodbye kiss, Little Mouse. There is no goodbye with us. Got it?”
Her spine stiffened suddenly. She whipped around and faced what looked like an empty field beside the cabins.
“Put your hands over your ears,” she whispered.
I glanced at Gideon, who obeyed and spread the word to the other warriors.
The insects were silent, and nature paused. The soft lure of a lullaby trickled down from the trees. Amara stepped forward, watching as sirens dropped from the treetops several yards away and landed in the field with us.
The song brushed against my skin. So, I pressed harder, blocking out their attempts. Seconds turned to minutes when a few dragons began to walk toward them.
I didn’t dare drop my hands and grab them.
Amara lifted them and tossed them on the other side of the field.
If that didn’t wake them up nothing would.
Someone jumped from deep in the forest and landed in front of Amara.
Evian smiled. “Hello, Little Mouse. Are you ready to come home?”
Chapter Forty-Three
Amara
Seeing Evian up close forced my hair to stand on end. The ease of his demeanor. The way his gaze moved smoothly over the crowd with not one ounce of fear. There was a fresh slash on his face from Dorran tossing my knife at him.
I didn’t miss the way he glanced at Dorran and the disdain he tried to hide.
“Love the face, Amara. It adds character,” he said. “We all know you could use some.”
“You should leave now,” I said. “We’re prepared to fight to the death.”
Evian rolled his eyes dramatically. “Let’s be real, Amara. We all know that this is going to end in a dead wolf pack and a dragonless kingdom. Do you want them to die for you when you could just surrender and end this madness?”
I knew he’d attempt to make me feel guilty, which wasn’t something I needed help with. My heart was heavy with regret already.
“I care that people are going to die today because of me, but I’m not going down without a fight.”
Evian blinked lazily, and his gaze moved slowly over the army behind me. “If they decide to fight, their blood is on them. We will wipe this kingdom out in minutes. This is your last chance to surrender the girl and save your people."
Dorran palmed my shoulder and pushed me to the side. He took my spot in front of Evian. Evian stiffened, but his smile never faltered. Inclining his head, he looked Dorran up and down. “Well, isn’t it the knifeman himself?” Evian pointed toward his face. “Looks like you snagged me. I can’t say I’m not impressed because I am. I’m also impressed that you’ve been able to keep her happy with that lame sex life I witnessed—,
I reached forward and gripped Dorran’s forearm.
I sensed his dragon growing irritated.
Dorran swallowed. “Well, it’s too damn bad that you won’t be able to one-up me since you'll be dead soon."