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S ealians had horrible guards, and Valda was sick to her stomach. It wasn’t hard to understand why Isen could simply waltz in. His blue hair was his badge of honor. No one even blinked an eye when he went to pass the guards, but how come there was no one guarding the lands by the lakes?

How was she supposed to go back to Cressida, knowing that Maris was out in the open, completely unprotected? She had promised Isen that she would sit right where the lakes were and wait for him to head back.

Of course, she knew better than to wait for him. She brought along a small tent and bed, knowing damn well the man was going to spend as much time with his mate as he could. He would probably stay the night, and Gods, how fucking jealous she was.

She had planned on staying on the outskirts of New Agenor at first. She would play with Cerberus, holding sticks with leaves for her to swat at, share a meal of dried meat with her, and end everything with scratches to her chin, ears, and back. Yet, Cerberus was restless. Her eyes flickered to the division where the cabins started, ears moving back and forth.

Valda frowned as Cerberus walked away from her, and onto the roads that led to the houses. Standing from where she was resting, Valda grabbed Cerberus’ fluffy tail and gave it a warning tug. The cat quickly turned and hissed at her, swatting her hand and then jumping a couple of steps away from her .

“Stay close to me, Cerberus,” Valda said, her voice low. “I don’t want you drawing any attention.”

Cerberus sat on the ground, her head tilting to the side, her ears still moving about as if taking all the sounds in the area. Her head turned back to the small road, and once again she stood to walk back to New Agenor.

Valda cursed under her breath and picked the behemoth of the cat. “I know what’s wrong,” Valda whispered, pressing her face to the cat’s neck. “You miss her just as much as I do, don't you, girl?”

Cerberus’ purrs vibrated against her face, and Valda sighed in disdain before squeezing her to her chest.

“We could go find her, but you have to promise me not to run off and get yourself seen…”

Cerberus pressed her cheek against Valda’s face before she settled her on the ground gently.

Valda’s gaze fell on the small road leading to the houses of New Agenor. To think that all she had to do was walk towards the cabins and she could see her…

To actually see her, touch her, smell her. To see the fine details of her expressions, and not just a reflection of a memory within a dream…

Swallowing hard, Valda closed her eyes, concentrating on the beating of her heart. How was she going to control the primal need to stand right across Maris? To smell her, to taste her, to know that she was fine… Her hands twitched at the mere thought of having the other woman near her.

If she wanted to sneak into New Agenor, she would need to quiet down not only her beating heart but also her emotions. If she didn’t, Maris could pinpoint her right away.

Valda rubbed a specific spot on her chest, releasing her breath along with her precipitation. Cerberus had already taken a couple of unsure steps ahead before turning to her, closing her eyes slowly and letting out a soft chirp.

Taking out a head cover, Valda hid her hair and made her way to the small broken roads leading to the center of New Agenor.

Things have somewhat changed in the settlement. The happiness and buzzing of the people were palpable, yet the joyous thrum that beat within the settlement was muffled by an unexplained tension .

As if at any given moment, the Sealians were expecting something horrible to happen. Valda frowned at that. If they were so fucking worried, why didn’t they guard their settlement better? How come they didn’t take better care of their queen, of her mate?

Moving through the tight, slim corridors between the houses, Cerberus used her shadow to walk about and go unnoticed. For being such an enormous cat, Valda was grateful she understood when to stay hidden.

It didn’t take long for Valda’s thoughts to drift toward Isen. Where had he gone? It had been several long minutes since they’d arrived, and he’d disappeared inside. By now, he should have found Melvian—or at least Maris.

Letting out a quiet huff, Valda turned her attention toward the House of Arago, her sharp eyes scanning for any movement near the entrance.

Her chest tightened. She wasn’t ready. Not yet.

Her gaze caught on a familiar figure descending the stairs, her expression drawn into a scowl of annoyance. Valda’s breath hitched.

Maris .

In front of her, Eyphah waved the trident with a grin before handing it over.

She could barely make out what they were saying, but when the other woman took a defensive stand, Valda’s blood boiled inside her veins. Her hands curled into tight fists as she silently watched. It took her a couple of seconds to register that Maris was training with Eyphah.

But wasn’t she against violence? Didn’t she say that she wanted nothing to do with the trident, that she wanted to resolve things in a civilized way?

Scoffing and shaking her head, Valda took a step forward before freezing. She needed to calm herself. She was sure that the only reason Maris couldn’t sense her presence was because she was too preoccupied trying to land a blow on Eyphah and although Valda hated to admit it, she couldn’t look away.

Her Maris looked breathtakingly glorious when fighting. Valda never thought that she would find her even more alluring than she does now.

She needed to control herself… but fuck , she couldn’t look away.

It wasn’t until Cerberus brushed her body against her leg did Valda took a step back. Her heart raced with excitement, even arousal. Her mate was fighting. She wasn’t using her powers, but actually engaging in physical combat .

Oh, how she wanted to be the one teaching her, the one to guide her to hold the trident, to thrust the weapon forward, how she wished it was her on the receiving end of the onslaught of attacks.

Fuck…I am too far gone.

Valda took a second step back, looked down at Cerberus, and hissed as the animal walked away from her. She pulled her back by the tail and leaned against a cabin’s wall. Her eyes never left Maris just as she tripped Eyphah to the ground.

A wide smile spread across Valda’s face. She knew what Maris was capable of, and yet she couldn’t help but feel proud.

“Isen!”

Valda pressed her body closer to the wall. Her attention moved to Melvian. Valda’s eyes widened as she noticed the roundness in her abdomen. It took her a moment to register that the other woman was indeed expecting a child, and that Isen had been dying to see her.

The sound of hooves trembled across the ground, and Isen stumbled when he wrapped his arms around his mate.

Valda swallowed hard, controlling every fiber of her being as she tried not to react, not to feel and yearn. She wanted to run up to Maris and hug her, just as Isen was doing with his mate. She wondered if Maris even wanted to see her…

If her dreams were proof of their yearning, then the other woman truly missed her just as much as she did… Her smile was wiped the moment Cerberus released a happy chirp and dashed towards Maris. Valda’s heart sank as she scattered as fast as she could to grab the cat by the tail and pull her back.

But Cerberus slipped through her hold.

With a soft curse, Valda gathered the wind within her hands and shot a soft gust of wind, enough to send Cerberus flying back to her.

She clutched the animal tightly and hissed as Cerberus bit her hand.

“ Cerberus! No!” Valda growled, hiding within the shadows in the narrow alleys. Her eyes shot up at Maris, who had been walking towards the entrance of House of Arago and stopped.

Valda held her breath as the woman turned and stared in her direction. The hold on her bond faltered .

Seeing Maris for the first time in four months tore Valda apart. If Maris couldn’t feel the wrenching in her chest, then she truly was blocking their bond. Maris looked beautiful with her disheveled hair, Sealian garments. A queen through and through.

As she took Maris in, Eyphah walked back out. She said something to Maris that made the other woman smile.

Gods… Valda truly wanted to enjoy that smile even if it wasn’t directed at her, but Maris’s smile wasn’t as wide as Valda remembered, her eyes were not squinting enough, and her shoulders were tense.

As Maris closed the door behind her, Valda released the breath she held. She gave Cerberus a scolding squeeze before looking down at her. The cat’s attention was still on House of Arago.

“You are not the only one that wants to be with her, girl,” Valda said, walking back to the lakes holding Cerberus to her chest. The cat’s incessant purring gave her peace, but it wasn’t enough to fill up the void in her chest.

As the hours passed, there was only one instance where Maris’s happiness crept its way into her chest.

She was happy…

Maris was happy without her.

Tired, Valda released her grip on Cerberus. The cat wandered off into the night, blending in with the shadows. She wasn’t aware of how long her pet was gone. It wasn’t until Valda was alerted by footsteps that she called out with a low whistle.

Within seconds, Cerberus ran back to her, quietly jumping on her shoulder and pressing her head to her cheek. The footsteps sounded again.

Between the foliage, Isen’s horse peeked through.

With a hand on the handle of her sword, Valda scoffed before patting Cerberus off her. “I thought you would be staying the night.”

Isen’s brow furrowed. “That’s what I wanted to talk about.” He jumped off his horse, his gaze locked on the ground. “I won’t be staying. There is much to be done, and I need to make sure that everything around New Agenor is safe. I can’t…” He swallowed hard. “I need to keep Melvian safe.”

“Believe me, I understand,” Valda said, looking down at Cerberus, who sat comfortably between them.

“I get you saw your mate?” Isen asked.

“I did.”

“She is training with Eyphah and learning the way of the Asclepius follower with Melvian. She is…” He rubbed his head. “So hardheaded. Spending time with Melvian is making her just as you Skylians.”

Valda chuckled at that, to think that traces of her personality rubbed off on Maris. “I feel there is something else you want to tell me, Isen. Speak.”

“She is up to date with everything that has been happening with us. She… wishes to keep the Sealians away from whatever war is going on.”

“Understandable. I would’ve done the same. Keeping your people safe is crucial.”

“We need more hand to keep our people safe, Your Highness…” Isen said, finally locking eyes with Valda. “I need to keep everyone safe.”

“As do I, Isen.”

Isen pursed his lips, clutching his sword tightly. The man seemed so lost in his own thoughts. Taking a step towards him, Valda took in his tensed shoulders and brow. She squeezed his arm, until he spoke again.

“My mate and I are having twins,” he muttered, a soft curve forming at the corner of his lips.

Valda’s eyes widened, and she exhaled. “Well! That’s wonderful news, Isen! Congratulations!”

Isen didn’t smile as brightly as she thought he would. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

Silence fell between them once more and in between checking their supplies and talking about what they would do next, they both jumped on their horses with Cerberus snugged inside Valda’s bag. They would head back to Cressida, where they would send yet another message to Harmonia, hoping that by some miracle Kayden would answer back.

Kayden was still nowhere to be found, and she feared the worst. Maybe he never got the letter, maybe he arrived at Oberon castle and Arwin killed him. He could’ve been dragged to serve the new queen of the Vulcan Kingdom, Kenna Hagan. Maybe he even joined their army willingly.

No, Kayden loved her like a sister. He must know something was amiss. She would never harm a king or queen unprovoked, but what if he believed Arwin’s lie claiming that the late Vulcanian king killed her mother?

Valda decided it would be best to not think about Kayden and focus on pooling more resources. Sending a large troop to Puck, a small town near Ophelia, would be her best bet if she wanted to keep an eye on Arwin .

According to reports, Arwin’s army had also been moving into Umbriel, possibly looking for her. Many of his men had already perished by Vulcanian forces.

Good.

The Vulcanians were out for blood, Skylian blood, and Valda doubted they cared if those they killed were with her or with Arwin.

But the enemy of her enemy was her friend, and if she could get a hold of Kenna, then maybe the balance could be shifted. Maybe there was a chance they could win the war. Isen had revealed how Maris didn’t want to get involved in the war, how she wanted to keep her people safe. But that wasn’t for her to decide. As long as Maris was alive, and the Sealians were in Skylian territory, they would have to decide who they would fight for.

If the Sealians already pledged their loyalty to Arwin and Eris, then they would be required to join forces with Arwin. And if they refused to do so, they would be digging their own graves.

With Valda’s strength, and Kenna’s firepower, she wouldn’t need to involve Maris and the other Sealians. She could march right into Oberon Castle and take back what was rightfully hers. But first she needed to find Kenna.