Page 118 of Heat of the Everflame

“If she wanted me dead, she could have killed me in Mortal City. I think she wants me to seek her out.”

“And if you’re wrong, you die. It’s not worth the risk. We’re going to Lumnos, end of discussion.”

I ground my teeth, my temper beginning to boil. “It’s not up to you.”

His eyes narrowed. “I will carry you out of this realm myself, if I must.”

“Luther,” Alixe warned. “She is the Queen.”

His cutting glare shot to her. “You dare tell me that, after you left her behind in Ignios? I brought you along to protect her, not abandon her.”

“She was following my orders,” I cut in.

“Fuckyour orders.”

Taran leapt up and crossed in front of Luther, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. “Cousin, let’s step out and take a walk.”

I let out a wry laugh. “No, if Luther suddenly has so much to say, let’s hear it. It’s about time somebrutal honestycomes out, isn’t it?”

Our eyes locked in a battle of scowls.

Luther lowered his chin. “You want brutal honesty? What happened in Ignios was a disaster. We barely survived.”

I shrugged. “It turned out fine in the end.”

“Fine?Fine?” His voice grew louder, angrier. “Do you not remember how close you came to dying in my arms on that beach? If my magic hadn’t come back—” He stopped himself, closing his eyes as a tremor rocked through him. “I’m the one who takes a blade to the heart for you, Diem. Not the other way around.”

“No one is taking any blades to the heart,” I muttered. “The wound wasn’t as bad as it looked.”

A lie. A shameful, extravagant lie. Had his magic not made a miraculous appearance at the last possible second, we’d both be corpses.

But if Taran and Alixe had stayed behind, so would they. Sending them away had saved their lives—that I was sure of, and that certainty was fuel on the fire of my indignant pride.

“Why do you refuse to accept that our job is to protect you?” he demanded.

“Because your job isn’t to protect me, it’s to serve me. Are you still willing to do that, or have I lost your faith already?”

His jaw tightened. “You know I have faith in you. You, above all else. You areeverything.”

My heart stumbled, but my anger marched on. “Ignios was messy, but it was the right call. It was the only way for all four of us to make it out alive. The realdisasteris that I couldn’t trust you to retreat when I ordered it. Either of you,” I added with a sharp glance at Taran. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking abashed.

Luther was unmoved. “The High General of the Royal Guard is entitled to overrule the Crown if necessary to save their life.”

“Then you can’t be my High General.”

The room went deathly silent.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and...” I looked down, unable to bear his reaction. “I’m making Alixe my High General.”

No one spoke. No one moved. Even the air seemed to still.

When Luther finally broke the silence, his voice was quiet. “Is this about what happened in the bedchamber?”

My cheeks warmed. “No. This is about what happened in Ignios, and in Arboros, and at the Challenging. I need a High General who can accept my choices to put myself at risk. I trust you with my life, Luther, but I can’t trust you with my orders.”

He opened his mouth to argue—then stopped, shook his head, and turned away. “Fine. Good. It was inevitable.”

“I still want you by my side,” I said, my tone softening. “Just... in a different way.”

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