“I told you it wasn’t goodbye.”
Every nerve and muscle in my body went rigid. I didn’t want to turn around in fear that I was hallucinating. He was here. Riley had made it.
Dropping the plans I’d been reviewing, I whirled around, my brother standing behind me. Relief took my ability to stand—my knees giving out. Riley chuckled, pulling me in for a hug.
“Never goodbye,” I whispered, a choked sob.
Putting some distance between us, I turned him in a circle, examining him for any injuries. He spread his arms out and played into the charade with as much of a smile as I’d ever get at a time like this. He was good, in one piece. That’s all I’d hoped for at the end of the day. If my family was good, then so was I.
“Cut the tears. We can have our moment later,” he teased, pulling me toward the flap of the war tent entrance. “The others are waiting around the fire. Reina said you refused to eat.”
Others. That was reassuring, and my chest loosened as far as I was willing to unwind. We’d all made it—every single one of us—to the last stand. Tomorrow, we’d be portaled into the city, and the chances we’d all make it out of that alive were slim tonone. Impossible. But still, we had tonight. So tonight, I would be happy to see them all, to share a meal one last time.
“Food is sparse, and I sent all support systems away. Ronan has no respect,” I spat, not at him, but at the mention of a monster. “They weren’t safe here. With the orders of resting our magic for the morning, no extra food to spare. They need it more than I do.”
“Too late,” Riley said, offering me what I assumed was the final remains of his trail mix. It was a miracle he still had any at all.
Miracle or planned effort? Likely the latter. He knew me. Knew it was a treat I found hard to resist. He’d saved it for this last night.
I smiled at him, resting my head on his arm, nibbling on the trial mix as we walked through worn and torn tents. Weaving through soldiers sleeping on their packs out in the open, laying as close to the fires as possible.
There was no point in freezing for the night. We wanted Ronan to know we were here. He was essentially surrounded, blocked on two sides. His troops couldn’t move without us getting the heads up first.
We rounded the bend. The glow of a dozen campfires came into view and warmth crept throughout my body—not from the fire, but from seeing the rare glimpse of joy on the faces of the people I cared for. Reina was locked in a hug with Hunter and Serenity, relief etched into every line of her face. That spark in her eyes was back now, and I found myself envying her. She still had the ability to feel.
These days, everything just…wasfor me. Another day to keep living, breathing, pushing. Monotonous. A chore, except when I was with him. In the last few weeks, I’d put distance there too. Not intentional—not exactly.
Alexiares stood nearby, arms crossed, mid-conversation with Tomás and Tomoe. I caught the way she leaned toward Tomás, her face softer than I’d seen it in months. They may have included Alexiares into the conversation out of politeness, but it was clear the only words being listened to were from each other. Tomás looked at her the way people watched the sunrise after a long, dark, and stormy night. Longing for the light.
I caught the shift in energy off to the side. Hunter wasn’t part of their circle, yet his attention was on them. His jaw tightened, hands fidgeting. Something ugly flickered across his face before he forced himself to turn away.
The moment shattered as Abel barreled into me, throwing his arm around my shoulders and squeezing tight. “Did you miss me?” His juvenile grin was impossible to resist.
It worked, if only for a heartbeat. I let myself succumb to the moment, let it dull the edges of everything else. But the reprieve was fleeting. A gasp of air before the weight returned, heavier than before.
That spark of warmth in the campfire’s glow dimmed, swallowed by the tension I hadn’t noticed until now. We were down a person.
“Where’s Jessa?” I asked, eyes landing on Reina.
Reina, Riley, and Tomoe exchanged a glance that let me know I’d been a topic of discussion long before Riley had announced his arrival.
Riley cleared his throat. “Gone,” he answered cautiously.
I reined in my emotions, listening to his words and watching as everyone but Alexiares and Tomoe glanced away from my glare. “Gone,” I said slowly. “Not dead?”
“Correct,” Riley confirmed.
The tension in Reina’s tight-lipped expression betrayed her, despite her best effort to hold steady. Her gaze darted, almostimperceptibly, and that split second was all I needed.That traitorous fucking bitch.
“I’m going to kill her.”
“Well, don’t say it out loud,” Tomoe deadpanned. Alexiares glared in response and she mumbled an apology.
I dug my nails into my palms. I was one more betrayal away from letting the entire world burn. Reina flinched at the venom in my tone but didn’t cower, only nodded slightly in resignation. As though she’d come to that understanding days before.
Ah. Fuck.I pounded my palms to the side of my head—thoughts racing. Everything fucked up, all in the blink of an eye. Plans without plans, steps within steps. I couldn’t let my mind go too far—not here, not now. Ronan would be waiting for me to overthink, to walk straight into his trap. He had me figured out, and I hated it.
Commotion broke through what was inevitably a situation meant to test my self-control, pulling every gaze toward the outskirts of camp. Two scouts dragged in a battered soldier, his face swollen, blood dripping from the matching cuts above each brow.
