Page 28 of A Game of Monsters (Realm of Fey #4)

Even with the hours between our shared experience, I could still feel Erix and Duncan. With every step, my body echoed with their touches. They were the gift that kept on giving.

After lying in silence, we’d bathed together, taking time to wash skin with gentle hands. It took so long that the water had cooled by the time we finished. And yet even that couldn’t remove their touch from my skin, or the sensitive ache between my legs.

I imagined nothing had the power to distract me.

My theory was debunked as we met with Rafaela. The moment we entered an open-air chamber, me at the lead, with Duncan and Erix flanked behind me, I knew something was wrong.

Two empty seats sat waiting, tucked neatly beneath the table. Untouched.

Rafaela stood abruptly, quite clearly aghast. Tension hummed in the empty room, catching in my lungs, making breathing a challenge.

“Where is Gyah?” I asked, tongue thick with the anticipation of an answer. “And Seraphine?”

Rafaela settled her dark eyes on Duncan, as if waiting for guidance. I looked back to see his reaction, and it was one of calm. A serenity that came with knowing. Whereas Erix matched my energy, scanning every possible nook and cranny for Gyah and Seraphine.

“Gyah has already left Irobel,” Duncan said, so calm it felt misplaced.

“What the fuck does that mean?” I asked, feeling the anxiety pop in my chest, one bubble at a time. “Why would Gyah leave?”

“Because she has an important part to play.” Rafaela winced as she spoke to me without taking her eyes off him.

I feared that if I moved a muscle my body would shatter into a million pieces.

“Answer plainly,” Erix said, warning evident in every syllable.

“Shall we sit?” Duncan added quickly, gesturing to the chairs. “And all will be explained.”

Duncan knew before we even left our rooms. None of this was a surprise to him.

“Duncan?” I said, head tilting to the side. “Why has Gyah already left?”

“Because Althea is still alive, but we believe this will not be true for long. I could not expect Gyah to sit around and wait for us to be ready, when the next moves on this game board we find ourselves on are the most pivotal to our success.”

All it took were those words and my entire world shattered all over again.

I shook my head, as Erix voiced my inner thoughts. “What the fuck do you mean Althea’s not got long?”

The silence that followed was so tense, I could only hear my heart thundering in my ears.

“Cassial is goading the fey into starting a war, but there is resistance,” Duncan explained, his eyes almost distant as though pulling information from the deepest parts of his soul. “Cassial plans to use Althea as bait because it has not worked; he is growing desperate. And his desperation will result in Althea’s life being under threat.”

“How do you know?” I gasped.

Duncan tapped his head. “A gift, from the Creator. I can sense other Nephilim, like we are connected and–”

“He is going to kill Althea, to start a war?” I spat, not caring about magic gifts from gods.

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”

Suddenly I was glad Gyah had left already. If anything, I wanted to claw my way out of this room and follow her. But my body sagged forwards until the table crashed into my hips. I placed my hands across the wood, unable to stop the creeping freeze that erupted from beneath my fingers. It took seconds for the table to engulf in ice, before cracking down the centre.

“You knew?” I spat, catching Duncan’s warped reflection in the mirror that was my ice. “All this time, you knew?”

“No, darling. The information was only revealed to me after the Transfiguration. I gave Seraphine the information she required to make sure Gyah left Irobel quickly. All is well, you do not need to worry.”

“Fuck all of that,” I shouted. “We all should’ve been informed about this…”

Instead, I had given into my selfish desires and lain with Erix and Duncan, all whilst Gyah left Irobel to save the woman she loved.

I couldn’t wrap my head around what was happening. My eyes met Rafaela with force. “What about you. Did you know this was happening?”

I waited for her to tell me the answer, but I saw it in the gleam of her eyes. “No. I discovered the truth alongside Gyah.”

“Then who told her?” I shouted, the table shattering into pieces beneath my hands. “Duncan, you were with us the entire time, you didn’t get the chance to speak to Gyah…”

Rafaela took a deep breath in, clutching the hilt of a sword at her waist. “Seraphine informed us that Cassial has grand plans for Althea in a few days’ time–”

“As per my request,” Duncan reminded.

I gagged on the sudden rush of bile, clapping a hand over my mouth to stifle it. I was hit with both relief and anger – blinding fury that I’d been made to believe my closest friend was dead.

I expected Rafaela and the Nephilim to lie, but not Seraphine – never Seraphine. She would’ve told me, she would’ve kept me in the loop as she had from the beginning…

“What plans does Cassial have?” I dared to ask.

“To use Queen Cedarfall to start a war.”

I don’t know who said it, Duncan or Rafaela, but the truth sank in my chest like a stone of dread.

Hearing it aloud only further proved what my mind had already made up. “And how… how long has Seraphine known this?”

My knuckles whitened as they tightened at my sides, waiting for the answer.

“Long enough to get ahead,” Duncan said. “This panic you feel, this anger at being in the dark… you can place it upon my head. It was my doing.”

I winced, eyes closing so I could give into the calm darkness behind my eyelids.

Rafaela took a seat first, settling herself down as if the floor shook.

“Cassial wasn’t only keeping Althea hostage,” Rafaela said, her defiant gaze fixed to me. “He’s been biding his time to use her against the fey. You would have turned back for her.”

“Of fucking course I would have,” I shouted, unable to move a muscle beside my eyes that flared open once again. “And yet we’ve left her, in Altar knows what state, for how long?” I spun around, winter winds crackling around me, searching shadows for the Asp. “We need to leave. We have to catch up with them.”

I was moments from exploding.

Pinching my eyes closed, I saw the Cedarfall family, dead, in the dark of my mind. The image of their bodies swaying like pendulums. After everything Althea had endured, we’d left her in the hands of a man who’d soon see every fey killed.

Duncan placed a hand on my shoulder. The touch lasted a second as repulsion uncoiled in me. Shrugging him off, I took steps back, pressing into Erix who waited.

The emotion that stormed through me was destructive and hungry. It needed release.

“You could’ve told me,” I spat, pushing my finger into Duncan’s chest, so hard that nail bent against muscle. “ Should have told me! I deserved to know if Althea’s life was under imminent threat.”

Duncan looked down at me with an expression of sorrow that irked my soul. “There wasn’t the time–”

“Because you were too busy fucking me?” I screamed, no longer caring who knew. “Althea means everything to me, Duncan. If I’d known she was going to be used as a pawn to start the war Cassial is so desperate for, we could’ve saved her.”

“But Duncan would have died in the process,” Rafaela reminded me. “Coming to Irobel was imperative to our success.”

“Success is not guaranteed! We only came here to further test your prophecy. Because of your twisted beliefs and manipulations,” I barked, spinning on her, brain aching from the constant whipping of my head. “He is your Saviour, freeing those Nephilim bound in stone. But who will be Althea’s saviour?”

“Gyah, for I have seen it,” Duncan muttered. “I know what she must do, and I have faith it will work.”

My eyes settled on Erix, to find him trembling with the same unspent rage I was lost to. His pupils had shrunk, giving his eyes the impression of being pools of silver. “Take me away from here, Erix.”

He didn’t reply. He looked down at the table, eyes flickering between his splayed hands.

“We only did what had to be done, to save the world,” Rafaela began, but I cut her off.

“And yet you didn’t think for a moment that Althea is someone’s world.” There was something in her words that sent Cedarfall-conjured fire through my veins.

I couldn’t blame Gyah for leaving. I would’ve done the same. If anything, I only wished I had the chance to leave with her.

“Whether you knew about Althea or not, I have little doubt you would not have divulged the information if it meant keeping Duncan from his fate. Gabrial’s promise of the Herald was the only thing ensuring we could stop the Fallen.”

Duncan lay a firm but gentle hand upon my shoulder. “There have been no secrets, Robin. The moment I woke, I shared the information I had with Seraphine and explained what I saw in the threads of endless possibilities before us. I asked her to keep it to herself until we were further prepared. Gyah knew the truth of Cassial’s plans soon after.”

“And yet you didn’t tell me!” I snapped, drawing away. “Gyah has gone alone to face god knows what plans Cassial has.”

“She is not alone, she has Seraphine,” Duncan reminded me, soft fingers reaching for my face.

I leaned into it, delighting in his warmth. It grounded me against the maelstrom of anxieties rupturing through my body. “I should be there.”

“Giving Cassial access to another fey royal to control isn’t what we need right now. You are safer here, and Althea Cedarfall will be safe as soon as Gyah reaches her. Trust in that.” Duncan’s voice was so loud it was as if he was shouting, except his furrowed brow and drawn lips showed he felt nothing but regret.

My eyes flared wide as realisation of a missed detail made itself known. “Cassial would not kill Althea so flippantly. He will need her, just as you said. He needs a fey to host the power…”

“A willing fey,” Duncan reminded me. “Althea would sooner die than become a pawn for Cassial to use. I see how this will end.” His fingers dropped to my chin, lifting it up until we were eye to eye. “Do you trust me, darling?”

“Trust is a shield, not a weapon, Duncan. We don’t have time to waste talking about this,” Erix said, hands wringing together before him. I could feel the press of his body behind me, how he trembled with emotion, limbs quaking. I had no doubt that he got close to me in case he lost control and needed an anchor. “Robin is right, we must follow and stop them.”

Rafaela looked to Duncan, fixing her eyes on him. I read the nuance of their silence and discovered Erix’s answer before either of them said it. They weren’t going to let us ruin whatever they had planned.

“Don’t you dare,” I spat, finger pointing at both of them, my heart aching at the betrayal laid out before me.

“Robin, please,” Duncan pleaded. “I know Cassial needs a fey, one of Altar’s descendants, to house Duwar and survive the power source. I do not think his plans are to murder her, but to use her. It will be Althea who chooses death over that outcome.”

“I hate to say this, but you are right,” Erix said, head bowing. “Cassial needs Althea because she is going to be the next vessel. She is safe – as long as we don’t intervene, or as long as she doesn’t refuse him.”

“Gods,” I cried, forcing my eyes closed, imagining Cassial in a state of pain and weakness as Duwar ravaged through his body.

“They will not help us anymore than they have,” Rafaela said, looking away from Duncan.

“That’s right. Their meddling is over.”

“What… what has changed?” I asked, bile stinging the back of my throat, tears pricking in my eyes. Not from sadness, but fury.

“Cassial is desperate because he is growing weak. And now we are ready to face him.” Duncan rolled his shoulders back, lips drawn in regret. “I wish I told you earlier, but it was imperative to our plans that Gyah went ahead.”

“We should be with her,” I snapped, feeling a distance growing between us. “That was not your decision to make, Duncan.”

Duncan sighed. “I am sorry.”

“Are you?”

He straightened, something clicking in his gaze. “Gyah has left to head straight to Wychwood and warn those gathering for battle not to attack. I am heading straight to Cassial too. If you really wish to meet up with her, to stop Gyah or help her, you can do so by getting to Wychwood.”

“What about you?” I said, desperately needing him, whilst wanting distance at the same time.

“I must go to Cassial, that is what the Creator has asked of me.”

Erix tore his hand out of mine and began to pace, the pent-up emotion becoming too much for him to control. I could see from the darkening of his eyes that the berserker was close to the surface. “The fate of Wychwood and all its peoples falls on Althea’s shoulders until we can get to her. She will do anything to save them – even if that means complying with Cassial and his needs. If harnessing Duwar for Cassial’s gain serves to protect Wychwood, she will do it.”

“Well fuck those plans! You’ve just sent an Eldrae into the midst of this fucked-up war we still know little about. Gyah’s presence will not only inform Cassial that we all have survived his attempts to banish us. But any hope that he’ll spare Althea will cease the moment our secret is revealed.” I could’ve laughed at how ridiculous this all was. If I didn’t laugh, I’d scream or cry.

“Gyah will not risk Althea,” Rafaela said. “That is why Seraphine is with her.”

“ An Asp may shed its skin, but beneath it is still an Asp ,” I muttered the very sentiment Seraphine had shared. I’d placed my trust in someone who had her own motives. But why? What game was Seraphine playing keeping information about Cassial’s intentions to use Althea?

“Then we follow after them,” Erix said, nodding to himself, mind whirling. “How long ago did they leave?”

“Hours,” Rafaela answered. “Gyah has flown back to Durmain. It’s quicker travel than a ship. It is important she informs as many nobles and military leaders in Wychwood as she can of Cassial’s plans, so they can react in the right way.”

“And do we know where Althea is being held?” I asked. “That’s where Gyah will go next.”

There was no hesitation as Rafaela answered. “Seraphine knew, but the information was not shared. Even that was not something Duncan was privy to. When I asked, Seraphine said we would figure it out.”

The web of knots that were Seraphine’s motives were becoming more tangled by the moment.

“She is stalling us,” I said. “Because she knew we would follow after her.”

A thought came to my mind, thick and fast.

Jesibel could find out where Cassial was. If I connected with her through my dreams, Jesibel could walk into Althea’s mind and discover more information. I hated to ask Jesibel to do anything; I wanted her to experience nothing but peace. But if she didn’t help, there would be no peace left for anyone.

“Seraphine is giving herself more time,” I said louder, wanting everyone to hear. “She has a plan, to further yours, I just don’t know what it is yet.”

“I can find out Althea’s location,” Erix added quickly before I could offer the same, pressing fingers to his temple. “Communication with the gryvern has been difficult at this distance, but if we leave for Durmain and I can reach one, then I may be able to locate Cassial. But for that, we need to go – now.”

I expected Rafaela or Duncan to refuse again. Their silence suggested they expected this response. I kept communing with Jesibel in my back pocket. Sleep would be impossible for me, I knew that. But Durmain was a long way away, I had the time to try.

“Then the rest of us must prepare to leave immediately.” I studied the Nephilim carefully, watching to see how they would react. “If we have any hope of stopping Cassial, we do it together. No more secrets.” If I had nails left, they would’ve bitten into the skin of my palm. I fisted my hands so tightly, I felt my heartbeat within them. “Seraphine has a plan; I have to believe she does.”

Seraphine had so much to lose. The new world meant a lot to her, more than I could even imagine. She wouldn’t commit deceptions and betrayals if it wasn’t for a good reason. There was no way she would just stand by and let Gyah go in alone, putting not only her, but everyone else under threat.

I had to believe that.

“If what we believe about the fey army is correct,” I said, skin itching at the possibility of war. “Then Cassial is playing with them. They think we are all dead, and Althea is the last member of a court’s family surviving. It is in their blood to protect that.”

“Cassial’s plans are simple and – if we do not act – unavoidable,” Duncan said, voice brimming with authority. “He is goading the fey army to attack first, proving to the humans that Cassial’s lies were all true. Once the initial attack occurs, he will do the necessary to use Duwar and lay waste. But he will not do that until the power is safely inside of Althea. Cassial is many things, but he will not risk his own life for the sake of his hopes and wishes. Ego is the crux of a weak man’s downfall.”

And if the world believes we are dead, so would Althea. There was a chance Jesibel already informed Althea of the truth through her dreams, but that was not worth putting all my hope into.

“Cassial is blinded by desires,” Rafaela added. “He will be so entirely focused on the army before him that he will not see us coming in from the back. After all, we have one advantage: he will never expect the dead to attack.”

“So, he must not become aware that we have survived.” Duncan’s white wings flexed outward. “Just as Cassial wants the fey to attack first, solidifying them as the enemies, having our Nephilim attack his Fallen will only confuse the humans. I have no doubt that he will use the mirrors handed out across Durmain to continue spreading his misinformation. If we act at the right time, we can use this to our benefit.”

“That’s why you didn’t stop Gyah from leaving, isn’t it?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“Gyah is a messenger. She can slip through the realms and reach the people we need. Whereas if we are seen, then it is over.”

I knew, deep down, that was not the only reason. But there was no time to waste arguing.

These next moments were for action only.

I had prevented a war before, only for the promise of it to be back on the playing board. There was no doubt in my mind that Doran and Tarron Oakstorm would be smiling in their graves at the thought.

“Cassial is likely tired of waiting, but he will only make the first move if he feels like there are no other options. What we must do is bring him an option he hasn’t thought of yet.” Duncan straightened, snow-white wings flaring on either of his sides as sparks of power danced around his clenched fists. “Faithful against the Fallen – but to the humans they will simply see Nephilim against Nephilim. That alone will plant a seed of doubt in their minds as to who is the real enemy.”

Erix was silent still, focusing on reaching his gryvern. It had been days since the last time he had managed, but if anything had changed since then, it was Erix’s determination.

I laid a hand on his, offering him my confidence. “You can do it. I believe in you.”

Erix’s eyes widened. Although they were focused on me, it seemed as though he stared right through me for a moment. I held my breath, praying to whatever god would listen that Erix would be successful.

“Duncan,” Erix broke his silence, the lines of concentration smoothing out across his forehead. “Cassial is at the Wychwood border. Finding him will not be difficult, my gryvern informed me that his host is large. I can inform them about Althea, see if they can assist with–”

“No,” I snapped. “If the fey armies feel that Althea’s life is under threat, they will attack, feeding into exactly what Cassial wants. We need more time before we act.”

“Time is already something we have agreed is lacking,” Rafaela reminded me.

I stormed to the wall and drove my fist into the stone. “Fuck.”

Over and over, I continued to punch it, stopping when firm hands pulled me back. Torn fists dripped blood onto the floor.

“Stop it, Robin,” Duncan hushed into my ear, breath cool and tickling.

“I – I can’t save her,” I stammered, fumbling over the words as my deepest fears came out, knuckles cut to shreds. “Althea will never let Cassial use her. She would die by her own blade before…”

“Which is why Gyah had to leave,” Duncan whispered, leaning in close. “Please, trust me.”

“I want to, Duncan, I really do.” My words clogged in my dry throat, making the next thing hard to admit aloud. “But I can’t help but feel like you are not telling me something.”

He rocked back as if physically slapped, then downturned his gaze to the floor between us. When Duncan spoke again, it was with a detached command. “The moment you can get sleep, try and reach for Jesibel. She must warn Gyah that you are coming after her. If you really wish to stop Gyah’s next move, give her a good enough reason. It will be her choice to listen to you. Otherwise you will understand why I, or anyone else, has no right to prevent Gyah from saving the one person she loves. Just as I would not want anyone standing before me when it came to you.”

I heard Duncan, his last words settling on my soul like the kiss of ash. Duncan’s hold on me loosed when he was sure I wouldn’t take my fury out on the wall. Stepping free, it took effort not to turn on him with a fist.

“I have to do it,” I said to him. “I am sorry.”

Duncan didn’t resistant when I turned my back on him, facing Erix for some semblance of strength.

Erix gritted his teeth, fighting his own urge to take me into his arms. “Robin is right, we must make haste. If we wish to use Gyah’s next moves for our benefit, we must follow. Otherwise Robin will be the only Wychwood royal left–”

“That isn’t true,” I interrupted, fixing my eyes to his. “I’m not the only royal by blood left, Erix.”

He winced, turning his head, refusing this part of him. “We follow your command.” Erix placed a hand over his heart. “The gryvern are yours, little bird. Tell me how you need them, and they will act.”

There was so much more I needed him to believe. Erix was more than my guard, he was Oakstorm by blood. We would need an Oakstorm to face what was to come. But the conversation had stunted, disregarded by Erix as he turned his back on his heritage.

“As are the Nephilim.” Duncan followed suit, placing a hand atop his heart, regret creasing his strong brow. “They’ve been freed to change the fate of this world. I follow you, darling.”

Do you?

“You’re the Saviour,” I said, the title souring on my tongue. “Isn’t the world yours to save?”

“I have put the parts in play as the Creator asked.” Duncan shook his head, swashes of dark hair falling over verdant eyes. “And as you pointed out, my purpose was to unify the Faithful and right the wrongs of the Creator. Not to fix the world. I, like you, cannot do that alone.”

“Okay,” I said more to myself than anyone else. The wheels of my mind were moving, speeding through. “Okay…”

The room suffered in silence. It was so quiet my heartbeat sounded like thunder in my skull.

It was incredible how quickly a plan could come together when one knew there was no time to hesitate. I felt it form inside of my very core, fixing together into a solid iron, with very few chinks in the armour.

“This is what we’re going to do,” I said, sweeping my eyes across the room. “Cassial wishes to learn from previous mistakes in history and prevent a war again. He wants his domination to be through the path of least resistance, otherwise he would’ve attacked by now. So, I say we bring it to him. Erix.” I fixed my eyes on him. “I need the gryvern to sweep through any human settlements near Cassial’s encampment. He will have set himself up in a built-up area. The more humans who die in the crossfire, the more it will benefit his attempt to vilify the fey. We need to evacuate the area. Whether the humans listen to the gryvern or not, they must be moved. Scare them out if asking nicely does not work.”

Erix bowed his head to me. “I’ll see that it is done.”

I looked to Duncan next, finding his full attention fixed to me, pride glittering in his verdant eyes. “What do you need of me, darling?”

Only the truth, but how could I request such a concept that even I had put to the wayside for months?

“Show Cassial the full might of those his campaign punished. Set upon him the full force of the Nephilim at your disposal. You want to go straight to him, then do it. Kill him.”

Duncan’s shoulders rolled back, as though my command offered him some relief. “Better Cassial fights against his own. Keeping the fey out of this mess will only benefit the mess we will have to arrange after Cassial is dealt with.”

I agreed. If Cassial was waiting for an excuse to use Duwar against the fey realms, we had to make sure he was distracted enough not to act. At least delay it.

“Our first step is showing both realms the truth. No more betrayal. No lies or further deceptions. If we can show the humans through the veil of Cassial’s lies, then we may find they come to our aid. It will take the full might of both realms, the effort of humans and fey, Nephilim and monsters, to ensure the new world we were promised becomes a reality. One no longer threatened.”

“And what of Duwar?” Rafaela asked. “That is still a power on the game board that we must ultimately deal with. I hate to say this, but there is a chance that killing the host will not also destroy Duwar. There has never been a recorded possession before Duncan.”

A seed of doubt spread roots as soon as Rafaela stopped talking.

“Then we find another way,” I said. “We bind him in labradorite, we make sure both Cassial and Duwar are wiped from the face of the realms.”

Erix cleared his throat, demanding attention as he said. “Seraphine mentioned something in the texts she was reading. About Duwar and the Sleeping Depths.”

He was right, and with his words those roots of doubt ceased their spreading.

Immediately, my mind went back to the story Duncan had shared with me. The story of Altar first calling upon Duwar, drawing the power from the earth, stealing it from its resting place. The Creator believed it was unfair, how Altar stole the power and used it to create the fey. His feelings were justified. Just like the use of power, Altar or the Creator were not inherently good or bad. Duncan passing his judgement had proved that. It was what we did with power that mattered. And Duwar – the demon god, the source of chaos, whatever we wanted to believe it was now – was an issue our gods created, and one we had to solve.

No one deserves to hold power such as Duwar. Not a fey, nor a human.

We couldn’t lock it away like the gods had done when they called a truce. But I could return it home. And I had a hunch of where it all began – but to give my plan a chance, I needed to get Cassial away from his army.

“We stop using it, and allow Duwar to be free,” I answered. “It is time for Duwar to return to its place of rest. Chaos does not belong in the hands of mortals, or gods. No prisons, no more gates and keys. We give it up – just as Altar should’ve all those centuries ago.”

“I’m sorry, Robin,” Duncan said, tracing his hand down my cheek. “I should’ve told you everything, but I trusted that a change was coming. I had to put faith in Seraphine and Gyah. Selfishly I’m trying to protect you, doing a duty that I haven’t been able to do for months.”

I looked up at him, aware of the crash of waves that sounded at his back. The sky was clear, the sun unbearably hot. As much as I wanted to hate Duncan for holding the truth about Cassial’s plans back, I had to believe it was for a reason.

“Save your apologies for when this is all over,” I replied with a smile that didn’t reach my eyes.

Duncan noticed and sighed, his gaze falling to our hands held between us. “We will see that new dawn. Together.” He looked over my shoulder, to Erix who stood watching at a distance. “All of us.”

I swallowed, forcing down all the things I longed to say. Except one statement that was far too demanding to hide away. “I don’t want to leave you.”

“But you must,” Duncan replied, wincing at the dark thoughts harbouring behind his verdant gaze. “And it will not be for long. The path ahead is full of trials, but I trust that we will make it to the end. I have to.”

“I know,” I echoed, looking to Erix who waited at a distance. “I’ll be safe with Erix.”

“He will be safe with you, darling.” Duncan ran a soft hand down my cheek, so enticing I leaned into it and allowed myself a second of his touch. “I know you will both be fine, although that truth doesn’t make this any easier.”

Erix stood just shy of the lapping waves, boots sinking into the sand. His leather wings were stretching, preparing for the flight back to Lockinge. As were the thousands of Nephilim Duncan had freed. They were perched across every speck of land I could see, waiting for Duncan to lead them. Rafaela was amongst them, her wings not yet healed, so she would be carried.

“If all goes to plan, we will not be apart for long.” I fought the urge to cry. But I couldn’t show weakness, not now when the tide was about to change. “If Erix is right, Cassial will be stationed on the border of Wychwood. If you can create a distraction with your arrival, Cassial will be forced to send his fellow Fallen to meet you. The fewer he has with him, the easier it will be to get in and deal with him.”

“There are risks,” Duncan reminded me. “Don’t forget that this is not something for you to deal with alone. We act together, as one. No more running in blind to save a world. It is a burden you no longer need to bear alone.”

“Everything worth something has a risk attached to it,” I replied. “Sometimes we can’t ignore that.”

If Duncan noticed my lack of acknowledgement to his latter statement, he didn’t show it. Instead, he leaned down, meeting his lips to mine. I reached up on my tiptoes, delighting in the kiss, no longer feeling hesitation or regret. When I thought of Erix, it wasn’t with the worry of how he would feel. Our boundaries were set in stone.

Duncan took my hand and guided me to Erix. “The same goes for you, Erix. Stay safe.”

The men clasped each other’s forearms, the intensity in their gaze enough to set fire to the air between them. They embraced, my heart leaping at the vision. I wanted to burn it into the dark of my mind and never forget it.

“I expect to see you, alive and well, in a matter of days.” Erix refused to look away from Duncan as they finally drew apart. “Do what is required, then rush home to us, okay?”

“Everything I do is to ensure that very possibility,” Duncan said. “Home certainly sounds like something worth fighting for. And I’ve had so many homes in my life, and never one as alluring as the one with you both.”

My shattered heart cracked just a little more. It was a sentiment we all could relate to. Me with my desire to know who I was. Erix with him running from his birthright and the curses that came with it. And Duncan, handed from Nephilim as a babe, then passed from human to human.

I stepped in close, laying a hand on each of them, connecting us in a chain of flesh. We didn’t share final words, or goodbyes. Doing so would only encourage the pain inside of me to triple. And right now, I had to focus.

We had a war to prevent – again .

“Are you ready?” Erix said, fixing his silver eyes to me.

A lump formed in my throat. “No.” I choked. “Are you?”

“Not really.” He took my hand and squeezed. “But what does that matter?”

“Exactly. But I have got you. Duty and pleasure, remember?”

“Duty and pleasure,” Erix echoed, smiling down at me. “Always, little bird. Now, let’s get to Wychwood and make sure we stop this war before it begins.”