Page 47

W e had spent the last week combing through the Kotova grimoire and the one we had found in the library. We hadn’t had any luck when it came to the immortality spell Donika had marked Annelise with.

I had continued to train with Annelise, my magic coming easily to me during our sessions together.

There were times when my eyes swirled with my magic, and I could taste the bloodlust that had once consumed me at the battle in Prins.

I wasn’t sure what the repercussions of this magic were, but I didn’t have time to over analyze it.

Annelise didn’t know, either.

She wasn’t as powerful as I was, but there were times when I could see cobalt swirling in her own gaze.

She wasn’t immune to the magic, either. Despite being bound, Stormshade magic was a balance of give and take.

It was still unpredictable. We had done all we could to prepare. The rest was in the Mother’s hands.

Tomorrow, we would begin our march against Akra.

It would take us two days’ time to travel to The Stone Palace and breach its walls. The resistance would meet us on the plains of Siraleth and cross The Shadow with us in force.

We were in the library, moving the figurines across the map and finalizing our battle plans.

My anxiety was at an all-time high, and I knew I wouldn’t get any sleep tonight.

I had already packed my bag, my outfit and Stormslayer all set out for tomorrow.

I would also carry a sword on my back, and my throwing knives. I would be armed to the hilt.

I had my magic… but it was a blade that would take Donika’s life.

Kenna and Saanvi had brought a large bottle of brown liquor into the library with us and we sipped on it.

The tone in the room was both excited and bleak at the same time…

if that was even possible. We were anxious to dethrone Donika and put an end to her reign of tyranny, but we hadn’t found a way to save Annelise yet.

I tried not to think about it, but my thoughts kept drifting back to her over and over again.

We had initially not wanted her to be a part of the contingent that would breach the castle, but with a piece of Donika’s soul living inside her, her presence was needed there.

Zion also wanted to go, but I insisted one parent was plenty.

We couldn’t afford to have any last-minute regrets and anyone changing their minds .

Donika might be a monster, but she was also their daughter. This would be difficult enough without both Annelise and Zion in the room with us.

We knew she would have Noctani protecting her, so we had selected fifteen of us to infiltrate the castle.

Some of the passageways were narrow, only allowing for us to pass through single file.

We also needed someone to lead us through them, and nobody knew them as thoroughly Annelise did.

While Nik couldn’t be with me, Puck would, and he had promised to lay down his life for me should the need arise—despite my stern objections.

Tess would be with me, too.

Zion, Nik, Saanvi, and Kenna would lead our forces on the battlefield, across the open plains before The Stone Palace.

Annelise, Tess, Puck, Alastir, Amiyah and nine hand-picked soldiers from the resistance would join me in the hidden passageways, hoping to take out Donika before the battle became too bloody.

There was no way Donika would meet us out on the battlefield head on. She might think herself the most powerful Shade to ever exist, but she was also proud. She wouldn’t risk being slain among her soldiers in the dirt. If she was going down… it would be on her throne she had fought so hard to keep.

The throne she sacrificed so much to obtain in the first place.

I kicked my feet up on the table, sufficiently exhausted from battle planning. I sipped the brown liquor Saanvi had handed me and it had a bite to it, but was smooth going down. Maybe it would help me sleep.

We had gone over the plan over and over again until it was seared into all of our brains. I couldn’t help but think I should have been breaching the castle with Isaac by my side. I hoped he would approve of our plans, and come tomorrow, his death would not have been in vain.

Nik would also have to face his father.

He had seen him while he was Noctani, but there was only a sliver of his consciousness present at the time.

If Zachariah didn’t surrender, he would be killed among the other soldiers.

Despite their turbulent relationship, it would be no easy feat.

Just as I knew that when the time came, driving Stormslayer through Donika’s heart would be difficult. Despite my hatred for her.

“I want to thank you all,” Zion spoke, clearing his throat.

He raised his glass in a toast. “Thank you for entrusting me with the position of leading the resistance. I know that nobody could ever fill Isaac’s place, but I tried my hardest to make him proud.

The day after tomorrow, we will see an end to the bloodshed and sacrifice that has plagued this realm for the last decade.

We will see the rightful heir take her place on the throne of Istmere.

I propose a toast to honor Isaac and the true queen, Diana. ”

He kneeled before me and I tried to pull him up, to no avail.

I laughed, but my face sobered as the others kneeled as well.

I wasn’t sure how to feel, my friends and family on their knees before me.

Their heads bowed—their glasses raised. I was only a normal girl.

I wasn’t anything special. My destiny had been seen and set in stone long before I had even been born.

“To Diana!” Their cheers rang out, and tears stung the back of my eyes.

Tears of gratitude.

Tears of loss.

Tears of happiness.

Tears of grief.

“And to Tyr!” I called, raising my glass.

The others whooped and hollered, and a smile was gracing Amiyah’s lips when my gaze landed on hers.

“Cheers to the resistance!” Nik called, shooting back the brown liquor in one gulp and grabbing the bottle to refill everyone’s glass.

“To the resistance!”

These eight people had become my family, and I was so, so lucky to have them. My gaze fell on each of them as we laughed, memorizing their smiles. Their eyes. The lines of their faces.

Tomorrow wasn’t promised, and I prayed we would all make it out to see the other side.

These people, this realm, had sacrificed enough.

My gaze fell on Annelise last, a silent prayer running through my mind to the Mother.

That she would show us a way to save her.

That despite everything… I couldn’t do this without her.

Nik kneeled beside my chair, leaning into me.

His cheeks were flushed from the alcohol.

I ran a hand through his hair and placed a soft kiss against his cheek.

His was the face I wanted to memorize most of all.

As if reading my thoughts, he stood, his glass in one hand, his other extended out towards me.

“I think it’s time we get some rest, My Queen.”

“I’m not your queen yet.” I laughed, allowing him to pull me from the chair and against him, his arm sliding around my waist.

“You have always been my queen,” he whispered in my ear.

I gave him a playful push before turning towards the group.

“I can’t thank you all enough for joining me on this mission.

For being by my side every step of the way.

For putting the good of this realm before everything else.

You are my family. The debt I owe you all can never be repaid.

” A tear slipped down my cheek, but I hastily brushed it away with the back of my hand. “What I’m trying to say is… thank you.”

I almost burst into tears right then and there, my gaze falling on each of them as they smiled back at me.

“That’s enough liquor for you,” Nik said with a laugh, plucking the glass from my hand.

We all fell into a fit of laughter as he led me from the library, the door closing behind us and enveloping us in the quiet of the hallway.

I could still hear the laughter and clinking of glasses through the door.

I let Nik turn me from the library, leading me down to his bedroom, which he opened with his back, leading me inside.

My breath caught in my throat as I took in the room before me. A fire roared in the grate. Red rose petals were strewn from the doorway to the bed, where they were scattered among the black silk sheets. There was a bottle of champagne resting against the pillow .

“What is all this for?” I asked, quirking my brow at him.

“We never had a proper honeymoon,” he answered, a smile curving across his lips.

I turned to him with an incredulous smile, eyes wide. “Maybe that’s because we aren’t married… ”

“After our binding ceremony, I mean,” he said, grabbing the champagne off the bed and popping the top off.

He didn’t bother with glasses—he took a sip straight from the bottle and handed it to me. I did the same.

He smiled down at me and that dimple in his cheek popped, his throat bobbing. He grabbed the champagne bottle back from me, taking another sip before resting it on the nightstand behind me.

“Our last night together as fugitives,” I said, placing my hands against his chest and peeling the jacket off his shoulders.

“Mmm,” he hummed, “I quite like being a criminal.”

“I’m sure you’ll still find some laws to break,” I said, running my hands underneath his T-shirt.

He shivered at the cold touch of my fingers, his gaze heating.

His hand captured the back of my neck and pulled me closer, his mouth close enough to mine that I could taste his breath on my lips. My eyes met his, and I could read so much emotion through them as he sent those feelings down the bond.

Warmth.

Love.

Want .

I could sense through the bond his growing need as his eyes narrowed, his lips parting. His gaze held mine for another moment, the tension so taut between us it was electric before he captured my mouth with his.