Page 44 of The King has Fallen (The Kingdom of the Krow #1)

~ MELEK ~

“Melek... Mel!”

I woke with a jolt, sitting up, my wings snapping wide to cover Yilan, but she was awake as well, sitting up quickly, her free hand on my arm.

“Melek, I'm coming in. I have to talk to you right now.” It was Jann, thank God.

“Just… one minute, Jann,” I growled, looking at Yilan whose eyes were hooded from lack of sleep, her hair messy and skin flushed. Her shirt was open and hanging off her shoulders because it was too hard to get on and off with our hands bound and it left all of her bare to my eyes and…

I groaned, tearing my eyes off of her as she pulled the sides closed over her beautiful breasts.

She smiled. “Good morning.” Her voice was husky and that just made me want her more. But Jann was outside and my instincts were prickling.

“Good morning,” I rumbled, leaning down to kiss her swiftly, then holding her hand to help her off the bed while we were still bound.

I helped Yilan put on her leggings, then grabbed my leathers. I was still buttoning them when I called Jann to come in.

The tent flap twitched aside immediately and he stalked in, his eyes cutting to Yilan once, which made my hackles rise. But he didn’t flirt, and his gaze when he turned it on me was dark and grim.

“What is it?” I asked.

“There’s an issue with Gall.”

I swore. Yilan gripped my hand where we were bound and her eyes got big. “What is it?”

Jann clawed a hand through his hair and stared at me as if I should be understanding something. I frowned. “What—”

“It isn’t… I need you to come with me.”

“Well, of course, lead the way—” I started walking, Yilan trotting at my side, but Jann didn’t move.

“No, Melek you can’t take her. The young Neph… they’ll frenzy. Things are… escalating.”

Shit. Those assholes must have found Gall in his Quiet Place. Dammit! I stopped dead, turning to look at him. He glanced at Yilan, then back at me apologetically.

Shit fuck motherfucking shit.

With a heavy sigh, I turned to face Yilan. Her eyes were sad, but she gripped my fingers with her bound hand and stroked my arm with the other.

“Leave us,” I ordered Jann. He opened his mouth, but I shot him a look. “Just for a moment—wait outside. I’ll join you soon.”

Jann nodded and trotted out while I turned to face my mate. “Yilan, I’m sorry—”

“Melek, don’t apologize. If it was my sister, I’d be gone in a heartbeat. It had to happen. I’m glad… I’m glad we got this time.”

We were both looking at our bound hands. The cotton had lost its crisp white, the creases in the material emphasized by dirt, and the edges fraying. I twined our fingers, aching to see how small hers were between mine, her short nails digging into the back of my hand just like they’d dug into my back last night.

I blew out a breath.

“How do we do this best?”

She took a quick breath. “The best way is to leave the knots tied. We’ll need a dagger.”

I led her to the side of the tent where I’d left my weapon straps and pulled one of the blades, offering it to her, hilt first.

She took it with a frown on her face, but then lifted our bound wrists and examined the twists of the fabric, sliding between them with the flat of the blade.

“I cut the bond as a symbol of my freedom, and yours,” she whispered. “But I hold to it because my soul remains bound to yours.”

Then she lifted her eyes to meet mine. A shadow flickered in her gaze as she twisted the blade with a jerk and the cotton gave.

A shriek of pain clanged through my chest and I instinctively grabbed her wrist to stop her. But it was too late. The loops around my wrist and hers loosened. It was the work of a moment to remove the tie completely.

Yilan didn’t meet my eyes as she gently pulled her wrist from my grip, then took the cut edge and began to unwrap the loops. Then, so sweetly, she lifted my wrist and kissed the inside of it softly, where red lines of compression marred my skin.

“Yilan,” I croaked.

She shook her head as she drew both hands away and took the length of cotton, shaking it out and folding it in half, then applying the knife to it again so she was left with two pieces.

“I will take the half with the knot,” she murmured, handing me the other, frayed length and my dagger.

I took it gently, frowning. “What—”

She took the ends of the cotton and began to twist them in opposing directions until the length tightened and twisted like a small piece of thin rope. Then she offered it to me. “Would you… tie it onto my ankle? Like a bracelet?”

Suddenly moved, I swallowed and took it gently from her, then knelt at her feet to tie that simple cotton around her ankle, forced to loop it twice because her limbs were so tiny.

When I straightened, she looked at me, her eyes large. “Keep your half,” she said. “However you want to. Just… keep it.”

“Show me. Help me… I want to wear it too,” I said gruffly, offering her the length of cotton she’d given me.

Blowing out a breath and blinking a couple times, she took it from me and twisted it as she had her own. Then she knelt at my feet and tied it around my ankle. It could only loop once, and it was a good thing she had such little fingers, because there was barely enough left to knot it. But she managed, then laid a hand on my shin for a moment, before she stood.

I didn’t wait for her to raise her eyes from it, but slipped a hand into the hair at her nape, cupping her neck, then leaned down and kissed her—slowly, deeply. Not the kiss of passion, but of love. She reached up quickly and gripped the back of my neck as well, holding me into the kiss tightly. When we did break it, neither of us moved away.

I opened my eyes to meet hers. “I’m sorry that my duty required this,” I whispered.

She shook her head. “Don’t be. It’s life. Gall is too important. I want you to go to him.”

I nodded again. “Thank you.” Then I cleared my throat. “I don’t know how long this is going to take.”

“I know, it’s fine—”

“No, Yilan, it’s not. We have to… you have to be ready,” I said hoarsely.

Her eyes got big as I straightened, still keeping my hand on her neck, not moving away, but looking down at her from whatever advantage my height gave me, and swallowing hard.

“If something keeps me… if something goes wrong, you have to go,” I whispered.

Her eyes got wary. “Melek—”

“You gave me your word,” I growled. “Do not break it, Yilan.”

“I won’t, but until I know—”

“There is no time or room for error now,” I said huskily. “If I do not return by dark and Jann doesn’t bring word, you need to go.”

“But—”

“Yilan, please don’t make me order it. Please… I pray I will return soon. I pray this is simply youth and vigor caught up in the celebrations. But if it isn’t… I need to know that you’re safe.”

Her beautiful throat bobbed and she nodded silently.

“Use your judgment. Use those instincts. Even if it is only hours… if anything happens before I return, go. Go swiftly, and don’t look back. If I come back and you’re not here…”

Her forehead pinched to lines. “No. It’s not… that’s not what’s happening right now.”

There was a high edge of fear in her tone, so I pulled her into my chest.

“I pray it isn’t also. But I’m telling you, Yilan. Don’t hesitate. Do you understand?”

She nodded against my chest, her arms wrapping around my waist and squeezing.

“You promised me, Yilan. You gave me your word.”

“I won’t break it,” she breathed, but her grip on me tightened. “But I am praying that you’re back soon and… this isn’t goodbye.”

“So am I.”

Then I lifted her chin and kissed her. And just in case, I held her to me so tight and fast it must have been difficult for her to breathe. Kissing her as if it would be the last time.

She gave a little sob, her hands clawing into my hair, and kissed me back with every ounce of intensity and fear that roiled in my chest.

“Melek!” Jann hissed from outside, and I growled.

Yilan and I broke apart, staring at each other.

“I love you,” she whispered. “My mate. I have waited for you. I am… I love you, Melek.”

God, I was going to weep like a child. “I love you too,” I graveled. “If this is it, don’t forget to mark where we can find your messengers on this side of the Shadows of Shade.”

She nodded, but her expression tightened. “Go,” she whispered. “Hurry. Take care of Gall.”

I nodded, then stole one more kiss before I straightened and let her go. I whirled to storm to the other side of the tent and grab my weapon straps and spears. To hell with the peace. If these fuckers were hurting Gall, I’d hurt them.

As I turned back, towards the door and away from her, I had to clench my hands to fists to stop myself reaching for her again.

I walked quickly and didn’t look back because I didn’t trust myself not to rush back to her. Instead, I pushed out of the tent with a snarl.

“Let’s go.” I started down the trail strapping on my weapons, Jann striding at my side, watching me warily, then looking over his shoulder, back towards the tent.

“She’ll be fine,” I muttered. “Tell me what’s happened with Gall. Is it the same group?”

We had just met the intersection of paths from my tent to the main camp. It split into three at the spot where the natural lee of the hill tapered to nothing. I looked at him to see which direction we should take.

But instead of answering me, Jann cleared his throat, then grabbed my elbow and pulled me off the trail into the shade of a gnarled tree, watching the trails from the camp back and forth as he whispered to me.

“I lied. I’m sorry, Melek—I haven’t seen Gall. But—”

“You did what!?” I snarled, but Jann stood his ground, his eyes dark and grim.

“ Listen! You think I would do that for no reason? I just couldn’t say the true reason in front of her!” he hissed.

“You can say anything to me in the presence of my mate,” I hissed. “You have no idea what you’ve done. Fuck! I can’t believe this.” I turned on my heel, back to the trail to my tent, but Jann caught my arm again. I swung and twisted it in a defensive move that snapped his grip, then turned back on him, teeth bared and rage blazing. He backed away with his hands up in surrender, speaking quickly, but barely above a whisper.

“Melek, there’s a rumor being whispered that you’re informing for the Fetch. That she’s magiked you with lust and… and that the sentries in the ravine have been warned and are only pretending not to know that we’re there. That she set this up from the beginning. There are whispers that you’re a traitor, Melek. Leading us into a trap. For her.”

I stared at him, stunned.

Jann stared back, shaking his head. “I know it’s not true, and so do the ranks, but Gault…”

I blinked, my breath growing short.

I knew what Yilan would see in this, what she’d say the moment she learned of it.

The King started the rumor. And he would use it as a reason to blame me if things went bad—and it likely would because we had put off our advance for far too long.

In truth, it was remarkable that we hadn’t been discovered already.

I knew I hadn’t betrayed my people. But it was more than possible that someone else had. Or that they had simply discovered our presence and were playing strategy to lull us into a false sense of security.

Would Gault go that far? Would he risk all of us that way?

I prayed not.

He was not as stupid as he played. He had no desire to truly fight for his own crown. He was a fierce warrior, but he’d had no reason to defend himself for years.

I could hear Yilan’s voice in my head.

Until now. Until a man showed him up and won a war he couldn’t?

I wanted to argue with her. Surely he wouldn’t throw away what we had achieved just to undermine me? Would he?

My head spun and my heart clenched. I looked back towards the tent. I needed Yilan’s eyes on this—not for her drive to revolution, but because she always saw details, manipulations, implications that I missed.

“Melek—” Jann said quietly.

“This changes nothing,” I growled.

Jann went still. “How can you say that?”

I turned on him, glaring my disapproval for his deception, even though I understood it. He was uneasy with Yilan, still not entirely convinced that she hadn’t magiked me.

“I say that because it’s true. I still have to go to the front. I have to be there to show them that I fight with honor—and to win, if it can still be done.” It was true, and I meant it. But God… it made all of it real.

Jann’s eyes widened. “But if you’re being set up—”

“There’s no way to know that until we make the advance,” I growled. “And I can still win. Winning this is the only way to remove those questions.”

My brother swallowed. “But… if—”

“The only thing this makes me think is that I need to take Gall with me,” I said quietly, as I surveyed the landscape of this shitshow. “I didn’t want to put him in the fighting, but the truth is, he’s probably in more danger here. If Gault—or anyone else in power—is truly trying to take me down, they’ll go for Gall the moment my back is turned. Use him as leverage. I should have seen it.”

“You’ve been… a bit preoccupied,” Jann said dryly.

I huffed, but I was still watching him, still angry that he’d forced me to break the tie with Yilan. Though I knew he didn’t understand that.

“Do you believe in me, Jann?”

His brows snapped up. “Of course! I warned you because I know it’s not true!” Then he looked left and right and dropped his voice again. “I admit I am… uncertain about her. Which was why I wanted to tell you alone. But I know you Melek. I know you wouldn’t do this. Not intentionally.”

I arched one brow. “You think I would un intentionally betray the people I led to conquer the entire fucking continent?”

He gave me a flat look. “I think she has you by the balls, and I don’t know what effect that has on your judgment.”

When I started to growl, he leaned in. “You can get pissy if you want to, but we both know that if it was me, you’d have a great deal of concern.”

I hesitated, because I knew he was right. In truth, I likely would have interfered a lot more than he had, if the roles were reversed.

“She is true,” I snapped, but kept myself from bristling at him. “And now I need to speak with her. And figure this out. Will you help me?”

Jann sighed. “You know I will, Melek.”

“I need to find Gall.”

He nodded. “I figured.”

“I can help search soon, but… could you see if you can find out which direction he left in?”

Jann nodded, raking a hand through his hair. “Sure.”

“I need an hour,” I muttered. “Then meet me at the fire outside my tent unless I find you first.”

We clasped arms, both of us already turning our minds to the next task. And even though I was furious that he’d forced me to unbind, I was also grateful for the heads up. When I turned my steps to march back up the trail towards the tent, I turned my focus too. I needed to come up with a plan for keeping Yilan focused on fighting to win, instead of her incessant call to revolution.

These rumors were not true. And I would not give any man a reason to believe that they had been.

Of course, there was also relief that I would see her again—and my thoughts turned to ways I might justify having her one more time, just in case. I knew it was unwise to take the time, but I had told Jann an hour.

I growled at myself as I reached the flat of land where my tent was nestled against the rock and under the tree, the campfire crackling.

It was habit to keep my steps quiet, to give no indication of my presence in the quiet. I smiled, looking forward to seeing her eyes going wide, and her smile when she saw me back so quickly and it meant we had more time.

I reached for the tent flap with a smile on my face and stepped inside… stopping dead at the sight of Yilan standing, chin high and arms folded, glaring at a tall, male Fetch who loomed over her, his teeth bare and every inch of his stance screaming aggression.

Then both of them caught the flash of sunlight pouring in behind me, and exploded into motion.