And I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from slaughtering them all, no matter the cost. They’d hurt her once, and they’d never lay a hand on her again. She was mine to protect, to crave, to love. I’d been an asshole to her for too long, and I wanted to atone for my behavior.

Then there was the matter of Banand—the burgundy-eyed Demon with the power to create targeted plagues. According to Assyria, the Angels held him and Zurronar, a maroon-eyed Parancsok with blood magic, prisoner in their camp, along with half a dozen others.

The risk of them pressing their advantage and forcing Banand to create another pestilence was enormous. It had been incredibly effective the first time, and they’d already wiped out another mass of us. As much as I hated to admit it, Zahal Ishim had played his game well in the last year of our war.

“While Assyria was captive, she found that Banand and Zurronar were both still alive.”

The words fell like a warhammer and shattered the silence of my officers. Rapp and Trol already knew, of course, but the Parancsok did not. The seven of them all spoke at once, questions flying from their lips like a volley of arrows. I waited for the noise to die before I spoke again.

“We need to make a plan to free them. With Banand in our possession again, we can retaliate swiftly and severely for our prior losses.”

At the reminder of my sacrifice, a few mouths thinned. Guilt nibbled at my gut, but I smacked it away. Now was not the time, and the emotion had no place in protecting what was mine.

“We need to send scouts in search of where they might be kept. I’d suspect somewhere toward the rear, out of our reach. Gather your best from every battalion, especially the ones with the strongest ability to cover themselves in shadow, and prepare for a survey,” I commanded them, my tone leaving no room for argument.

“Aye, Halálhívó,” they said, though their words were lacking in enthusiasm. Many rifts still needed to be repaired, unfortunately, and that would only come with demonstration of my commitment to our victory. At least this rescue mission would start us on that path.

It would also buy us time for a raven to fly to Uzhhorod with a message for Xannirin and Kiira.

My attention slid to the two Hadvezér, who stood stoically on either end of the table. “Anything else?” I asked the officers. Their response was silence. “Good. We’ll meet again at sundown. You know what you need to do today.”

They departed, grouping up to discuss logistics of their various tasks.

Rapp and Trol remained behind. “We should invite the Angel’s leaders here for a discussion,” I growled, hate rolling like thunder in my voice. “They need to know that I am alive and they do not have the advantage they currently think they have.”

“Aye,” Rapp mused, using his tongue to fiddle with the ring in his lip.

Trol shifted his weight to the side and then rapped the small stone covering Fured against the table. “Parancsok Olet says the training is going smoothly and that control over powers increases by the day.” Olet had departed Uzhhorod with approximately ten thousand males a few weeks prior to our campaign to the north, headed to the military academy to instruct our most powerful recruits. While bodies won wars, powerful magic wielders did too. After what had happened when we split up, my decision seemed infinitely wiser than before.

“Good. Then they can work individually with the females once they arrive.” I tilted my head to the side, then used my opposite hand to give my neck a deep stretch. “I need to draft a letter before the day gets away from me.”

“I’ll leave you to it,” Trol said, collecting his sword from a nearby table and reattaching it to his hip. “I’ll ensure that the soldiers don’t spend too much time grousing about the evolution of our army.”

“Thank you,” I said, and he offered me a closed-fisted salute before sweeping into the square beyond the command center.

Rapp tugged two chairs from the wall and jutted them against the wood. With a sigh, I plopped into one and grabbed a slip of parchment and stick of charcoal from the heap. I stared at the page for a long moment, wondering where to begin.

“All you need to say is that Assyria’s pussy changed you from a cold, broody bastard into one who would sacrifice fifty thousand males for her life,” Rapp chuckled, shoving at my shoulder.

I shot him a glare.

“And then your second sentence can be something along the lines of how her mouth made you see stars, also known as females joining the army to take the place of all the soldiers that died.”

A warning growl rumbled in my throat.

“Don’t forget to add that the old you isn’t completely gone, and that you’re ready to strangle me for teasing you. Otherwise, they’d worry that something really bad had happened.”

The charcoal in my hand snapped in two. “Fucking Fates.” I tossed them onto the parchment with more than a hint of frustration. “Do you need to be here?”

He tipped his head back and laughed. “Absolutely. I was deprived of opportunities to rib you for weeks.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

“For what it’s worth, Rokath, I’m glad you came to your senses. Assyria is an incredible female. All she needs is someone to let her flourish.”

I blew out a long breath. “I plan on being the male that stands beside her as she blooms. Starting with this.” Then, I picked up the longer broken piece and drafted my confession to my cousins.

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4

Energy returned to my aching limbs after days in bed. Though the time felt more like weeks after the disorienting trek through the desert. At least here, there was an abundance of water. I’d never appreciated the cool, crisp taste of it before. I’d never take it for granted again.

With a groan, I rolled out of bed and onto my feet. Rokath was notably absent. The demands of running an army pulled him away more and more after his reappearance. From a pitcher perched on the small dining table, I poured myself some yellow juice and drank it down in three greedy gulps. Thirst quenched, I grabbed a cold roll and tore into it.

Grem and Zeec didn’t so much as flick an ear or crack an eye. Their chests rose and fell in a steady rhythm. The loyal hounds were as exhausted as me. The short outing to support Rokath as he addressed the males had taken a toll, leaving me bedridden for another day.

But if I continued to lie here, I’d lose what edge I’d gained while training with Rokath.

And that was unacceptable, especially now that he’d sworn to integrate females into the army. To hold him to that promise, though, I needed to insert myself in it, starting sooner rather than later.

I wouldn’t let him go back on his word. Not when it was so important to me. Not when I’d dreamed of a mate who would empower me rather than keeping me hidden.

The Fates had never been kind to me, and I still didn’t trust that this wasn’t part of their design to veil me again.

I tugged my worn leathers, still faintly smoky, and finished the last of my small meal. “Come,” I told the dogs, who obeyed, albeit with much grumbling. Each rose from the firm mattress, stretching their long legs before shaking out their shaggy black fur.

Zeec nudged into my hand, and I scratched behind his ears.

I thought emerging from within the quiet confines of our abode would be a powerful act. Yet the tension in the air was apparent immediately. While the black tents in the center were relatively protected and removed from scrutiny, it wasn’t far enough to avoid the shouts of anger that drifted in from the square where my life had taken a hard turn. Multiple times now, in fact.

Tuning into the magic of my mating bond, I sensed Rokath not too far from here, in the command center. With Grem and Zeec glued to my sides, we made the short trek and entered through the back. Passing the throne of bones upon which Rokath had sat when our eyes collided and our fates were irrevocably changed, I found him and Rapp crowding the map of Keleti.