I cursed myself for not thinking of this solution sooner. And Xannirin for suggesting we subjugate females in the first place. I knew why we’d shaped society the way we had—and this only confirmed to me that we were in fact walking the right path.

The ability to speak finally returned to me. “How many others know of this?”

Trol lifted a shoulder. “Those who were around perhaps. It’s not quite the level of gossip like you and the Szélhámos were, from my understanding of what the new recruits have told me.”

“We need to make it a bigger deal,” I pronounced, my mind working on how to play into this to motivate the army. “As part of the new orders, they’ll come to the stage so Kiira can bless them. We’ll leave out the part of having to split them up and tell them that after.”

My heart clenched at the thought of parting from Assyria, especially over the distance it would require. And so soon after their bonds snapped into place. But it was a necessary step. “They can have private rooms to themselves until we leave since it will be a…painful goodbye.”

Almost involuntarily, I rubbed the spot where my magic rested. Rapp offered me a look of sympathy. I glared back.

“Who thought you’d find empathy somewhere inside you?” he teased, thumbing his lip.

“I never found it because I don’t have it,” I groused. Trol barked a laugh. “Not you too.”

“You have changed for the better, Rokath.” Trol dropped into his seat, and with a grumble, I sat too. From the edge of the table, he pulled a pitcher of water brimming with pium leaves and poured us all drinks. Not quite the alcohol we would have shared if we were anywhere else, but the symbolism was there nonetheless.

Raising his mug, he said, “Assyria is your perfect match. It’s been an honor seeing the changes in her from our first meeting to now. You are truly blessed by the Giver.”

I clinked the rim of the metal cup against his. “I am indeed.”

Rapp added his to the mix. “It took you long enough to get there. But seeing the two of you work together now…it is something to behold.”

My chest ached for an entirely different reason as I took a long drink. With the miracle leaves, it was refreshing, invigorating, and aided in breathing at such high altitudes. Not to mention when ground and mixed into a potion, it aided all Demon’s innate healing abilities. It was why Rapp still lived.

I’d never been more grateful for a plant.

“So it’s settled then. Rapp will take the southernmost position with a group of fliers. I’ll take the middle with the largest force on the ground, including all those who silently oppose the changes. Trol will take the northernmost position with enough halves of mated pairs to ensure messages get to both of us if he needs help.”

I glanced between the two, who both nodded their agreement.

“Then we’d better start adjusting and preparing to leave. With the Angels this close to the wall and Uzhhorod, we can’t spare any more days.”

Snowdrops dotted Assyria’s ebony braid as she finished readying herself for the ceremony. I sat on our bed, drinking in the sight of my mate.

Mate.

The word struck me like a punch to the gut. After everything I’d done, everything I’d been through, the Fates had still seen to weave me my perfect match.

And she was so much more than that. She was my reason for fighting, the reason I slept at night. She was the haven I returned to time and time again when the weight of my duty dragged me down. The way she had blossomed into the Szélhámos brought me to my knees, ready to worship at her fabled feet.

I craved her every touch, every smile, every spark of fire in her eyes. Even her sharp tongue with those defiant words that ignited a savage blaze in my blood.

She was not a weapon. She was the war itself. A force that should be feared and revered in equal measure. And I would be the male at her side to cut down any who thought otherwise.

So when she faced me, cheeks flushed with excitement, wispy strands of ebony framing her high cheekbones, I was rooted in place. Awestruck that she was mine—in this moment, in all the moments to come.

“What?” she asked, her head tilting to the side.

I wanted to speak, but my lips wouldn’t move. She approached, the sway of her hips tugging on the strings of my sanity. Somehow, I managed to capture her waist and bring her body flush against mine.

“I don’t tell you nearly enough how blessed I am to have you,” I rasped, running my nose along her neck and inhaling her scent. Roses and berries filled my nostrils—a smell I’d willingly drown in, so long as I died knowing it was my mate.

She let out a soft sigh, draping her arms over my shoulders. “You could have broken me. Instead, you helped me bloom.”

My throat thickened. “I was awful to you. At first.”

She pulled back and cupped my face. “And you have more than atoned for that.”

Grasping the back of her head, I pulled her into me. Our mouths met with the passion of a wildfire. Our tongues with the ferocity of a battle. Our wills with a heady mix of love and hate.

Breathless, I broke our kiss. Assyria’s lips were redder than her eyes, swollen from how I’d claimed them. “We’d better go or we’ll be late.”

She offered me an unguarded smile dripping with adoration. “I can’t believe so many mate bonds snapped into place.”

“Nor I, little imposter.” Rising, I adjusted myself. A small laugh escaped Assyria. Threading my fingers through hers, we exited our room. Grem and Zeec trotted on either side of us, tails wagging.

Hushed voices reached us the moment we stepped into the valley. The army—both sexes mingling—had already gathered, their leathers gleaming and collars flipped up. Among them, many of the people of Kohszak stood. Their sturdy wool cloaks hugged their bodies as the wind swept between the peaks. Assyria’s teeth chattered as a shiver wracked her frame.

“We’ll be warmer among the crowd,” I told her.

“You lead the way. I can’t see over everyone,” she replied, stepping behind me. Together, we worked through the throng toward a nearby hillside where Kiira, Rapp, and Trol already waited, along with the newly-mated pairs.

Excited whispers reached my ears as we passed group after group of soldiers. The myth of Assyria and I’s bond had spread faster than a mountain blizzard. At least here, with those under my command, we were succeeding in driving much-needed change.

Discordant caws sliced the air as we ascended the hill. Our gazes jerked to the cloudy sky, where three black dots stood in stark contrast to the grey. Assyria sucked in a sharp breath. Kiira too lifted her head, mouth parting and silent words passing her lips.

We joined the High Priestess in surveying the gathered as the birds drifted out of sight. A mosaic of red reflected back from the sea of faces. My attention sliced to the pairs kneeling on a makeshift platform below us. Dug into the hillside, upheld by the magic of a handful of former priestesses, the dozen were visible to all.

Kiira’s black dress billowed as another breeze swept through the valley. She waited until the wind died before lifting her arms wide and high. “Come now and bear witness to the divine weavings of the Fates.”

A hush fell over the army.

“The three have brought us more blessings with the bonds between these brave soldiers,” she began, sweeping toward the mates. “By their holy will, they are shaping our lives, our victory, that we may rise unified in our new order.”

Rounding them, she came to stand beside Assyria and me. My mate straightened her spine. “If it weren’t for the path they wove for the Halálhívó and the Szélhámos, these pairs would have never met. Their threads would not have become one. Their lives would have been like drinking from an empty glass.”