Page 96 of A Reflection of Dusk and Dawn

Fuck!

I cannot keep walking if she’s crying.

I push aside the tent flap and step inside, where she lies on her side, facing away from me, shoulders shaking.

My chest tightens as I cross the tent and climb onto the mattress behind her. Gently, I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her close. At first, she stiffens, then she exhales, and slowly, the rigidity eases from her frame.

“Annora,” I whisper, my voice low and tender. “I’m here, love.”

She shifts to face me, and even in the darkness, I see the shimmer of tears on her cheeks, the tremble in her lower lip.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, her voice cracking.

Before I can speak, before I can tell her she has nothing to be sorry for, her lips find mine. The kiss speaks volumes—every unspoken word, every moment of longing, every fragment of love we share. My hand cups her face, thumb brushing away the wetness on her cheek as she pours her heart into the kiss.

She pulls back, and without a word, tucks herself against my chest.

I’ve fought battles, commanded armies, faced down enemies without flinching, but nothing compares to this. This fierce, unwavering certainty that my place is here, with her, protecting her, loving her, until my last breath and beyond.

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Jasce

The next morning,I step into the tent where we’re keeping Aleksander.

He sits there, tied up, a blindfold over his eyes and a cloth wrapped around his mouth.

As I approach him, memories flood my mind—flashes of us as children, running carefree through the halls of the palace in Sharhavva. Everything was different then, simpler—before jealousy and resentment darkened our bond.

My chest clenches as I pull the blindfold from his face. He blinks, his eyes dazed and unfocused as they meet mine.

Satisfaction curls in my gut, knowing the potent flower we’ve been lacing his wine with is keeping him in this subdued state.

“This is what you asked for, Alek. Being tied up like an animal. Your own family hating you.”

His lips part, but no words come out. I doubt he can even form a coherent sentence right now.

“Jude and Reeve helped me do this to you. Helped me bind you after everything you’ve done. Is that what you wanted? For everyone to despise you?” I ask, but he just stares at me.

I pull up a chair and sit before him. “I’ll keep you like this forever if I have to.”

His eyes flutter, struggling to focus on me.

“I should kill you for what you’ve done to her.” I keep my voice steady and even as I continue. “But I can’t. So instead, you’ll stay here, drugged and helpless, until I find a way to break that bond. Even if it takes summers. Even if it takes decades. I don’t care how long. I will never let you hurt her again.”

His eyelids droop, the herbs taking stronger hold. Good. Let him drift in that hazy darkness. It’s more mercy than he deserves.

I push to my feet. “You chose this path,” I say, though I doubt he can understand me through the drug-induced haze. “Now live with the consequences.”

Determination fuels me as I turn my back on him and stride toward the tent flap. The guards snap to attention as I emerge into the crisp morning air.

There’s a war to win, and I won’t waste any more time dwelling on Aleksander.

As I stepout of the tent, my eyes catch on Annora, kneeling by a campfire with the cook and her helpers. The flames cast a warm glow across her face, but they can’t hide the pallor that’s haunted her since I brought her here.

The cook’s helpers talk among themselves, but Annora stays quiet as she focuses on chopping vegetables.

My chest tightens at the shadows that still linger in her eyes. They shouldn’t be there. Only happiness. Only joy.

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