Page 58 of War Of Fire and Fortune
Iwas achy and sore in the best way. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but Kade had fucked me more times than I could count. And no matter how often we were both satiated, the urge to have each other wouldn’t stop. I knew fresh mates would go into frenzies for each other, but Kade and I had known we were mates for a while now. Maybe it was because we had both finally accepted it, and now that we had, the urges wouldn’t stop. The thought of having him again made me rub my thighs together for relief. I glanced around, and I was still within his Hollow. I wondered where he had gone. Maybe it was morning?
I felt the Hollow open, and then he stepped inside with a tray of food for us to eat. He moved over to the bed and kissed me a moment too long. It was only a kiss, but I was already pulsing forhim. Fuck, we needed to get out of such close quarters together. Was it his shadows making me feel this need? We couldn’t stay in here. We needed to help prepare for the journey to the capital and then battle. Kade moved to sit, placing the tray between us. We ate, and I plopped back on the cot when I was finished. He viewed that as an opportunity to crawl over me and kiss my naked skin.
“Kade, we must get out of here,” I said, palming his face and bringing his eyes to mine. He pouted, and I giggled. “You know we have to.” I kissed him softly on the lips. “Now, come on, let’s get dressed.” I pushed him off me and got to my feet. I looked around, but it was hard to see anything other than darkness in here. After a few moments, I looked to Kade, a cocky smirk on his face.
“Did you Hollow my clothes out of here?” I asked, standing a few paces from him, still completely naked. His eyes of fire raked over my skin before he answered me.
“Me? I’d never do such a thing,” he teased. I huffed, and he laughed, a real one, and it made my insides melt all over again—no, Emelyn, we have to get out of here.
He moved from the cot and reached into the darkness and grabbed my clothes. Where they’d appeared from, I didn’t know or care. I dressed quickly, and then his shadows slowly dissipated around me and we were back inside my tent as if we had never left. We walked out hand and hand, and Ace was standing a little ways away and signed to me.
“Well, look who finally decided to join us.” He gave me a grin, and I rolled my eyes.
“We were only gone for a night, give me a break,” I defended, and Ace arched a brow.
“Try three days.”
“What?” I questioned.
“You have been in that tent for three days.”
Kade chuckled darkly at my side, and I slapped his arm, more playful than anything, hiding my own smile tugging on my lips and the flush creeping up my neck. And it only made him chuckle more. Three fucking days? His darkness had made me lose sense of time and I’d been completely lost in him. I changed the subject, needing a distraction.
“What can we do to help? What are you working on now?” I asked, as I saw Ace gathering glass bulbs, and then with a quick outstretch of his wings, he was stringing them through the trees. I turned to Kade. “We should have been out here helping!”
“Everything was handled,mei wynsoara. Remember, Rhet took over my responsibilities. He’s healed up nicely and has been happy being home with Cyran. The rebellion has been preparing, everything is going to plan, and tonight we are going to celebrate with our people. Then, in a few more days, the rest of the outposts will be here and we will head to Woodhaven together,” he explained, and it calmed me to know that everything was still okay. Well, as okay as it could be.
Kade kissed my temple, and I nodded, and then we both got to work helping set up all of the small decorations and tables with food and drink. Then we moved to building some campfires around the surrounding area. Something was missing though, and as I scanned the grounds, I realized there wasn’t anywhere to dance. I bent the earth. The dirt rumbled beneath me, a low growl that vibrated through my boots and up my spine. With a sharp flick of my wrist, trees slid around in the soil beneath them, their mighty trunks groaning in protest as they formed a ring around the newly cleared dance floor. Their new home, for tonight at least.
Once I was satisfied with how everything was looking, I slipped away to prepare myself for the night's revelry. The river's embrace welcomed me, washing away the sweat and soil of the day. Quickly, I bathed and cleaned my hair. Once I was finished,I scrambled ashore, clutching Kade's white tunic close to my chest.
I didn’t have any fine dresses to wear like I had at the last rebellion camp, but that was okay. Throwing one of his tunics on would work well. It hung to mid-thigh, and I could pair it with a nice leather belt to dress it up a little. Cinching the belt tight, I tugged on the collar and could smell Kade’s scent. I felt a sense of belonging. We had fully accepted each other, and now the only uncertainty between us was what waited for us in Woodhaven. It was oddly comforting.
A heavy sigh escaped me as I gave one final glance to the reflection of a warrior in the mirror of the river. Then I strode toward the growing clamor of festivities.
Laughter and music greeted me. Soldiers, skilled with lutes and drums, plucked and beat out a lively tune. People arrived in clusters, eyes gleaming with joy, despite the shadow of war that lingered over all of us.
And then, without thought, I was among them on the dance floor—swaying, spinning, my movements echoing the melody that rose above the crackling fires. I smiled and laughed when Ace grabbed me and started dancing with me too. He twirled me around with a bright smile on his sharp features. We did this not to forget, but to remember what we were fighting for: moments like these were fleeting and precious, where even in the darkest of times, we found light within each other.
Ace grabbed my hand, and after one final spin, I felt another rough hand around my waist pulling me into a hard chest. I smiled up at Kade before he grasped my chin and kissed me, leading me into the next song. After it was finished, I was out of breath and needed a drink, so we walked over to a table to grab some, but then Kade stopped short.
“Everyone,” he called loud enough for everyone to hear, and the crowd turned toward him. I saw Rhet, covered in hisshadows, appear behind him. They stood next to each other, both masked in shadows, and I was confused by what was happening. The rebellion didn’t know about Kade and Rhet being the Princes of Ember. Which meant seeing two shadow men was a surprise. I heard the whispers as Kade continued.
“I’m sure some of you have already started to hear the rumors coming from Ember about the princes disappearing in shadows. I wanted to tell you that it’s true.” He dropped his shadows and was Kade, not Crow, and some of the crowd gasped while others didn’t seem as surprised, and I couldn’t blame them. How many men with shadows could there be after none had been seen for so many years?
“I understand the mistrust some of you may have, but we only did it in order for me to be able to play both sides. It was too big of a risk to tell the entire rebellion, and for that, we’re sorry to anyone who feels deceived. Just know that everything we’ve done has been for this cause, and when we reach Woodhaven, we will fight by all of your sides, not as the Princes of Ember, but as the soldiers you have all known us to be.” He motioned between himself and his brother.
A moment of silence passed, and then slowly cheers erupted around them both. Soldiers came over and slapped Kade and Rhet on the backs and acknowledged them and started talking to them about previous missions they had all been on together. Kade glanced at me in the middle of it all, and I gave him a smile.
“I’m proud of you,”I whispered down the bond.
“No more hiding. No more running. It’s us against the world.”
And in that moment, I chose to believe we would all make it through this.
Chapter Forty-Two
Shay
