Banand glanced at me, something unreadable in his expression. “Araquiel is one, is she not?”

I nodded. “She gave us the exact location of where you were being held.”

Rokath cocked his head to the side. “Was she one of your jailers?”

“Aye,” Banand replied a little too quickly. He looked away from us all like he was considering his next words.

“She was the only kind one,” Zurronar added, attention lingering on Banand for a moment before returning to us. “She was the only one who remembered to feed us regularly.”

Rokath dropped his hands and drummed his fingers on the table. His mind tumbled through a rapid series of thoughts, and I blocked him out before he gave me a fucking headache.

Besides, he didn’t see what truly was happening here. “When did your relationship turn into more?” I asked Banand.

He choked, whipping his head to me. “How did you know?”

“Males,” I muttered under my breath. Then, louder, I said, “The way you two spoke about one another. That she wanted me to pass a message onto you. The way you looked away from us.”

Four sets of eyes stared at me. I rolled my own. “Clearly there is more than one reason to have females in the army. None of you are nearly perceptive enough.”

Rokath snorted, but a tendril of pride slipped down our bond. Before he or Trol could question Banand further, one of the sentries stationed outside stuck his head in, holding a rolled up piece of parchment. “Message for you, Halálhívó.”

Rokath waved him in, and he knelt as he proffered it to the leader of the Demon army. I leaned closer, trying to glimpse the contents as he unrolled it. A muscle ticked in his jaw as he scanned the letter. Then, he snapped it shut again and faced the room.

“My mate is correct. Which is why we need to travel to Fured as soon as possible and retrieve all our new recruits. Thank you for your service and your perseverance. After the war, I will ensure you both are handsomely rewarded for your efforts. Until then, you are dismissed.”

“Yes, sir,” Banand and Zurronar said, rising to their feet.

I nudged him in the ribs, and he offered me a sideways look that said ‘we’ll talk later.’

Trol too rose, needing to attend to a few of the people in his battalions. The three fell into conversation as they returned to the camp beyond. As soon as the flaps closed behind them, Rokath let out a heavy sigh.

I wiggled in my chair until I faced him, waiting for him to speak.

“That was Xannirin and Kiira’s response to my previous letter,” he finally said, staring off into the distance, mind working in overdrive.

“And?”

“And they will both meet us in Fured with some females for the army.”

A grin split my face in two, but Rokath seemed less than enthused. My excitement quickly faded. “What’s wrong?”

At last, Rokath shook himself from his reverie and faced me. Grabbing my hands, he tugged me into his lap. He buried his nose in the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply. “You have no idea how much went into setting up society the way it is today, little imposter. While I am grateful you have shown me just how far off the path we strayed, I am still apprehensive to speak with my cousins. It will take time to undo what we spent centuries creating.”

I reached around and scratched the back of his neck. “It’s a good thing Demons live for millenia then.”

He picked his head up, showing me the depth of his emotion. “Only if we win this war.”

I swallowed hard. “You will. We will.”

“I am trying to believe that again,” he admitted quietly. To see my strong, confident mate so shaken by what had occurred the last few weeks reached between my ribs and slashed into my tattered heart. The one he was slowly healing with each action he took to right the wrongs of our society simply because I asked him to. Because now he believed it was the right thing to do.

“Some time away will do you good too,” I murmured, rubbing the thick scruff on his jaw.

He nodded, then tilted his face into my palm and kissed it. “Just because you went on a mission yesterday doesn’t mean you can slack off on training today. It will take your mind off everything too.”

I slid from his lap as he stood. “Will it also take your mind off everything?” I arched a brow as I looked up at him.

He huffed. “Yes, it will help me too.”

I offered him a genuine smile. “Then I’m ready.”

He whistled at Grem and Zeec, and then the four of us wound our way through the camp, finding a training ring filled with males. This time, they didn’t look down their noses at me, or offer me disdain-filled glares. For the first time, whispers of Szélhámos reached my ears.

Was I really surprised after all the time spent among them? These males were worse gossips than the girls in my village had been while we were younglings.

Rokath handed me a dagger from his thigh, and when I faced him, I held it just like he’d shown me.

And then, we danced.

OceanofPDF.com

17

Rapp remained suspended between life and death for days. While he fought for each fucking breath, Trol and I planned for the future. With the officers, we decided who needed to remain on the front lines and who needed to travel with us to Fured for a much needed respite. We’d also planned how to dig in and hold this position until we returned. The males boasting powerful eye colors from ruby to burgundy had been training for months and would be an asset to the next phase of this war. And the females who’d be joining their units would be leaders in their own way, ushering in the next phase of our society.

What loomed larger than any single front was that I still had to explain myself to Xannirin and Kiira.

Their joint raven had relayed their imminent departure to the military academy. If the Kral and the High Priestess both thought it necessary to speak in person, it would be a serious conversation indeed. But it was one that needed to happen. Xannirin would be pissed at the loss, of that I was certain. Kiira would be pleased that I’d finally accepted Assyria as my mate.

How they would take to my new plans for integrating females in the army was a mystery. I could see their reactions scattering in a myriad of ways.

At least they are bringing them without much fight.

The sun beat down upon us as we rushed through the camp, the meeting that had been interrupted by a messenger entirely forgotten. A breeze whipped the burgundy scarf from Assyria’s dark hair as she half-jogged in front of me, even more desperate to see for herself that Rapp lived than I was.

All my worries melted as Assyria and I approached the healer’s tent. The canvas was tied back, making it easy for us to duck inside. Fresh air breezed through the space, cooler with the approaching season change.

Propped up by a handful of pillows, yet still so fucking pale, Rapp grinned as we approached. The close crop he kept on either side of his scalp had grown out, and he needed a shave. But he was alive, he was breathing, and he was fucking blinking, which was everything in that moment. Assyria bolted to his side, nearly flinging her arms around him before she snapped back.

The thick white bandage over his chest was a stark reminder of his injury.

“Assyria,” he greeted her warmly. Wincing, he grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

“You promised me nothing would happen to you,” she said firmly, the curves of her mouth dipping into a frown.

Rapp kept grinning. “If I remember correctly, my promise to you was that the Halálhívó and I would not die. As you can see, that didn’t happen.”

Assyria smacked his shoulder and I had to smother a snicker as I approached. “Don’t twist your words,” she admonished him.