Page 32

I could barely see from the hiding spot Lucius had picked for me.

Over a month had passed since our little rebellion started raiding Johan’s shipments.

I’d finally convinced Nico to bring me along, but thanks to Lucius, I was going to miss everything.

I pulled aside the dense branches, but even without all the leaves in this thicket, visibility was poor.

The last rays of sunlight had long since retreated, shrouding our raiding party in shadows.

If it weren’t for the bobbing torches, I’d be completely blind to the caravan rumbling down the pass.

Heavy cavalry led the way, followed by a seemingly ordinary ironclad wagon.

A dozen foot soldiers flanked the shipment, along with a pack of shifted wolves patrolling up and down the lines.

We’d been so successful, Johan had stopped sending his best carriages, opting for more armor and less opulence.

The black and crimson banners of the royal standards had been stripped away to make them less conspicuous.

But the sheer number of soldiers was a dead giveaway.

It had taken weeks of relentless training—and a fair share of begging—before they finally caved and agreed to let me join. I may have done some shameless flirting to get there, but I didn’t regret it one bit. My blood was pumping with adrenaline. I’d been cooped up at Whisperhold for too long.

Now, the chill of the night air and the promise of battle had me feeling alive.

I reached into my corseted leather bodice, pulling out the small vial of sprite ash hidden between my breasts.

It shimmered in the moonlight. Innocent.

Almost beautiful. Nothing like the “filth” Jase had likened it to.

My fingers hovered at the stopper. “Only cowards use it,” Jase’s voice rang out in my memory, low and scathing.

Bastard. Always so quick to judge, like he was above ever taking a whisper of help. And yet, his words were a thorn I couldn’t dislodge.

He didn’t know what it was like to be in pain all the time—to have your own magic trying to kill you every day.

I only needed a little. Just enough to get me through the raid.

Through another night of him ignoring me.

I had to be at my best. There was no room for my typical aches, pains, or wooziness.

If that made me a coward, then so be it.

One could never be too prepared during a rebellion.

I tilted the vial with finality, rubbing the glittering ash into my décolletage, sighing as the rush hit me.

A flood of warmth eased away all of my ailments mere moments before our unsuspecting guests arrived.

I held my breath as the caravan approached the choke point. A resonant owl’s call carried over the creaking wagon and rhythmic footsteps—the cryptic signal I’d been waiting for. My heart raced in anticipation.

The whistle of arrows flying through the air was the last thing I heard before chaos erupted. The volley dropped several soldiers in their tracks. Our war cries were deafening, drowning out the bewildered screams of the enemy.

All at once, our forces converged on the foot soldiers.

Bare-chested males painted in protective runes barreled down in wild abandon, cutting off any possibility of retreat.

Johan’s soldiers were pinned between our steel and the treasure they’d been paid to protect.

The wagon had been halted at the perfect spot, preventing the mounted soldiers from turning to join the fray.

A line of bears emerged from the shadows, blocking the road ahead.

At the center was Nico, his copper coat reflecting what little light there was.

Sawyer stood at his right, his white fur almost luminous against the darkness, while Jase—his opposite in every way—was little more than a phantom.

His ebony coat blended seamlessly into the night, as if he were one of the shadows he commanded so well.

The wolves snarled in protest as they engaged, but their numbers were no match for the sheer size of the bears.

Luca leapt onto the back of the wagon, his blonde hair pulled into a topknot.

Black paint and blood covered his body. He worked his way over the top of the wagon, eyes set on the three men at the front, a massive axe poised in his hand.

One of the armed guards turned on him, pistol raised to defend the driver and the trembling dignitary who I assumed was the crown’s emissary.

He fired a shot and my heart jumped into my throat.

If Luca was hit, he didn’t show it. He closed the distance in two strides, drove a boot into the guard’s head, and knocked him backward off the wagon. The gun flew from his hand.

The emissary slipped from his seat, disappearing into the forest as the driver made a panicked attempt to spur the horses forward, but there was nowhere to go.

Luca was on him in seconds, his axe nearly decapitating him in one violent swing.

The horses squealed, prancing about as hot blood splattered their flanks.

“Jase! The emissary went that way!” Luca called, pointing toward the black expanse of forest. Jase barreled into the dense woods, the snap and pop of branches following in his wake as he disappeared.

I felt my shoulders slump in relief. Everything was going exactly as Nico had planned.

The crown’s guards were falling quickly, outnumbered and outmatched by our forces.

I took inventory, counting to be sure we hadn’t lost anyone.

That’s when I saw him—our enemy crouched low beside the wheel well, cloaked in darkness.

His eyes were trained on Luca, the discarded gun from the driver’s guard in his hand.

Fuck. Luca was completely unaware. I hesitated, knowing Lu would kill me, but I couldn’t let anything happen to him.

With shaking hands, I pulled the eidris from my thigh, taking a cautious step from my hiding spot. Panic and fear were only diluted by my rising anger. I wouldn’t stand by and watch him get murdered without doing anything to stop it.

The male was poised to strike. I couldn’t wait any longer.

I pinched the blade between my fingers and whispered a quick prayer.

“Watch over me, Gunner. Make my blade fly true.” It was a desperate plea.

As soon as the words left my lips, I felt it—the warmth of his presence pressed against my back.

The gentle blue glow of his spirit appeared as transparent fingers traced over my arm, adjusting my hold.

“Now,” Gunner’s disembodied voice echoed in my head, and I let the blade fly.

The male dropped the gun, reaching for the blade now protruding from his neck.

I knew the moment his soul left his body.

A tug—like a string pulled taut in my chest before snapping.

I watched in awe as blue vapors rose from the fallen soldier and swirled like fine mist, disappearing into the night sky.

I’d felt an echo of this before, the last time I’d taken a life, but this time the feeling was stronger.

Luca whirled at the sound, looking past the wilting male, his gaze locking on mine. An infectious smile lit his face, pulling me from my reverie. I shook it off, dismissing it as nothing more than a guilty conscience, and shot a smile back as he saluted me.

“You’re welcome!” I shouted. “And thank you,” I sighed, hoping Gunner could still hear—though I knew he was no longer with me.

Luca hopped down from the wagon, pulled my eidris from the male’s neck, and kicked him aside. He ran the short distance to me, ignoring the remnants of the battle, which was being won handily by our rebels.

“I thought you were supposed to stay put?” he asked, pulling me into his blood-slicked arms. In other circumstances, it would’ve been appalling, but my body was buzzing with the high of battle and the lingering effects of sprite ash.

“Are you really going to reprimand me when I just saved your life?”

“That’s beside the point. You completely disobeyed orders. What do you think your punishment should be?” he asked, mirth dancing in his eyes.

“I think saving your ass negates any punishment I would have otherwise deserved. And besides... there was a moment when I think I saw?—”

“And I think seeing you with a weapon gives me a terrible cock stand,” he interrupted.

The story of my encounter with Gunner completely vanished from my mind with that lewd comment.

“Maybe you’ll indulge me and let me have a little bit of fun?

” He picked me up, his hands cupping my ass, holding me against his hardness as he spun me around.

I giggled—an unconventional reaction with the scent of blood still in the air, but my life now was anything but conventional.

My feet hit the ground as his lips met mine.

It was fierce—the two of us giving into primal instincts.

He captured my lip, dragging it between his teeth before sweeping his tongue into my mouth, stealing a moan from my throat.

His hand landed in my hair, wrapping my thick braid around his palm, holding me in place.

“Don’t you have a raid to finish?” Nico said after clearing his throat.

I tried to pull away from Luca, but he kept me pinned to his chest. I looked over at Nico, my cheeks flushed from the kiss—and being caught.

But they turned absolutely scarlet when I realized Nico hadn’t bothered to dress after shifting back.

Luca had awakened my need, and Nico was adding fuel to the fire.

I drank in the sight of him, biting my lip as my gaze drifted over the v-cut at his hips, drawing my eyes directly to his cock.

“You’re just jealous I got to her first,” Luca said.

“Jealous?” Nico laughed, shaking his head. “Merely playing my cards right. Mic, are you alright? Or is this brute trying to take advantage of you in the woods?”

“I’m fine. Really,” I rattled off, sinful thoughts running amok in my head.