Page 31 of A Sun Scorched Bloom

And this was definitely one of those times. Erik had no doubt that if Gray could wield fire, they would all have burned up in a horrific inferno. Instead, his furious shadows pulsed and searched for something to devour, deadly silent but magnificently lethal. Even the forest didn’t want to risk his rage. The cacophony of bugs went silent as they sensed Gray’s presence, and while some might find the complete absence of sound eerie, Erik was grateful for the quiet.

"You have to seal the bond," Erik said finally, his voice echoing through the trees. Gray continued on quietly, seeming to consider his words.Maybe he’ll finally listen, Erik thought, holding his breath. Gray needed to realize that his irrational behavior only put Lea more at risk. Hope surged in his stomach as the silence stretched on.

Finally, Gray’s steps faltered. Erik’s hope crumbled into bits of aggravated disappointment as his friend's face hardened before his eyes. Gray had been stubborn since they were children, but ever since he’d spoken to Lea that day in the alley, touched her, it was as if something inside him had awakened. Something feral—animalistic and primal in a way that was unsettling. This wasn't the first time they’d discussed sealing the bond.Argued, actually. And Erik knew that it likely wouldn’t be the last. It was clear that Gray was beyond his rational ability to think through the decisions he was making with the need to complete the mate bond coursing through his veins, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying to make his friend see reason.

Fingers flexing into tight fists, Gray resumed storming toward the horses, averting his gaze. "I told you, Erik, three times now actually, that I will not risk her life to make my own easier. I have a duty to our people to protect them until my dying breath, and I don’t plan on breaking that vow."

"Sealing the bond won’t change a thing—"

Gray held up a hand, interrupting him. "There is a very high chance that I will not survive this war, and if sacrificing my life is what it takes to destroy my family’s horrifying legacy and bring peace back to the kingdom, then that is what I will do. I will wait for Azalea beyond the veil for as long as it takes. I will suffer through every moment happily if it means she gets to live. But I will not bring her with me." Gray’s words were determined, almost frightening in his intensity.

Erik studied his friend, his king. Fae didn’t age like humans and would still appear in their prime for hundreds of years, if not more. Even so, Gray seemed to have grown older over the last several months. More tired. Weary. It wasn’t easy to carry the weight of the kingdom on your shoulders, and yet that was the decision they had both willingly made along with Vincent so many years ago. It wasn’t as if he could fault Gray for his stubbornness. Erik would also fight to his death to ensure the king and Prince Alaric’s downfall. He and Gray had sworn that oath long ago, spilling their blood and swearing before the gods that they wouldn’t stop until the wicked fell. They were bound to their word through blood, magic, and integrity. Even if they hadn’t pledged their lives to the cause, Erik knew that they would both make the same decision yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Erik searched for the moon behind the blanket of thick, gray clouds. Maybe he could pray to the goddess of the moon, ask her to show Gray reason.Shit!Erik hissed as he stumbled on a root. A growl of frustration rumbled from his chest. "Call off your clouds Gray, I can’t see a damn thing."

"Your eyesight is fine." Gray didn’t wait for Erik to catch up. "You’re just angry that I want to protect my wife. That I won’t give in to your demands."

"I’m not angry that you’re ignoring what I’maskingof you," he said pointedly. "But I am angry that you’re making such a foolish decision when we’re about to walk into so much danger. We won’t be able to focus if your mating instincts are overtaking your rational mind. You’re already not thinking straight, trying to get Lea to return to Bearswillow rather than follow what was obviously a sign from the goddess herself."

"And how do you know it was a sign from the goddess and not a simple meteor shower?" Gray said indignantly, waving his hand and calling more clouds to block out the stars shooting overhead.

"I know it because it’s the truth, and so do you." Erik forced his hands to relax, his fingers begging to wrap themselves around Gray’s arms and shake some sense into him. "The color of those stars, it’s the same color Lea glows when using her magic. It's the same color we saw when she pledged herself to the rebellion back at the castle. The timing of it can’t be explained away, Gray. This is the path she is meant to take. That shewantsto take. If our hunch that she’s a descendent of Queen Emmaline is correct, then it is our job to help her fulfill her destiny."

"It is our job to keep heraliveandsafe," Gray retorted, his shadows reaching toward Erik of their own volition as he tried to pull them back into himself. Erik took a small step away from Gray, an imperceptible movement, but it didn’t escape his friend’s attention. Gray took a deep breath, and Erik relaxed as slivers of moonlight began to peek out from the clouds. He knew Gray would never hurt him purposefully, but his magic was a wild thing. Organic, like the dirt under their feet or the water that rushed down from the snow-capped mountains in Bearswillow.

Gray’s magic was unruly enough without the mate bond waiting to be forged, but now that Lea had accepted him and confessed her feelings for him, his magic would become even more untamed. If the legends were true, and Erik was finding out firsthand that they were, Gray would be dangerous, irrational, and it wouldn’t matter that he'd known Gray for hundreds of years. His singular focus would be to protect his mate from anything he perceived as a threat. Even if that included his oldest and most loyal friend.

"We cannot keep her safe as long as the king and Prince Alaric rule this kingdom, Gray. Even with the spell protecting you right now, she's not safe. Her friends aren't safe. She will never forgive you if something happens to them, not if they’re hurt because you stopped her from seeking the answers that she needs."

"Don’t you think I know that?" Gray retorted, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides as they continued walking. "Don’t you think I know she’d die foranyof her friends? That stubborn woman has proved that again and again. You don't think that I ampainfullyaware she would hate me if I stopped her from sacrificing herself for Janelle and Emma? Foryou?"

Erik’s chest warmed at the thought. To finally be in the inner circle of his queen, when he had helped watch her with Gray for so long… It was like a family member returning from a long voyage. "And you’re not painfully aware that when Lea finds out that you’re withholding this choice from her, she might hate you for it, too?"

"I accept the consequences of my decisions." Gray snapped. "I refuse to allow her to die. Just as I will not allow the rest of you to make careless choices. I am the head of this rebellion, and it is my responsibility and my burden to get us all through this war safely. To get every single member of the resistance home to their families. That includes Lea."

"There will be bloodshed, Gray," Erik said sadly, softly. It was inevitable. After all, they had already lost some good men and women in the first battle of the resistance coming out of hiding. They both knew that they would lose many more, even with their best efforts to minimize death.

"And the very idea of that haunts my dreams," Gray rasped, running a hand through his long, dark hair. "But it willnotbe Lea’s blood that is shed. I won’t seal the bond until we’re safe, and if you cannot accept that, then you will be replaced as my second."

Gray would do it, Erik was sure of it. He would do anything to keep his mate unharmed. "We can revisit this when we are safely in Calir, but for now, you need to agree to listen to me if I tell you that you’re being irrational. I would die to keep her safe, too. I’ve sworn it to you, but I will do so again if it means you willhearme." Erik reached out and grabbed Gray’s arm, stopping him from escaping the conversation and forcing him to meet his eyes. "I swear to you, on the gods and the blood that runs through my veins, I will sacrifice my body, my life, to protect Azalea. If I tell you that you are being blinded by your need to protect her, by the fact that you haven’t sealed the bond, youwilllisten to me, Gray. I have never once steered you wrong."

Gray studied Erik for several long moments, his expression hidden on his stony face, the façade that he had perfected over the years of acting the part of the Night Prince naturally falling across his features.

"Would you seal the bond, Erik?" He questioned earnestly. "Would you put Janelle‘s life at risk by attaching her life to yours? Could you allow that connection, knowing that if you died in this war, she would die alongside you?"

"Janelle and I don’t have a mate bond, so your question is irrelevant," Erik responded sharply, grinding his teeth together. The words left a sour taste in his mouth. Janelle was beyond frustrating, never listened to anyone’s instructions and blindly acted based on a confusing mixture of impulse and loyalty, but the idea of her dying… Heat flared in his chest. It’s not that her loyalty was a bad quality, but Erik feared that it would be the death of her.

"But if she were," Gray pressed. "If she were your mate, would you sentence her to death? Because that is what I will be doing if I seal our bond. I would sentence Lea to death, and I’m afraid that a world without her is not one worth saving at all."

Gray resumed walking without waiting for a reply, and Erik followed slightly behind, considering his words. He understood his logic, his reason, but he was failing to recognize the fact that an unfulfilled mate bond might be a death sentence for her as well. For all of them.

"She’ll need to be trained, Gray. Her magic is powerful. It’s obvious she is capable of more than either of us knows, but that much power without control? It’s dangerous. She needs to be instructed in combat as well, in fighting and weaponry."

"I’ll take care of her training, Erik," Gray snapped, stepping closer as his shadows surged along the ground toward Erik’s feet.

"I think that’s unwise," Erik replied cautiously, knowing his words had the potential to cause Gray to tip over the edge. "It would be better if I trained her. You’re too distracted. If you won’t seal the bond, then allow me to do this."

Ignoring him, Gray continued walking until they reached the grove where their supplies had been hidden, a nondescript area that looked exactly like every other pocket of trees they’d passed. With determined strides, Gray walked straight to the horses, his jaw ticking as he wrapped a rope from wrist to elbow, securing it in a knot. Erik knew Gray well enough to see that he was thinking, considering his words as he prepared the three horses.

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