Page 11 of A Sun Scorched Bloom

His arms and shadows wrapped around Lea, and warmth flooded his chest as her slight frame crashed against him. She felt like home, soft and comforting, and yet still so fragile. Her relief washed through him as she whispered a prayer of thanks and her hands found his face, wiping the watery blood away with her cold, trembling hands.

"I’m here, Little Flower," he whispered against her cheek before pressing a kiss against her temple. "We’rehere." He allowed himself to hold her a moment longer before pulling away.

The clang of hundreds of swords being drawn and the clatter of soldiers scurrying to their feet caused him to turn, calmly and deliberately, as he forced his shadows to return to his chest. He’d known this time would come. The day he would have to reveal himself as the Eclipsed King and hope that the men and women who hated his family so righteously would believe thathewas the one attempting to end their rule. And not only that, but choose to follow and help him do it.

Gray raised his chin, meeting eyes with his rebels—the ones he’d hand picked without their knowledge to join the fight against his father. He had one chance to convince them. One chance to make them see that he was so very different from the man they’d thought him to be their entire lives. But as he stared at their furious faces and the way they whispered amongst each other, plotting and planning as the strongest among them inched forward, ready to sacrifice themselves to protect the others, Gray’s confidence faltered. After all, hewasthe Night Prince, wasn’t he? And one of the very rulers that they had joined the rebellion to kill.

Chapter 7

Lea

"Loweryourweapons!"Vincentcalled as he walked with determined strides to stand to Gray’s left. "That is an order!"

Erik strode to Gray’s right as he moved Lea beside him, the three of them presenting a united front. Mistrust colored the rebels’ eyes and their fingers twitched on their swords, their focus darting around as if they’d been cornered.

"Lower them,now." Vincent ordered, and had Lea not known better, she would have been certain from his tone that he was the Eclipsed King. "You have followed me, risked everything because you trusted me. I'm asking you to trust me once more." Vincent crossed his arms, pinning every rebel with a stare until their weapon was lowered. Once raised swords were replaced with only accusing stares, Vincent continued.

"You’ve all believed me to be the leader of the rebellion. And I am one of them. But I am not your Eclipsed King."

Gasps filled the clearing, and despite already knowing this information, goosebumps dotted Lea’s arms.

"Over a hundred years ago, I made a pact with Erik and the Fae you know as Evander Nestruir, the Night Prince of Desia. Brennus and Alaric had to die, and we would ensure that would happen. Evander has sacrificed his life to this mission, leading from the shadows, spying on his father and brother to get the information needed for our success."

A nearby soldier, an older man with mud-spattered glasses and receding hair, sneered and turned to whisper in another man’s ear. The sentiment was echoed throughout the clearing, expressions of distrust and disgust remaining firm.

An explosion of pride filled Lea’s chest. Her selfless mate, giving so much of himself for these people who hated him. And she was certain that he would choose this again and again.

Gray took a small step forward, raising his hands. "I know trusting me won’t come easily. I’ve played the part of dutiful son to King Nestruir for years. Vincent and I," he nodded to the tattooed man, "decided long ago that it was too risky for my name to be associated with the rebellion until we were ready to fight. You all know better than the rest that there are no secrets within the castle walls—that the enemy lurks around every corner. We couldn't risk my father or brother knowing that I was acting as anything other than the Commander of the Royal Army." Gray paused, allowing the weight of his words to sink in.

"Rest assured, my fellow warriors, I have been leading from behind the scenes, planning and waiting for years as we grew our numbers. I have traveled Desia, every inch of its land, to find its weaknesses, to scout for those brave enough to fight alongside us. Our hearts are strong. Our numbers are many. And finally, we are ready!" He met Lea’s eyes, nodding at her slightly, and a shiver ran down her spine.

Gray wasleadingthe rebellion. Lea still could hardly believe it, but as she thought back through the last several months, connections formed in her mind. His traveling would put him in the perfect position to find members for the resistance, to become more familiar with every hill and valley, each city and town within Desia. It would allow him to rally an army.

Gray had told her that there was more he’d needed to confess, answers that she hadn’t been ready to listen to through her anger, and things he couldn’t speak of within the enchanted halls of the castle. He had promised her he would show her with his actions that he’d been trying to save the kingdom from the Lonely Death, to save them from the tyrannical rule of his father. Lea choked down the guilt in her throat that she hadn’t believed him.

A man abruptly stepped forward—a young soldier, around her age, with wavy red hair and a cautious look in his eyes. His footsteps were soft, tentative as he walked through the shadows to the front of the clearing.

"I’d like to speak, if I may," the man said to Vincent before his eyes bravely met Gray's, despite the fact that he seemed to be shaking ever so slightly.

"Of course, Gregory," Gray said, motioning him forward. The man’s head snapped up, his eyes widening slightly.

"You know who I am?" he asked in surprise, his eyebrows raising.

"I make it my duty to know every member who has pledged themselves to my cause. I know the name of every man and woman who stands before me today." Gray looked around, nodding as he named different rebels. "Penelope, Wesley, Cole," he paused, "Thomas." He stopped scanning the crowd as he said Thomas’s name, leveling him with a look.

Lea’s heart seized in her chest. Clearly, Thomas hadn’t known that the man he hated was also the man he idolized—the leader of the rebellion he so passionately supported. She still felt anger toward Thomas for how he'd spoken to her, for implying she was the enemy, but she didn’t want to see him hurt.Don’t say anything stupid, she silently begged her friend.

Thomas remained frozen in place, so still it seemed as if he worried the ground might crumble beneath his feet if he were to move a single muscle.

Gray smirked as he turned his attention back to Gregory. "You’re the youngest son of Sarah and Robert—humans. You lost your oldest sister to the Lonely Death three years ago, sat outside her room with your younger sister, Molly, as you waited for death to take her. Then joined the rebellion two weeks later. Did I miss anything of importance?"

Gregory’s jaw dropped, his expression turning wary. "You didn’t, and while I appreciate that you know about us all," he wrung his hands, lowering his chin slightly, "how are we to believe that you aren’t working with your father? That you aren’t a spy among spies, ready to report back to the king to dismantle whatwe’vebeen working so hard to build?" Gregory gained confidence as he spoke, his voice growing louder and his face turning red as he practically accused the prince before him of being a traitor and a liar.

"You’re a brave man, coming forward to publicly question my motives. If I were working for my father, I wouldn’t allow you to speak your concerns. Your throat would be slit before you could make a sound." His words were firm, but not threatening. "You cannot trust my word any more than I can trust that you will not stab your dagger into my back the moment I turn around. I understand your hesitation, but we don’t have time to indulge in these questions tonight."

Gray gestured toward Erik. "We created tonight’s distraction, but it will only last for so long. For now, you’ll just have to trust the man who has been leading you thus far," he nodded at Vincent, who looked around the grove as if challenging them to question him. "You'll have to trust that he wouldn’t follow me if I did not have every intention of decimating my father and brother."

Another man pushed his way to the front of the crowd, a rucksack on his back and a small torch in his hand. He cleared his throat, and Lea recognized Joshua, the servant whose arm Alaric had burned to a crisp when he’d helped her gather water. He lowered his chin to Gray slowly before turning to speak to the crowd.

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