Page 41 of War Of Fire and Fortune
Icleaned and sharpened my twin swords and placed them in their sheaths, the final act of my preparation before tomorrow’s march. The weight of them was a familiar comfort, almost as soothing as the last few nights I'd spent curled around Emelyn in her tent. A small smile curved my lips. We were finally making progress, and I hated that now that we were, we would be marching to battle tomorrow morning.
Without warning, a raven burst through the open flap of my tent, its feathers shimmering with a silvery enchantment. Instinctively, my hand shot out, grasping the parchment tied to its leg. I didn’t bother with unwrapping it. I bent fire to my palm, letting my flames eat up the letter as it crumbled to ash upon my touch, the remnants slipping through my fingers. I knew it hadto hold the same words Rhet had read and delivered to Atreya already. I was sure the distance to me had delayed the bird’s arrival.
It mattered little now. Our plans had already been set. Time was a luxury we couldn't afford, and even if I wanted to send word back, which I didn’t, it wouldn’t get there before the battle. Plus, Rhet had already sent a response. He could shoulder the weight of our choices now—I’d shed mine when I’d stepped down from my role.
A quick inspection of the bird let me know the enchantment had been broken, the silvery shimmer gone, and it deserved freedom. I flicked my wrist, ushering it toward the sky, where it disappeared into the trees.
Across the camp, Emelyn's laughter mingled with Ace's deeper chuckles, a sight that sent pangs through my chest of both joy and agony. She turned, her gaze catching mine, and the world narrowed to the space between us. Fuck, she was everything to me. I couldn’t get that kiss out of my head. I wanted to lay her down and show her all the ways I could worship her, but I wasn’t going to fuck up all the progress we had made by rushing her.
I knew Ace had teased her about something because Emelyn’s hand playfully shoved against his chest, his frame shaking with his laughter. The past few weeks had been difficult, but it had been worth it. First, she’d allowed my shadows in, and now she had started letting me sleep in her tent through the night. I wanted more, I wanted all of her desperately, but I had waited most of my life for her. I could wait a little longer.
With the bag clutched firmly in my grasp, I strode from the tent toward her. Emelyn was the reason my heart beat, the echo of my soul, and I would follow her into the dark, unending night.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Emelyn
The firelight flickered against our silhouettes as I faced Shay. Her hand rested protectively over the swell of her large belly. She met met my eyes with stubborn resolve that only deepened my concern.
“Shay, you need to consider staying behind,” I urged. “You’re further along now. It’s not safe.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line and she shook her head. “No, Emelyn, I'm seeing this through till the end. I’ve told you that.” The strength in her tone told me there was no use arguing with her. She wouldn’t listen to me. I glanced to Baron.
“Are you not going to stop her?” I called out as he walked past, his tall frame briefly blocking the light of the fire.
Baron paused, turning back to glance at Shay, then at me. A heavy sigh escaped him, his shoulders sagging slightly beneath the weight of his leathers. "You think I can stop her?" He gave a rueful chuckle, though there was no mirth in his eyes. "Everything you’ve told her, I’ve already said tenfold. She’s unstoppable. Now I’m just trying to come to terms with it."
Ace sauntered up to us then. “Looks like we’re all going,” he signed with a small smile, and I groaned in frustration, my heart sinking. Shay being ready to pop any day and Ace still recovering from his recent injuries didn’t need to be fighting right now.
“Damn the mother, Ace.” My words trailed off, lost beneath the cacophony of clanging armor and muffled preparations. Two of the people I cherished were adamant about marching into battle, and I felt powerless to stop them. “You guys will be the death of me,” I muttered. Shay’s laughter fluttered past me as she trailed after Baron.
I turned to face Ace, and his arms were raised in a half shrug, offering mock surrender.Ugh.
“Listen,” he signed. "We’re all adults here. We can make decisions. Don’t worry." Before I could muster a retort, his arms wrapped around me in a hug.
The warmth of his body against mine did little to chase away the dread I was feeling. "If you die," I whispered fiercely against the leather of his cuirass, “I will bring you back to life and kill you myself.” He chuckled and pulled away from our embrace, his eyes twinkling.
"I think you need to bring your mate back to life first. Poor guy looks like he’s going through hell watching you from a distance." Ace chuckled again, but I shoved at his chest just as said mate started striding over behind us. I couldn’t deny what Ace had said was true.
His once-pristine prince garb had been traded out for battle leathers. Stubble had formed along his jawline that I could seeeven through his shadows. His fingers had raked through his hair one too many times, leaving it wild and untamed.
As he stood before me, his hands clenched at his sides. Our bond hummed against the walls I’d placed in my mind. I watched, almost entranced, as he restrained the instinctive need to touch, to reassure me. It was something I’d noticed since I'd let him in my tent. Even after everything, he didn’t initiate contact between us. He waited for me to do it. I didn’t think there was a living soul as patient as he was.
"Would you like to grab some dinner with me?" His question took me by surprise. The mighty Kade, Prince of Ember, now as tentative as a boy. "I was going to go for a hunt, catch something fresh."
His offer hung there. It was a sliver of normalcy, a momentary reprieve from the darkness that we were going to be marching too. I could see it in his eyes, the silent plea to just be with him.
I nodded, a smile curving my lips, and extended my hand toward his. His eyes flickered with warmth, something akin to hope as I weaved my fingers through his. It was another step in the right direction, and I was excited—hopeful even—that soon maybe all of this would be behind us. Maybe I could finally let go and just forgive.
We had been marching for two days, the thick underbrush of the forest protesting against every step. My legs burned with fatigue, and the weight of my weapons seemed to grow heavier with each mile we covered. We were a day's trek from the spot where we planned to ambush the Ember soldiers before they reached Woodhaven.
Kade had taken position at the rear, not far behind where I trudged along. His presence cast a long shadow that stretched out to me, and I could feel the intensity of his gaze, even without turning around. But I did turn occasionally, and each time I caught his eyes locked onto mine, practically burning me with the amount of tension thrumming between us. After dinner last night, I’d let down my walls inside my mind, and although I had better control over it now, I could still feel him. His sorrow, his longing,his love.Every night since I’d let him in my tent and kissed him, the bond had only grown more insistent. It clawed at my chest consistently to be with him, but I’d still only allowed sleeping on the same bed and minor touches throughout the day. The bond was like a beast, though, that continued to grow hungrier and hungrier for us to solidify it. Sure, we’d had sex, but I hadn’t known he was my mate, and he had been suppressing it. Now, it only yearned for us to be together.
Beside me, Ace's blades he kept strapped to his chest would occasionally rub together as he walked, the sound mingling with the rustle of leaves and the soft murmurs of the others. Cyran walked on my other side, his usual stoic demeanor cracked by the waves of restlessness that rolled off him. I watched his fingers twitch and brush over the bracelet on his wrist. He had been on edge the entire trip.
Silence had settled over us. With each step, Kade's gaze continued to sear into my back, a heat that seemed to pierce through my flesh and bones.Gods, that man.
I couldn’t handle the knotting tension in the air anymore, so I finally spoke up. “Are you alright?” I asked Cyran.
