Page 41 of The Dragon Queen

She turned to face me fully. “Wait an hour before you ride Khazmuda to the castle. Calista and I will try to free the dragons from captivity before the war begins. That will give General Ezra time to lead the soldiers to the port, where they’ll overtake the harbor and enter the city.”

I nodded in agreement. “I understand.” I didn’t want Calista to sneak into the underground fortress and put herself at risk, butI knew I needed to accept her decision. A part of me wished I’d tied her up on the Hideaway and left her there, but I would never get away with it, not with Queen Eldinar and General Ezra in my presence.

“I hope we see each other again, Death King.”

I forced myself to turn and regard her directly, to look into the snow-white face and ice-blue eyes. They were filled with a hint of affection, none of which I deserved. “As do I, Queen Eldinar. It’s an honor to fight alongside you.”

A small smile moved over her lips. “The honor is mine.” She gave a slight bow to me before she turned away.

I watched her go, her blond hair a direct contrast to the dark armor she wore.

Something must have crossed her mind because she turned back to me. “And Talon…”

I held her gaze.

“Make him suffer.” She turned away again and joined her husband. Instead of walking behind her, he stayed at her side, his black cape shifting behind his muscular back.

My eyes shifted to Ethan next.

He came forward, wearing his cutlass and leather trousers, looking more like a pirate than a soldier. He crossed his arms over his chest, and he inhaled a slow and deep breath, his eyes dropping for a moment. He’d never been the serious type, and he wouldn’t start now. “We still have a deal?” His eyes flicked back up to mine. “Once the battle is over, we get all the treasure?”

I nodded. “It’s all yours, Ethan.” Regardless of the decision I made, I had no use for the gold and rubies stored at the castle. The greatest treasure I’d ever found had been buried in my heart.

“And if General Tightass dies, you think I got a shot with the queen?”

Even in the bleakest moment, I felt a hint of a smile pull at the corners of my mouth. “You ever think about anything else?”

“Of course I do,” he said. “Rum and treasure.”

“So, no.”

He smirked slightly but it was the kind of smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m not sure if we’ll see each other again. So just be sure you make the right decision…when the time comes.”

I held his stare as the pain tightened around my heart.

He clapped me on the shoulder. “You’re a damn good pirate—but a much better king.”

It was one of the nicest things he’d ever said to me. “Thank you, Ethan.”

“Burn that son of a bitch. And enjoy every scream.” He clapped me on the shoulder again before he stepped away.

Only one person remained—the woman I loved.

With pained eyes and a pale face, she slowly approached me, wearing the armor I’d had made just for her. She didn’t wear a cape like Queen Eldinar or I because she lacked the experience to justify it. But she still looked like a queen as she stood before me, royalty in her veins that would burn forevermore.

I’d had the chance to say goodbye to Vivian, but I wished I hadn’t because it was so fucking painful.

Somehow, this felt worse.

Calista seemed to feel the same way because she only offered silence. We’d been nearly inseparable since the moment we met, which made this parting even more difficult. After our last conversation, we said even less to each other. The tension between us grew, but there was nothing that could break it.

This wasn’t how I wanted our final days and moments to be, but the cloud of depression blocked out the sun. With the weight of the future pressing our heels into the deck, neither one of us could stand up straight.

She continued to stare.

I stared back, feeling numb from my head to my shoulders. I felt like I was about to step back in time, to return to that stone courtyard outside the castle where my family had been burned that horrible night, and somehow I would have the chance to change the past, spare the lives that were brutally taken.

She was the one who found the words first. “Get him, Talon.”

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