Page 63 of Ashes of Honor
“You’ll like this one.”
His fingers toyed with the ring slightly loose on my finger as we made our way back to The Compound. “I doubt that, Princess. But where you go, I follow.”
Amaia
Ipushed Reina past Elie working at the coffee counter for her evening shift. Elie lifted a skeptical brow, and I shook my head in dismissal. Brushing it off as typical Reina, overly excited about anything, everything. Alexiares bit down a smile as he carried both our dinner trays, leading the way to a room that embraced us like home away from home.
The lanterns hanging from the ceiling cast shadows against the wall, painting them across Tomoe’s angular face as she sat staring at Hunter—who only looked back with curiosity, assessing her. I glanced around the table, only to find Abel and Serenity in a similar stare down. Riley was the only one whonoticed our arrival. His dark brown eyes shifted from Reina then over to Alexiares, finally landing on me. There were a thousand questions as he peered at me. He shifted in his seat and pulled out a chair directly next to him. I took it with a rigid posture. Riley wasn’t Reina. He could notfeelhow she could, but he could read me just as well, maybe better.
Dinner had the essential adults present only. Before they’d even arrived, we’d talked about what to do with Caleb. He had dyed his hair a sandy brown from some concoction Reina had made with beet juice and walnut husks. With the addition of thin, metal framed glasses that no doubt hurt the shit out of his eyes, he was hardly recognizable—to the untrained eye, that was. Given the spectacle made of exile, dinner in a room full of high-ranking soldiers and council members, Caleb wouldn’t stand a chance.
Alexiares took the empty chair next to me, and Reina fell into the one closest to her brother. The only sound for an exhaustive few minutes was the clinking of our spoons against the bowls of stew—still 80 percent broth. Low chatters interrupted the grinding noise, but I found impatience to take control. I traced a finger over the outline of the ring inside my pocket:myring. That ring that I had accepted …
I cleared my throat and let the spoon clatter to the table with a sharp clang. My voice cut through the silence. “Are you going to speak, or is this an excuse for a twisted family dinner?”
The blunt heel of Reina’s boot dug into my shin beneath the table. Her lips pulled into a tight, warning smile that screamedbehave.
“Can’t a man enjoy the ambiance?” Hunter slurped his broth with exaggerated relish.
“Don’t waste my time, Hunter,” I snarled, my patience razor-thin. There were a million better ways to spend my evening, and while I didn’t dislike him, he wasn’t my first choice for company.“We’re big on family dinners around here, so if you’re going to sit at my table and disrupt it, you’d better make it worth our time. And before you even think about saying your family—let me be clear. You’re Reina’s family, not ours. You’re an ally. An ally who, so far, has done nothing but leech off my resources and hang around his sister. I don’t tolerate people reaping the benefits of my hard work without pulling their weight. I let it slide during the last war. I won’t let it slide again. Now tell me, do you have a plan—or not?”
Hunter leaned forward, a lazy smirk playing at the corners of his lips. “All you had to do was ask. I’m an open book.”
“Sure you are,” Alexiares said, studying Hunter with dark, scrutinizing eyes.
Reina placed a gentle hand on Hunter’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Go on, Hunter, tell ‘em.”
“There’s two parts to it,” Hunter began, glancing around the table and then the room.
It was prime dinner hours, and the room buzzed with chatter, packed to capacity. Though everyone here held the highest security clearance—save for Hal and a select few connected to trusted families—these weren’t the kind of details we wanted out in the world yet. Hunter’s eyes mirrored Reina’s softness.
“Spit it out for fuck’s sake,” Moe’s voice was even, monotone.
Serenity scoffed and gave her a slow once-over. “Scorned ex?”
Tomoe’s eyes didn’t leave Hunter for a second. “More like murderous mistress.” Her lips twitched, but a slight wobble betrayed her, despite her best efforts.
“I’m sorry,” Hunter said, his tone sincere. “I truly wish we’d met under better circumstances.” He turned back to me. “I’ve arranged a rendezvous with the other settlement leaders to assess what we’re working with. The meeting is next Sunday at sunset, Royal Oaks. Bring any advisors you trust. No weapons.”
“I don’t need weapons to kill someone, but I’m not traveling outside these walls unarmed.” I folded my arms across my chest, leaned back in my chair, settling into the warmth of Alexiares’s arm draped behind me.
Hunter glanced my way, his expression edged with indifference. “Anyway,” he said, “Try to keep that kind of talk to a minimum. Before we get to that, we’ve got a few problems on our hands.”
I gestured for him to continue, waiting.
“San Jose and Fresno are sympathizers. They’re hosting my father’s military but are situated near your border to keep eyes. It’s why you were captured the other day.”
I froze. We’d chosen not to tell Hunter about our trip back and had specifically instructed Reina to keep her mouth shut. Her eyes darted over to me and she shook her head. She hadn’t said shit. “They are our closest allies, they would never betray the treaty.”
“You mean the treaty that was made null and void the second he breached Transient Nation? Theysurrendered. It’s every man for themselves out there.” Serenity said, her eyes narrowing with cold precision.
“Niklaswould never,” Tomoe stated with clarity. “Unfortunately he’s dead and the rest of them have been under pressure for months.”
“I have it on good authority?—”
“I’m sure that you do,” I cut Hunter off. The revelation hit like a blow to the gut. Salem’s recovery had leaned hard on the strength of what we’d built together. San Jose and Fresno weren’t just allies; they were friends. From their leadership to their military, even down to their citizens, we had forged a tight-knit bond.
But, apparently, bigots were everywhere. And desperation—the primal need to survive, the beast within us all—could twistpeople into embracing beliefs and doing things I never thought them capable of. Silly me. By now, I should’ve known better. Always expect the worst.
