Page 154 of The King has Fallen

“But—”

“I’m serious, Yilan. I think my stomach would revolt. If you’re worried about it, let’s get a drink from the casks,” I said, nodding towards the back corner of the tent. “Something to fortify our nerves.”

She bit her lip, obviously nervous about the idea of me suffering effects of alcohol. But I wouldn’t drink enough to affect my mind. Just a little to loosen my tension.

Yilan sighed again and urged me to stay there in the chair while she found two mugs and filled them both from one of the casks, then brought them back to me, making a great show of presenting me one of them before holding her own up.

I raised mine and smiled when she offered the toast. “For thegreatGeneral Melek Handras. My mate. Father to Gall. Defeater of the Pig King. And incredible,soulfulman,” she said, her voice trailing off to a whisper at the end.

We clunked the mugs and began to drink, but I was moved so deeply, I reached for her with my free hand before I’d even finished emptying the mug and tossed it aside. She made a little squeak as I pulled her back into my lap. But she was smiling.

And so, as she sipped at her mug, I stroked her hair back over her shoulder and buried my nose in her neck.

And as time dragged on and the adrenaline wore off, and we both started to feel drowsy, she urged me to lay my head on the back of the chair, then she lay against my chest, her temple resting on my shoulder.

I fought sleep, knowing her countrymen might show up at any moment, and I wanted to wallow in every moment until then.

“I’ll take Gall,” she whispered at one point, just as my eyelids began to close.

“Hmmm?”

“I’ll take Gall with me,” she whispered, then kissed my cheek. “No matter what, he’ll be safer with us than he is here.”

“I have to talk to him first.”

She sighed and nodded against my shoulder, her hand stroking up and down my chest.

“I love you, Melek,” she said in a tiny voice. “No matter what happens… I love you.”

“I love you too…”

I knew I should say more. But I wasso tired.And so I just held her to me and finally let my eyes drift closed and stay there. Before I sank fully into the dark, I lifted a plea to God to give us more time. Any more time. Don’t let this be it…

Please…

54. Into the Shadows

SOUNDTRACK:You’ll Never Forget Meby Future Royalty

~ YILAN ~

When Melek gave the long, low sigh of sleep overtaking him, I hugged him tighter.

Even in his sleep, he clung to me. His arms tightening in response.

I didn’t move immediately, just lay there, smelling him, praying, until the powder Turo had passed me and I’d slipped into his drink truly took hold. His big hands slipped down, his arms went loose, and his head fell fully back, his mouth open and slack.

Even then I didn’t move. I needed a moment.

Tears blurred my gaze, but I blinked them away and straightened in his lap, stroking his forehead as the lines of worry eased there, combing back his hair, twining his warrior’s length around my fingers, wishing I could grip it and pull him to me andforce him to see the fucking light.But I had tried. In every way I knew how.

He was more fucking stubborn than a Centaur stallion with the aroma of an in-heat female in his nostrils.

Before I called Turo back to help, I took a few more minutes to look at this from every angle, to make certain there was nothing I’d missed. No opportunity overlooked. But no matter how I parsed it all out, there was nothing.

Unless Melek was ready to declare—and yes, fight—for the crown, the Nephilim would only implode—and once they took the ravine, likely continue to advance, bringing their chaos with them. Even if we, the Shadekin, could stop them at the Shadows of Shade, defeating them would only leave a Continent in disarray, and all eight nations in upheaval.

Nephilim fighting for the crown would bring the fallen angels back—those fuckers could never just leave things alone down here. Even among their offspring, they meddled and manipulated, and incited violence. I couldn’t imagine what would happen in this land if there was no immediate succession.

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