Page 14

Daimon

Daimon paused the moment he realized Evelina didn’t emerge behind Lyria. His skin prickled with heat, and his heart raced at her nearness. He hoped he hadn’t looked as off-kilter as he’d felt when he and Keir found Evelina in the tunnel. The moment he saw those bright hazel eyes, he felt like his world turned upside down. But when he realized she wouldn’t look at him—only at Keir—he felt the heaviness of the guilt that came along with not returning.

And now she would be coming with him to the very border he had chosen to stay at. The moment Queen Embry suggested Evelina should be one of the Alpha Fleet’s healers, the memory of Jarrett being cut open with a rebel’s sword flashed into his mind.

If anything happened to her…

“Come on, we can still manage a quick rest before sunup, Dai,” Keir grumbled. His eyes drifted to where Daimon’s focus was set on the opposite end of the tunnel.

His ears strained for her footsteps. Just as his heart began to race, he heard the light, quick pattern of her steps—a cadence he didn’t realize he still knew the rhythm of. His shoulders relaxed, but it wasn’t until her face peeked around the corner that he assured himself she was okay.

“Don’t stick around on my account.” She shot him an icy look, gaze narrowed and lips pressed into a thin line. Her eyes blazed with sparks of anger.

He opened his mouth, but couldn’t find the words. What was there to say after he never returned home all those years ago? Her choice of words about waiting on her wasn’t lost on him. His stomach twisted at her glare.

It took everything in him not to grab her hand and make sure she was real. To touch her, to feel her hand in his. She was so different, but still so much the same that it took his breath away. He couldn’t help but to be curious, to want to know this version of her.

Daimon cleared his throat and said, “Keir and I can walk you back to the palace.”

Keir snorted and started to walk away. The corner of Evelina’s mouth tilted down, and his gaze tracked the movement of her lips, but she was already looking beyond his shoulder. She quickly shuffled past Daimon to follow behind Keir.

But even as she moved to brush past him, he couldn’t help leaning in—just slightly.

He couldn’t stand it—he hated that this was their first conversation after all this time. It nearly drove him to madness, his anger rearing its head to match hers.

He shook his head—pushed the daydreams away—and followed after her.

The walk back felt longer than usual to Daimon. He lingered behind Evelina as they walked through the forest, her arm looped through Lyria’s. She was quiet and lost within her mind, while Lyria’s dainty laugh drifted back to him every few moments.

“Did I miss it already?” a deep, unfamiliar voice asked as they neared the palace .

“Senna knew and not me?” Lyria turned to Evelina, slamming to a halt.

Evelina grimaced apologetically and waved to the Woodland as he jogged up to her. His hair was a dusty brown, tied into a low knot. He was long-limbed, slender but lean. He wore the leathers that most of the soldiers wore, but there was gold thread sewn into the cuffs of his sleeves. A commander, then.

His smile was relaxed, somehow looking fully at ease. He slung an arm around Evelina’s shoulders, the familiarity in his touch making Daimon’s stomach twist.

Evelina recounted the ceremony for him, his gaze intensely set on her.

“Senna can walk them back,” Keir said with a yawn. He looked up. The sky was beginning to light with the soft glow of the sun rising. “We’ll be lucky to get an hour of rest before it’s time to pack up.”

Senna turned toward them as if noticing their presence for the first time.

“Keir,” he said with a grin. He walked over to him, shaking his hand. “You’re headed back to the border from what I hear.”

It wasn’t a shock Keir would know this soldier; he was the war commander, after all. But something prickled in Daimon’s chest regardless.

“We’ll need your unit to be fully prepared along the Andronicus,” Keir responded. “Think you can handle that?”

Senna nodded, his shoulders set and eyes confident. He turned to Daimon next, sticking his hand out. Daimon hesitated, but clasped his hand. “I’m Senna, commander of the western naval fleets.” His eyes dropped to Daimon’s uniform. “Rider, I take it?”

“Commander of the Alpha Fleet.”

Senna’s eyes widened and briefly flicked over his shoulder to where Evelina stood. He nodded and spun back to Lyria and Evelina. “I can meet you later?—”

“Thanks for walking us back to the palace, Senna,” Evelina said quickly.

Keir released an appreciative sigh, yawning again. “We’ll see you at first light, Princess Evelina.”

Senna paused, his eyes lingering on Daimon. But Evelina and Lyria were already walking back toward the palace, and he spun around to catch up with them.

Daimon’s chest tightened as he watched the three of them walk away.