“You keep him safe,” she demanded, leaving me no room to debate. “And Lilia too. No matter what else happens out there, she is top priority, she is only a child.”
“I don’t need you telling me how to do my job or keep those under my watch safe.”
Yasmin didn’t flinch—only stared me down as if I could be intimidated. We were even heights, but that was irrelevant given I could face Ronan head-on and not waver.
“Once she gets those wards down, she goes straight to the safest settlement,” she reminded me. “No further. A child does not belong at the center of this war.”
I didn’t bother bringing up that there were in fact hundreds, no, thousands of children at the center of this war—but sure, I’d keep my promise on making sure this one stayed safe.
Riley arched a brow of skepticism at the two of us as he approached, his pack full and bursting at the seams, axeholstered on one leg, Shadowstep blade on the other. “Amaia wants everyone to wrap things up. Time to move out.”
I scoffed a laugh then nodded to Yasmin because arguing with her was pointless. “I’ll be anywhere but here.”
Amaia stood near South Gate, the dawn light spilled over her like molten gold, softening the hard edges of a woman who rarely allowed herself to be seen this way. She was still—unmoving as she stared at The Compound. Her eyes flickered on every small detail as if she might imprint it into her memory. This wasn’t just home for her, it was a battlefield of ghosts. A silent witness to every decision she’d ever made—good or bad.
Leaving here felt final in a way.
Her shoulders sagged betraying words she wouldn’t dare say out loud. Thiscouldbe the last time. I watched as her fingers twitched at her sides, her usual confidence faltering. It left me uneasy. Amaia did not waste time second-guessing. And yet, here she was, rooted in front of the gate leading into Entertainment Square like she was afraid to move forward—or maybe she couldn’t let herself look back.
I wanted to believe she was tired. That this war hadn’t carved pieces out of my sister already. But that would be a lie. One I could no longer spout as I stood here watching her. The way she was staring at Monterey Compound was less about leaving a physical place and having everything to do with the pieces of herself she could never get back.
It was not The Compound she was saying goodbye to. It was the person she’d been when this all began as nothing more than a dream.
“Take care of this place,” Amaia said quietly to Luna, her voice steady but weighed down by something she wouldn’t let show.
Luna didn’t respond right away. Instead, she stepped forward and pulled Amaia into a hug. the kind of embrace thatresembled a goodbye wrapped in gratitude. The gesture was normal for Luna—she was warm when she felt up to it—but Amaia … She didn’t stiffen or step back. She stood there, still and silent, letting herself be held.
It was unsettling.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Alexiares watching, his brow drawn tight in confusion, maybe even concern. Our gazes met for a split second, the question hanging between us:what’s going on inside her mind?
Amaia pulled back, offering Luna the faintest nod before turning to Elie and kissing the top of her golden curls. “I love you and I am proud of you.”
Elie froze like she’d been struck. Her mouth opened, then closed, no words finding their way out. Tears streamed down her light brown cheeks, her hand drifted almost instinctively to the hilt of the blade Amaia had made for her.
Amaia reached out, ruffling Emma’s blonde hair. “Look after each other,” she said softly.
“See ya, wouldn’t wanna be ya,” she quipped, but her voice cracked at the end.
Amaia turned to the shadow that approached from behind. Her gaze sharpened as she sized Caleb up.
“I’d like to stay,” he said, his tone firm but cautious. His fingers ran through his now shaved head, the blond that had previously been dyed a sandy brown back to its natural sun-kissed state.
Amaia’s eyebrow lifted. “Give me one reason, soldier.”
Caleb squared his shoulders. “My brother’s still here. And his fiancée—wife now, I suppose. Nephew too from what I saw. If something happens …” He paused, his jaw tightening. “I want to be here to protect them. There are amends to make, and if it comes to goodbyes, I’d rather say them in person—during our final moments.”
She didn’t answer immediately. Her eyes flicked over him, and for a moment, her usual impenetrable resolve cracked enough to let something else through—consideration, maybe even trust.
“You reportdirectlyto Miller and Luna,” she said, voice flat.
Caleb exhaled, a quiet relief. “Thank you.”
Amaia’s lips quirked in a faint, teasing smile. “That’s how repaying favors works, right?”
It was her way of saying he was okay. That she trusted him now.
The shrill cry of a toddler made me jump. Hunter kneeled in front of Adelaide a few feet away, smoothing her curls as she clung to his leg, her tiny arms refusing to let go. “Hey, honey,” he said softly, the latter portion of his sentence breaking off. “You’re going to stay here with Luna, okay? She’s gonna take good care of you. You mind your manners, best behavior. Pinky?”
