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WES

S he was asleep before I got home. The long day had my muscles groaning from too many hours on my feet, and then too many sitting down.

But nothing compared to the storm brewing within me.

Everything paled to the crushing waves and the torments of rain and the howling wind that was the hurricane raging inside.

So much destruction.

So much death.

So many little coffins and crying mothers and anguished fathers.

I didn’t cry. I didn’t cave or bend or waver.

But I did feel the stones piling. I felt the granite, and quartzite, and rock solidify into walls and turrets and battlements preparing for the ultimate test of courage and strength.

The people of the North were suffering, and I was failing to protect them.

I tried to relax my jaw as I showered. It was midnight, but I refused to climb into a bed I was sharing with her while I carried the weight of my faction on my shoulders. Because Mara made me soft, deft, lithe—like the supple petal of a fresh white rose .

It’s why I had always given them to her…back to the very first one in Telvia before she even knew I existed.

That very first rose…when I was still Chase to her, not Wes .

It was bold of me, stupid even. But I couldn’t keep myself from bringing it to her. Because it was a symbol of who I was. A rose from the gardens of Calvernon Estate. And it was the very exact thing she had changed me into.

Something soft.

Something capable of feeling.

Something able to bend and pleat and mold and shape and give.

Because Mara made me someone different, something new. Something I never thought I could be.

But the horrors of war…

The blood and dirt and grime and death…

It threatened to wilt those supple petals.

To destroy the very thing Mara’s love had transformed me into.

And I was afraid.

How could a petal of a fresh white rose face such brutality and carnage?

It couldn’t.

Roses couldn’t fight fire or defy death or bring about the dawning of a new era…could they?

I dried my body, barely feeling the towel dry the muscles of my chest, down my abs and thighs. And after I was dry, I stepped quietly out of the bathroom, muscle memory guiding my way through the shadows of my room, and I slipped under the covers next to the person I cared for most in the world.

Because no matter how much death and destruction I witnessed, I couldn’t help but feel grateful that Mara was safe. That she waited for me here. That I would come back and find her sleeping in my bed.

A creature of beauty. A soul of light. A wondrous thing that had the capacity to melt rock and transform it into a garden of roses .

She rested on her stomach with her arms curled under her pillow, concealing half of the slackened features of her face.

And I yearned inside. I desperately wanted to touch her. Desperately wanted to feel her wrapped in my arms.

Taste her lips.

Savor her skin.

Feel her shudder against me as she soared into glorious bliss and came tumbling down in shivers and trembles and precious cries of love.

I missed her.

I wanted her.

I needed her.

But I’d have to wait.

***

MARA

I woke up to the most wonderful feeling.

Warmth.

Instead of a cold space beside me, Wes slept.

He must have gotten home sometime in the night, slipping in beside me without my noticing.

It must have been late when he arrived. I tried to stay up for him, anxious that he had been detained.

But everyone assured me nothing was wrong, and that they would be home soon.

I started to reach out for him, but thought better of it. He had to be tired, and he needed to rest. Early morning light poured in from the stained-glass window, casting a rainbow of colors across the room. I decided it was time for me to get dressed.

Slipping out of bed, I grabbed my mini-tab from the nightstand and left his room. A few minutes later, I was back at mine, noticing the splintered edges of my door from Javier’s handiwork. I wondered how Marissa was going to feel when she found out about Javi’s door-busting action.

Probably not happy , I thought.

I stepped inside, found clothing, and marched into my bathroom.

Disrobing, I glanced at my back in the mirror.

Damn, that ointment worked wonders. My skin looked fresh, healed, new .

And the tattoo looked amazing. My wings looked as though they were on the verge of opening, beginning to unfurl to reveal their majestic glory.

And my rose—a symbol of the one thing that gave me the courage to fly.

Wes.

Wes gave me love. Wes gave me strength. Wes gave me wings.

I shivered as the cold caressed my skin, and the call of a hot shower was too enticing to ignore any longer.

***

After I was dressed in my cadet uniform, I looked at my tab and noticed breakfast would be served in just a few minutes and decided to head down. The thought occurred of going back to Wes’s room, but if he was still sleeping, I didn’t want to wake him.

Today was a new beginning. A new opportunity to step into the role I had to play. Jacob tasked me with a job—one I’d failed to accept…

Until now.

Finding myself in the ballroom, I walked into the clatter of soldiers serving themselves breakfast and morning greetings.

Liddy and Edith were already at the table with plates piled high with bacon, eggs, and fresh fruit.

They were shoveling the food in their mouths like it was going to disappear before they had a chance to savor it all.

“Good morning,” I said with a smile, taking the empty seat next to Edith .

“Hey, girly. How’d ya sleep?” Edith bit off a chunk of bacon.

“Good, actually. How about you guys?”

“Amazing, as always,” Edith chimed as her sister gave me a thumbs up.

Liddy slurped some of her coffee before looking at me. “Did Wes come back last night?”

I nodded.

Edith gave me a wicked smile. “And did you welcome him with some oohs and ahs ?”

My cheeks went beet red. “ Edith ,” I admonished. How was I always surprised by her?

“Save it,” Liddy said, eyeing me. “Her spirit animal is a rabbit, there’s no helping it.”

Edith snickered. “You’re one to talk, Lin. My room’s next to Lieutenant Tall, Dark, and Smoldering . Don’t think I don’t recognize your zealous squeals—”

“I’m done!” I said, popping up to my feet. “Don’t need to hear anything about any of that.”

Edith rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t act like little miss innocent,” she said, pointing a finger at me with a sly grin. “I saw you right after Wes left.”

My brows smacked together, but heat was curling on my cheeks at her insinuation. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You had that look on your face.”

“What look?”

Liddy gleamed at me. “The look of a girl who got taken care of, that’s what.”

I crossed my arms. They had to be joking...trying to get me to share something I wanted to keep special and just to myself. “I don’t know what you guys are talking about.”

Edith twisted in her seat, looping an arm over the back of the chair. “ Yeah , you do. Flushed and smiling like an idiot.” She leaned forward, cocking a brow. “And walking sideways . ”

I snorted—half embarrassed and half genuinely amused. “I don’t even know what that means—”

Edith cackled while Liddy looked like she was going to pass out from laughing so hard.

“This is not funny,” I muttered.

“Oh yes, it is,” Lin nodded vehemently.

I threw my hands up. “I’m done.”

Still laughing, Edith grabbed my arm and tugged me to sit down once more. “Oh come on, newbie. Sit back down”—tug, tug—“come on. Sit.”

I narrowed my gaze, but finally plopped back into my seat with a pointed finger. “Don’t you dare ask me anything else about me and Wes. I swear, the two of you together is pure trouble.”

“Why thank you,” Lin said, and then the Le sisters high-fived each other.

Edith placed her arm over my shoulders, drawing me in close. “Come on, girly. It’s all in the spirit of sisterhood.”

“And what might that be?”

I jumped in place, eliciting a deep chuckle from the voice behind me.

Edith looked up and her features became that of a conniving devil. “Well hey there, Mr. President. How good of you to join us.”

As if my cheeks could burn any hotter, they absolutely did. “Wes, you’re up.” And he looked oh so good.

With the exception of the gala, I’d rarely seen Wes in anything remotely formal.

His cadet uniform, jeans, t-shirts—yes. But rarely anything sophisticated.

Of course, Chase always dressed well, and now knowing the truth, I couldn’t help but wonder how many times I’d actually seen Wes and not Chase dressed like he was now.

And holy mother, did he look good. Black slacks and a white button-down shirt made him look aristocratic, debonair, and exquisite .

“Ladies,” he acknowledged the Le sisters, before bending down and bringing his lips to my ear. “I was disappointed to see you were gone when I woke up.”

“I’m sorry. I thought you might be tired, and I didn’t want to wake you. I went back to my room to shower.”

When he spoke next, I could hear the teasing humor in his tone as his lips glossed over the shell of my ear. “ That’s the disappointing part.”

“Excuse me?”

Wes’s eyes burned like amber jewels as he smirked, drawing his mouth to my ear once more. “I didn’t get to watch.”

I squeaked, my cheeks blazing.

He chuckled before straightening. Edith and Liddy both looked like they were about to explode. Edith may have actually been vibrating.

I looked up at him, feeling hot, embarrassed, and seriously turned on. I struggled to even speak without stuttering like an idiot. “A-are you staying?”

“No. I’ve gotta head to the War Room for a meeting.” Though the smile was slipping from his face, his eyes still gleamed with mischief.

“A Council of War meeting?” This was it. This was the piece I was waiting for.

“Yes, but I’ll see you at dinner—”

“I wanna go with you.”

Wes froze. Remained silent for several seconds. “You do?”

I stood up from my seat as nerves racked my core. As much as a part of me still wanted to bury my head in the sand, I knew I couldn’t do that. Not anymore. With a determined breath, I said, “Yes. I want to understand what’s going on.”

Gold took over, flecks of green searching me. As though he could sense my hesitation, he asked, “Are you sure?”

“No,” I replied honestly. “But Telvia’s my home. Raúl’s my dad. I need to know what’s happening. ”

A little line of worry formed between his brows, but he didn’t argue.

Just listened. Considered it. And then finally, “All right. Come on,” he said, gesturing his head toward the door.

“I’ll fill you in on what’s been going on while we walk.

” The bundles of nerves toiled, but a deep breath settled them as I soldiered on.