Page 13 of A Petal in the Crown

"We will not let that sacrifice be in vain," Gray found his voice again, a deep rumble brimming with rage and sorrow. "From this moment forward, every breath we take, every beat of our heart will be dedicated to one singular purpose. To defeat Alaric."

A battle cry sounded from a group of rebels to his left, raw and powerful.

"We will take back our kingdom. Take back your magic. We will lay down our lives, if that is what’s required of us, as your queen did, to ensure a world free of terror and evil. We do not rest. We do not falter."

The stomping of feet and clanging of shields made Gray's heart pump faster, pushing his pain deeper into his marrow, but he refused to give in to it. Lea's death would be the kindling to invigorate their people, to cause them to burn with the fervor needed to fight. To win. Lea had known that when she’d made her choice.

"For her sacrifice," Erik knelt before Lea, his voice shaking as he plunged his sword into the bloody earth. "May the gods hold her in the light of day and serenity of night." His voice broke, and Janelle appeared at his side, kneeling next to him. "May the magic of the wind carry her, the kiss of rain cleanse her," dozens of voices chimed in, kneeling one by one as they lowered their heads and delved their weapons into the ground. "And may the promise of eternity soothe her weary soul, until beyond the veil we follow."

Gray dropped to his knees. "Until beyond the veil we follow," he repeated, trailing his fingers along Lea's cold cheek.

Thumbs tucked into hands as soldiers covered their hearts, the clanging of shields and pounding of feet growing louder. Except, there should be no pounding of feet. Not when the entire army knelt before him. Before Lea.

Someone's coming.Gray's shadows exploded outward at the same moment Erik realized they were no longer alone. Leaping up from the ground, he pulled his sword from the soil, shoving Janelle behind him as the rest of the army followed suit.

"Commander!" Time froze, the world and rebel army going utterly still, all except for Gray. Henry appeared, only yards away, followed by hundreds, maybe thousands of men and women, makeshift weapons in their hands and determination etched into their faces.

"We came as fast— No." Henry’s eyes fell to Lea, and he dropped to his knees, his army faltering as he collapsed on the ground. "I saw the soldiers in the streets. I thought—" He bit his fist, trying and failing to hold back his sob.

White-hot anger boiled beneath Gray's skin. Thousands of rebels. Enough to have changed the tide of battle. And Henry's magic. Freezing time. He could have saved Lea. Could have saved them all.

He'd sent word, and they had not come. Not in time.

Henry’s sobs became wails as he scrambled toward his daughter, but Gray threw up a shield, cutting him off.

"You're too late," Gray hissed, his shadows begging to be set free, to wrap around Henry’s neck and squeeze until he begged for death. "She’s gone."

Rays of sun peeked over the horizon, but Gray didn’t move from where he still knelt next to Lea. Not when the rebels had slowly made their way back to the cavern, or when Erik had begged to let him help. He hadn't moved a muscle when Janelle had offered to sit with Lea while he made arrangements to prepare her body for burial, or to wash the blood from his tattered clothing.

Hecouldn’tleave her. Not even for a moment. It was unfathomable for anyone to think he could leave this place, this ground, this town she’d grown up in. Leaving was too final. Too earth shattering.Soulshattering. Somewhere deep inside, Gray held onto hope that if he could just wait alittle longer, Lea would suddenly sit up and take a deep breath, ready to scold him for sacrificing himself. For cutting away the mate mark.

He couldn’t leave without being with her for a few more minutes. Not because he was too full of grief, but because shehadto come back. He wasn’t sure he'd be able to find a way to move forward without her.

Gray was so lost in thought, his hand resting on top of Lea’s forehead and his eyes locked on her cold, still body, that his shadows exploded when someone placed a hand on his shoulder. His darkness wrapped around the arm, ripping it forward to his side and away from Lea.

Genevieve cried out in pain as she tried to pry herself away from the shadows.

Genevieve. His mother.

He released his hold immediately, guilt and shame pulsing in his chest alongside his agony.

"Mother, I’m so sorry."

"I’m fine," she said softly, absentmindedly rubbing her wrist as she looked upon Lea’s body with sad eyes.

"I thought I was alone," Gray said, the only explanation he could give. There wasn’t room in his head for more.

He hadn’t seen his mother sincebefore.

Before the death and destruction. Before his world had been taken away from him. Genevieve had come once the battle ended, after having remained in the cavern during the worst of the fighting in hopes that the injured and wounded could be brought to her and Elise for healing. Her magic was powerful, and Gray had hoped that, if nothing else, she could hold the Lonely Death at bay until they were successful in harvesting the moonflower petals.

"Everything is fine back in the cavern. Your rebels are healed and resting. But… we have to move her, Evander." With slow, tentative steps,Genevieve walked toward him, once again placing her hand on his shoulder.

"I need more time," Gray's voice broke, his warrior exterior crumbling in the presence of his mother as if he were a child again.

"I know, my boy," she said. "There will never be enough time. There’s never enough time to say goodbye the way we are meant to. The way we deserve. But still, we have to move forward."

A sob burst from Gray’s throat, and Genevieve wrapped her arms around him, her small frame dwarfed by his broad shoulders, and yet he allowed her to cradle him like she was never able to as a child. "She’s not coming back," he whispered finally, the words shattering something inside him. His hope. His optimism.

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