Chapter 39

39

F ar away from the wildfire, the Dragons landed one by one, ensuring the wind from our wings didn’t anger the flames further. Kneeling, the others assisted the Crystal Fae in sliding from their backs. They all raced toward the blaze without hesitation, relieving tension in my chest I hadn’t realized was there.

“It will be okay,” Izidora said as she handed me my clothes.

“Thanks to you, it will.” It was true – it had been her idea to go for them, and she was the one who convinced them to come. Pride flared inside me as I gazed into my mate’s aquamarine eyes.

How did I get so lucky?

“Come, I need you all to myself,” I said, holding out my hand to her.

My mate accepted it willingly and without hesitation – so unlike a year before when I’d first brought her to the Iron Realm. The blaze died with the light of the sun as we trekked through the mud and haphazardly arranged tents, freeing up soldiers to tackle other tasks that had gone undone as we worked to contain it.

The Night Fae had disappeared in the blink of an eye, their tails tucked between their legs like the dogs they were as we squeezed them on three sides. It mattered not that they retreated; regrouping would allow us to slaughter them the next time we met in battle. Their little ambush failed in the end, though our army suffered heavy losses that wouldn’t go unnoticed.

Their army was far larger than I ever dreamed it could be.

We needed to return to the Iron Realm as soon as possible. Before Izidora and I reached our tent, King Consort Geza stopped us. “Thank you for staying to protect the Day Realm. I will not hold the fire against you, My Emperor.”

I cocked my head and studied the Day Fae king. “I am grateful for your assistance, Geza, but do not think you will ever be able to hold anything against me.”

A wide grin spread across his dark skin, flashing his white teeth. His eyes crinkled with amusement at the corners. “No, I don’t suppose I will ever be able to, not after you and Izidora risked your lives to return Gizela to us.”

He proffered his bare forearm, and I clasped it, allowing a smirk to play across my face. “I take my duties seriously. Which means, I need to return to the Iron Realm and prepare for the next battle once the fire is out. I trust you can continue to clean up from there?”

“Indeed,” he replied, his deep baritone booming over the camp. “Please let us know if there is anything we can do in the future.” Our greeting broke, and he dipped his head respectfully to Izidora and me before continuing on his way.

We entered our tent – one of the few that had the luxury of a padded cot – and my mate sank onto a pile of stuffed bags that acted as a makeshift chair, pulling off her boots and armor piece by piece. “I am exhausted,” she complained, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms.

I crouched behind her, massaging her tense shoulders. “When we return home, you can sleep as long as you need to recover. No training, no pressure, no duties. You deserve rest, sprite.”

A blissful sigh escaped her lips, and she leaned into me, groaning as I worked over a particularly tense spot. “But I want you with me.”

I kissed the top of her head, inhaling her rosy scent like it was my own personal drug. “Once this war is over, we’ll go away somewhere, just the two of us, and you can have every part of me you want all to yourself.”

“After we’re married,” she teased, a soft laugh escaping her.

I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face, but I let her win this one. She deserved it after the performance in the Crystal Realm. Her body loosened as I continued to work. Then, I scooped her up and carried her to the soft pallet in the center of the space. Her arms looped around my neck, holding onto me as desperately as I held onto her. Gently, I placed her gently among the blankets, tucking them up to her chin. Her eyelids were heavy, drooping, and I knew she wouldn’t be awake much longer.

“Rest. I’ll be back shortly,” I murmured, kissing her lips, then her forehead.

“Where are you going?” she half-whispered, half-yawned, doing a little shake and then snuggling deeper into the pile.

“To speak to Drazen and ensure the fire is truly out.” I straightened slowly, and she nodded into sleep, her breath deepening almost immediately. I lingered longer than I should have before drifting outside and under the stars.

As I searched for my general, I found myself at the fringes of the camp, near the animals. Endre was there, slipping between piles of stored goods. Silently, I followed him, wondering where he was going and what he was doing.

I didn’t trust the motherfucker not to turn on us. He’d shown his loyalty when he’d left in a hurry with Kazimir after he tried to kill my mate. And, as much as I hated it, I was pissed at him for hurting Liliana too. The female had grown on me, and she and Izidora were nearly as inseparable as we were.

But I’d never tell her that.

Endre grasped a ladder, hefting it under his shoulder and picking his way carefully so as not to knock anything over as he traversed the supplies. He seemed not to notice me, but I still stuck to the shadows and lightened my steps. When he broke through the stacks of boxes, I lingered behind the one at the end, watching as he approached a weary-looking olyphant.

The massive gray beast was still soaked in blood, his flappy ears drooping on either side of his head. One mighty tusk was chipped and broken. With great care, Endre braced the ladder’s feet on the ground, then leaned the top two rungs against the olyphant’s hide. The beast sighed but made no other protest. Gingerly, he ascended the rungs, and I narrowed my eyes when he stopped about three-fourths of the way up. Silver light danced beneath his fingers, and ruby returned to ashen skin. The olyphant made a contented noise, shifting his weight around as his shoulder wound closed.

“There, all better now,” Endre murmured to him, rubbing soothing circles over the freshly healed wound.

He descended the ladder with as much care as he’d climbed up it, constantly checking on the olyphant to ensure he wasn’t hurting it.

“He’s been doing that every night, you know,” a voice said from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder. Liliana stepped closer, her eyes fixed beyond me.

“Has he?” I said skeptically, lifting a brow.

“Yeah. He really likes animals. Even healed some of the kutya, even though one nearly ripped his leg off.” She shrugged, pretending like she didn’t care. We both knew that was a lie, but I didn’t comment on it.

“I don’t trust him,” I stated flatly.

“I know you don’t,” she replied. “But you trust me, right?”

“I do – for now. That is always subject to change,” I warned, my voice threaded with a hint of violence.

Silence stretched between us as Endre turned his attention to another wounded creature.

“Drazen is with the other Dragons,” she finally said with a weary sigh.

I nodded, taking one last look at the two Night Fae in our midst before striding off. Liliana remained there, watching, and I wondered what she would do when we returned to the Iron Realm with two males desperately in love with her.