Upon our return, I’d had all our clothing thoroughly cleaned, ensuring that not a single grain of sand remained in the fabric. Yet seeing her in something so standard issue gave me pause.

She needed more. She needed to be more if any of this was going to work.

Now was not the time to plan for that, though.

“What are you doing out of bed?” I asked her, though my tone was more concerned than chastising.

She strode forward, tucking her long hair behind her pointed ears. The rest tumbled freely to her waist, shiny and clean. Yet under her eyes, dark circles clung like purple reminders of her exhaustion.

“I’m here to stand beside you, as your mate. You don’t have to face anything alone anymore, remember?” she quipped. Despite her fatigue, that snark remained.

The corners of my mouth twitched. I didn’t know if I wanted to send her away to rest or to kiss her for choosing to join me.

Assyria must have sensed my internal battle because she huffed. “I think we’re past the point of pretending that you can’t let anyone in, that you can’t show weakness to anyone. Maybe you don’t show it to them, but you show it to me.” Her voice remained strong and steady, and she offered me a fierce look that said she wasn’t backing down.

Not like she ever did when it came to me.

A memory of our first meeting flashed through my mind. How she’d crossed her arms and refused to give me her name. Threatened to kill me or herself to end the situation the Fates had forced us into.

I fucking loved that fire in her.

My hands flexed at my sides as I weighed her words. Despite my instincts telling me to squash what I was feeling and hold the burden of everything onto my own, I peeled my fingers off the hilt of control and accepted what she was offering.

Because she was right.

“Keep doing this.” I’d need her help to continue to correct this defensive behavior. To learn how to feel again.

“Deal,” she said, stepping forward and flattening her palms on the metal plates covering my chest. “Just tell me what you need me to do, and I will do it.”

“Stand by my side. Harsh words will fly, but don’t let them affect you. Try your best to watch that smart mouth of yours,” I told her, amusement threading my tone.

Her answering grin was full of mischief. “You know I’ve never been good at that.”

“Precisely why I should send you back to our tent,” I growled. Draping an arm around her shoulders, I steered her toward the map room.

“Don’t you think it’s funny you have such a temper, and I can’t swallow my words?” she asked, a lightness to her tone aimed at soothing my fears.

“I don’t think ‘funny’ is the word I’d use to describe it,” I grumbled as we entered together. Rapp and Trol looked up from their conversation.

“Ready?” Rapp asked me, attention flickering to Assyria at my side.

“As I’ll ever be.” I tugged at the underside of my helmet, ensuring it was perfectly in place.

Nodding, he and Trol slipped outside, both releasing sharp whistles. The cacophony of noise died down instantly.

Beside me, Assyria squared her shoulders. She gave a small dip of her chin, letting me know she was ready. Dragging in a breath, I straightened, towering above the ground. Then, I flung back the flap and stomped into the light.

To add an extra level of intimidation, I dove into the well of ebony shadows in my chest and pulled inky tendrils to my arms and feet. Assyria did the same, and together we settled onto the platform that always stood in the center of the war camp, demonstrating the depths of our Giver-blessed power together.

Rapp and Trol came to stand a few paces behind the two of us. All around, soldiers knelt in deference, though more than a few pairs of eyes bored into me, hints of distrust and hostility peeking through.

I noted their positions. They’d be the most difficult to convince and might require additional persuasion.

“Rise,” I commanded, and like a wave, the males crested.

“This gossip about why I returned without my battalions stops now.”

Furious whispers crackled through the crowd. I let out a low growl, magic tightening at my feet. “Anyone who dares speak again before I am finished will find themselves tied to the pole and preparing for a lashing.”

Silence reigned.

I inhaled deeply, chest expanding against the metal plates, as I prepared to report what had occurred. “Your brothers fought bravely, beating those fucking fanatics back day by day and slaughtering them by the thousands. Until we reached a salt flat where the path narrowed.”

The knock of my boots against the wood echoed in the space between my words as I walked a slow circle around the platform. Each section received equal measures of my attention.

And equal measures of my scrutiny.

“What I did not know was that the Angels have been taking prisoners for a long time. These prisoners shared with the Angel leadership that I had brought a female along with me.”

A voice caught my attention, and I tilted my head to the side, eyes narrowing on the offender. “Do you have something you wish to say?” I snarled in his direction.

Those around him took healthy steps back. His jaw clenched as he advanced. “I knew that fallen would only bring us trouble.”

Heat licked its way up my spine. I snapped at the closest Százados. “Bring him here.”

Without hesitation, the officer dragged him out of the crowd. As the male fought him, another Százados jumped in, and together they hauled him onto the platform.

“Secure him to the post.” He wasn’t the only dissenter, of that I was certain. But he would be the first to suffer.

Rapp, Trol, and Assyria stepped to one side while I grabbed the cane. Normally, I’d start with the nine-tailed whip, but I was going to put a stop to this here and now.

The Százados stripped him, leaving his back bare. Like a predator stalking its prey, I approached him. “That,” I paused two steps from him, returning my attention to the spectators, “is my fucking mate.”

A collective intake of breath swept through the camp.

I twisted back, letting the cane whistle through the air. Sweat broke out on the soldier’s back. Then, I swung.

The crack resounded through the quiet. A red mark bloomed immediately. To his credit, the male didn’t cry out or beg for a reprieve.

“And anyone who dares to speak ill of her will receive this same punishment.”

The second blow landed with as much force as the first. Another welt appeared. More salt slicked off him as he tightened his grip on the leather straps. Assyria watched on, unflinching, as I delivered the blows.

“I apologize, Halálhívó. Had I known, I would not have made such an insinuation,” he gritted out after the third strike.

“No, you wouldn’t have.” I landed two more blows in quick succession, and then motioned for the Százados to release him. He slumped in their arms as they dragged him back into formation.

I faced the crowd again, and Assyria returned to my side, arms crossed casually over her chest. “Does anyone else wish to speak?”

Only cold, stoic expressions greeted me.

“Good. Then I shall continue.”

Keeping the cane in hand, I resumed my slow circle of the platform. “They took Assyria and offered me an exchange. Her life or theirs.”

A moment passed. Then another. The males stared at me, and I started to think that the revelation was landing more like a dusting of sand and less like the strike of a hammer.

My delusion shattered a moment later, along with the silence. Anger, like an unstoppable wildfire, blazed in all directions. Shouts rang out, fingers pointed accusingly in my direction. Százados and Vezető yanked soldiers out of formation while Parancsok screamed at the remainder, trying to quell the unrest.

One male broke through the madness and stomped toward the platform. Instinctively, I surged closer to Assyria, magic coiling tight around my fists. Her expression never changed, but the darkness pooling around her tensed.