Xander

There is a intense battle taking place between Day, a massive grey wyvern, and Liam, Violet's friend. Violet is trying to protect Liam and keep him safe while they are caught in the middle of the battle. Unfortunately, Day is losing and eventually crashes into the ground, resulting in his death. Violet and Liam manage to reach Day's body, but Liam is gravely injured and dying. Despite their efforts, there is nothing they can do to save him. Liam asks Violet to take care of his sister, Sloan, before passing away in Zayden's arms. Violet promises to fulfill his request. There's no time for evasive maneuvers, it's seconds away, but Red fills my vision and Day is there, driving into the side of the massive grey beast. There's no breath of relief as the collision sends Liam hurtling off Day's back and across the base of Tarn's neck at breakneck velocity. I catch his scrambling hands as he slides by and hold on, a cry escaping as my shoulders pop and subluxate from the strain of catching his weight, and Tarn pitches in a sharp turn to follow Day. Hold on, grimacing, Liam crawls forward on his elbows despite the impossible angle, then grasps the pommels of the saddle. I throw myself over him, sheltering his head and holding on with everything I have as Tarn rolls and banks to keep close, but clear of Day and the massive grey wyvern. Locked in battle only a few feet away, their talons shred through the scales of the other amid snapping teeth and Day's catastrophic roars of pain. They're too close for me to act, and there's no guarantee I'll hit the wyvern and not Day with my lightning. There's nothing I can do but secure Liam. Grabbing the lap belt I never use, I wind it around Liam's torso and buckle it. That should hold you until we can get you back to Day, but I can't wield without hitting him, I yell as wind whips around us. The agony in his eyes steals my breath. Why did you do that? I cry, my fingers searching for purpose on his leathers to pull him closer. I settle for the back of his hollering gangly, why would you risk it? God, if anything happens to them, his gaze collides with mine. That thing was going to take a chunk out of Tarn. You saved my life, and now it's my turn. No matter what you think of me for keeping secrets, we're friends, Violet. Response is impossible as Tarn rolls again, lifting Liam's entire body, and the leather belt slips to just under his arms. I fist my hands in the back of his slight leathers, but there's not much to grab onto. Heart beats fast and I can't breathe, can't think past the desperation to keep Liam safe, until Tarn levels out again, trying to stay as close as he can to Day without risking any of us in the process. But then, Day's scream slices me to the bone as the two lock into a dive. Can't you do something? I beg Tarn. Working on it, he pitches right and plummets, positioning himself around the downward spiraling duel to strike. It should be us fighting for our lives, not Liam and Day. And god, Day is losing, which means Liam- My throat constricts. No, not going to happen. Get over here! I shout at Zayden. Energy crackles through my hands, but there's no clear target. They're moving too fast. I'm hunting the venom at the walls, he answers. Day is fighting for his life! The heartbeat of terror squeezing my chest like a vice isn't mine, it's Zayden's. If I leave, these civilians are all dead. We're on our own. A quick glance at the field tells me every other dragon is locked in its own battle. Tarn's tail swings out, slamming into the wyvern's hindquarters, and comes away bloody. But the fucking thing doesn't release Day. Its claws flex, burrowing deeper beneath the red's scales. Day! Liam's scream is raw, his voice breaking at the end. Tarn lunges, snapping at the wyvern's shoulder and drawing blood, but it's not enough. He swings around to get a better angle on the wyvern, and the force nearly costs Liam his grip, but the buckle holds. Another riderless wyvern flies at us from the right. On the right! Tarn whips his body faster than I've ever felt and rips out the throat of the new threat, shaking the wyvern like a doll, then releases his jaws and lets the thing fall hundreds of feet to the mountainside below. Then Tarn dives to catch up with Day and the wyvern as they race toward the ground. Dread settles in my chest, ominous and heavy. We're on our way, Zayden says, but it'll be too late. Violet! Liam shouts over the wind, and I rip my attention from the gruesome battle alongside us as we spiral downward. We have to take out the riders! I know, I reply. We will! He just needs to hang on. They boast you. No, I mean, that's not... Tarn lunges again, and we're thrown sideways as he rips another hole in the wyvern's wings with his teeth, raking down its tail with his talons. But the creature has Day in a death lock. Its wings are shredded now. But it doesn't seem to care as its claws dig into Day's underbelly, like it's willing to mindlessly die to make the kill. It's going to be alright, I promise Liam, wind stinging my teeth. It has to be alright, even though the ground rushes at us closer and closer each second. It just... has to be. Day screams again, the sound weaker and higher-pitched than the last. It's a cry. We have to pull up, Tarn warns. He's dying! Liam lunges across Tarn's back, reaching for his dragon, as if so he can touch the red dagger tail one last time. Just hold! I start, but Day's shriek of pain closes my throat, strangling the words. He's being eviscerated, and there's nothing we can do. The wyvern roars in victory, a heartbeat before they crash into the hillside with a sickening thud. The wyvern limps away on its hind legs, and the talons that tip its wings. Day doesn't move. Liam's raw scream shatters my heart, and Tarn flares his wings, banking hard to keep us from the same gruesome fate. Day! Tarn's grief blasts through my body as he streams fire at the wyvern's retreating back, and Andarna's cry fills my head. No! It's Day! Is he... I can't bring myself to finish. He's gone. Tarn reverses course, barreling for the hillside outside the city walls where Day has fallen. No, no, no! That means... Liam! I grab for my friend as we land at speed, Tarn's claws digging into the ground to stop us close to Day's body. You only have minutes, Tarn warns. Day, Liam whispers, falling limp against Tarn's back. I'll get you to him, I promise, already fumbling with the strap's buckle. Day's gone, I cry to Zayden, my voice a trembling mess. Liam is dying! No! I feel his terror, his sorrow, and his overpowering anger wrap around my mind, mixing with my own until it hurts to breathe. We have minutes. We have minutes. Just hold on, I whisper to Liam, fighting not to cry as he looks up at me with those sky-blue eyes, wide with shock and pain. After everything Liam has given up for me, this is the least I can do for him. I can get him to Day the same way I know he would carry me to Tarn or Andarna. Zayden lies down completely, flattening his massive frame as much as possible as I unstrap my thighs. Then I wrap my arms around Liam's bulky frame and we slide down Tarn's side, hitting our feet on the rocky hillside far from the trading post. Day lies a couple of dozen feet away, his body folded at an unnatural angle. This isn't fair. This isn't right. Not Day. Not Liam. They're the strongest of our year. They're the best of us. Can't make it, Liam says, stumbling forward and tripping. I rush to catch him as he goes down, but his substantial weight is too much for me and we both fall to our knees. We can make it, I force out through my tightening throat, trying to hook his arm over my shoulders. We're so close. If a venom comes along, then I'll deal with it. We can't, he crumples against me, sliding down my side. I fall back on my heels and his head lands in my lap as his body goes limp. It's all right, silence, he says, looking up at me, and I shove my goggles on top of my head so I can see him clearer. He's struggling to breathe. It's not all right. I want to scream with the injustice of it, but that won't help. My hand trembles as I slide his riding goggles up to his forehead, then brush his blonde hair back off his forehead. None of this is all right. Please stay. I beg, tears I can't fight rolling unchecked down my cheeks. Fight to stay, please, Liam. Fight to stay. At parapet, his face twists in pain. You have to take care of my sister. Liam, no! I choke on the words as tears clog my throat. You'll be there. I stroke his hair. He's fine. He's physically perfectly fine, and yet I'm watching him slip away. You have to be there. He has to smile at the sister he's missed for years and to flash that dimple of his. He has to give her the stack of letters he's written. He deserves it after all he's been through. He can't die for me. Tear, I cry. Tell me what to do. There's nothing you can do, Silverwater. We both know I won't. Just promise me you'll take care of Sloan. He begs, his eyes searching mine as his breaths grow ragged. Promise. I promise. I whisper, taking his hand and squeezing, not bothering to wipe my tears. I'll take care of Sloan. He's dying, and there's nothing I can do, nothing anyone can do. How can all this power be so fucking useless? The pulse under my thumb flows. Good. That's good. He forces a weak smile, and that dimple makes a faint appearance before his expression falters. And I know you feel betrayed. But Zayden needs you. And I don't just mean alive, Violet. He needs you. Please, hear him out. All right, I nod, fighting to force a watery smile. He could ask for anything right now, and I'd give it to him. Thank you, Liam. Thank you for being my shadow. Thank you for being my friend. He blows at my vision as the tears come faster. It's been... my honor. Liam's chest rattles as his lungs struggle. A gust of wind blows the loosened strands of my brain back from my face. Seconds later, I feel Zayden racing toward us, a torrent of his emotions overwhelming my own. No, Liam! Zayden chokes out as he crouches in front of us, the muscles in his face working to control his expression. But there's no hiding the despair that pushes at our mental connection. Stay. Liam pleads in a strangled whisper, turning his head toward Zayden. I know, brother. Zayden's jaw flexes, and our gazes lock above Liam as tears overflow my eyes. I know. He leans forward and lifts Liam into his arms, then stands, carrying him. I'll take you. He walks slowly across the gravelly terrain to Day's body, saying things I can't hear from where I kneel. The rocks digging into my knees through the fabric of the leather as I watch Zayden say goodbye. Zayden lowers Liam, sitting him against Day's unblemished shoulder. Then kneels beside him, nodding slowly at whatever Liam has said. The cry of a wyvern splits the air above us, and I look up instinctively. A cloud of flapping gray wings moves toward us from higher up the valley. Wyvern. Dozens and dozens of wyvern. Look up at the valley! Liam's head rolls slowly as they both look. Zayden's head bows, and my breath freezes in my lungs as shadows momentarily whip out around him like a blast of menace and sorrow. Seconds later, his soundless, soul-rending scream fills my head with such force that my heart shatters like glass against a stone floor. I don't need to ask. Liam is gone. Liam, who never complained about being my shadow, never hesitated to help, never bragged about being the best of our year. He died protecting me. Oh, gods, and I just asked him if we'd ever really been friends an hour ago. Just one of those beasts managed to kill my friend. What the hell can that many accomplish? A bloodied wyvern dives for us, and Taron throws his wing over me. I hear the sound of his teeth snapping, and a sharp cry above me before his wing retracts. We're targets on the ground, Taron says as the wyvern flies away. Then let's be the ones who hunt! I stumble to my feet in time to see Zayden running my way. Violence! Zayden grasps my shoulders, determination lining his features. Liam told me to tell you that there are two riders with that horde. Why would he tell me and not— An anvil sits on my chest. Because he knew I'd have to be the one who holds off the wyvern as long as possible. He studies my face like he'll never see it again. And I'm the one who can kill them all. It will kill me to wield that many times, but I'm the best shot we have. The best shot he has to survive. You can kill them. He yanks me close and kisses my forehead. There is no me without you, he says against my skin. Before I can react, he turns toward the valley and lifts his arms, throwing up a wall of shadow that consumes the space between the ridgelines. Go. I'll give you as much time as I can. Every second matters, and these are bound to be my last. Our last. In the span of one heartbeat, I look over my shoulder past the heron and see the flaming ruins of the trading post. Townspeople run from the city walls, fleeing the wyvern that's circled above. My stomach drops at our failure. We haven't managed to evacuate all the civilians. At the second leap, I draw a stuttered breath of smoke-laden air as a lone griffon flies through the haze, followed by Garak and Imogen on their dragons. And I can only hope the others are still alive. In the third heartbeat, I turn back toward Liam's and Day's lifeless bodies, and rage floods my veins faster than any lightning strike I've ever wielded. The horde of wyverns behind Zayden's wall will tear into Taryn and Sigail just like Day. And Zayden. No matter how strong he is, Zayden won't be able to hold them forever. His arms already shake with the effort of controlling so much power. I will be the first to die if I'm not exactly what he called me under that tree all those months ago. Violence. There are dozens of wyvern, and one of me. I have to be as strategic as Brennan, and as confident as Meera. I've spent the last year trying to prove to myself I'm nothing like my mother. I'm not cold, I'm not callous. But maybe there is a part of me that's more like her than I care to admit. Because right now, standing near the dead body of my friend and his dragons, all I want is to show these assholes exactly how violent I can be. I pull my goggles down as I turn to Taryn's shoulder, mounting quickly. There's no need to ask him to launch, not when our emotions are aligned like this. We want the same exact thing. Revenge. I buckle the straps across my thighs as Taryn springs upward, taking off with heavy beats of his massive wings. The bloodied wyvern has doubled back, and Taryn flies straight at it. I don't even care if it's the same one that just killed our friends. They're all going to die. As soon as we get close enough, I throw my hands out, letting all my power loose with a guttural scream. Lightning hits the wyvern on the first shot, sending the monster plummeting to the ground near the city walls. But I never see the one coming at us from the left. Not until I feel Taryn's roar of pain. You're all cowards. She'll be alright. The gale's voice is gentler than she's ever deigned to use with me. Then again, she didn't choose me because I needed coddling. She chose me for the scars on my back, and the simple fact that I am the grandson of her second rider, the one who didn't make it through the quadrant. You don't know that she'll be alright. No one does. It's been three fucking days and Violet hasn't woken up. Three never-ending days I've spent in this armchair, walking a knife's edge between sanity and madness, studying every rise and fall of her chest just to be sure she's still breathing. My lungs only fill when hers do, and the time between my heartbeats is filled with sharp, all-consuming fear. She's never looked fragile to me, but she does now. Lying in the middle of my bed, her lips pale and chapped, the ends of her hair duller than their usual blade-like hue. For three days, everything about her has felt as though the life was leeched from her body, only a shadow of her soul left beneath her skin. But today, at least, the morning light shows her cheeks have a little more color along the darker line of her flight goggles than yesterday. I'm a fucking fool. I should have left her at Baskaya, or sent her with Atos, even if it strains to gale and tinner. She never should have suffered the punishment Colonel Atos delivered for a crime she didn't even know I was committing, didn't even suspect. I run a hand through my hair. She wasn't the only one who suffered. Liam would be alive. Liam. Guilt pairs with soul-sucking grief, and I can barely inhale around the pain in my chest. I'd ordered my foster brother to keep her safe, and that order got him killed. His death is on me. I should have known what was waiting for us at Athbean. You should have told her about the venom. I waited for you to impart the information, and now she's suffering. Tarn growls. The dragon is the living, fire-breathing embodiment of my shame. But at least the bond that links the four of us is still in place, even if he can't communicate with her, which means Violet's alive. He can yell at me all he wants as long as her heart's beating. I should have done a lot of things differently. What I shouldn't have done was fought my feelings for her. I should have grabbed onto her after that first kiss the way I wanted, and kept her at my side. I should have let her all the way in. My eyelids scratch like sandpaper each time I blink, but I'm fighting sleep with every bone in my body. Sleep is where I hear her heart-breaking scream, hear her cry that Liam died, hear her call me a fucking traitor over and over. She can't die, and not just because there's a chance I won't survive. She can't die because I know I can't live without her, even if I do. Somewhere between the shock of our attraction at the top of that turret to realizing she risked her own life by giving up a boot for someone else on the parapet that first day to her throwing those daggers at my head under the oak tree, I wavered. I should have realized the danger of getting too close the first time I put her on her back and showed her how easily she could kill me on the mat, a vulnerability I've allowed no one else, but I brushed it off as an undeniable attraction to a uniquely beautiful woman. When I watched her conquer the Gauntlets, then defend Andarna at Threshingen, I stumbled, stunned by both her cunning and her sense of honor. When I burst into her room and found Orin's treacherous hand at her throat, the rage that made it so easy to kill all six of them without batting an eye should have told me I was headed for a cliff. And when she smiled at me after mastering her shield in mere minutes, her face lighting up as the snow fell around us, I fucking fell. We hadn't even kissed, and I fell. Or maybe it was when she threw her knives at Barlow, or when jealousy ate me alive seeing Atos kiss the mouth I'd dreamed about countless times. Looking back, there were a thousand tiny moments that pulled me over the edge for the woman asleep in the bed I always pictured her in. And I never told her. Not until she was delirious with poison. Why? Because I was scared to give her power over me when she already held it all. Because she's Lilith Zoran Gale's daughter. Because she kept giving me those second and third chances. No. Because I couldn't give her those words without being totally, completely honest with her. And after the way she looked at me at the lake, the utter betrayal. The rustle of sheets makes my gaze whip to her face, and I take my first full breath since she fell from Tenen's back. Her eyes are open. You're awake. My voice sounds like it's been dragged across gravel when I thought it had only been my heart. I stagger to my feet and take the two steps that separate me from her bedside. She's awake. She's alive. She's... smiling? It must be a trick of the light. This woman likely wants to set me on fire. Can I check your side? The mattress depresses slightly as I sit near her hip. She nods and stretches her arms up like a cat who's been napping in the sun before reaching for the blankets. Drawing back the covers, I untie the robe covering the short nightdress I changed her into that first evening and slowly lift the hem above the silken skin of her hip, preparing myself for the black tendrils that discolored her veins during the flight but receded slowly since we arrived. There's nothing. Just a thin silver line an inch above her hip bone. Air gushes from my lungs in relief. Miraculous. What's miraculous? She croaks, looking down at her new scar. Shit. I would be a horrible healer. Water. My hand shakes with exhaustion or relief, I don't even care which, as I pour a glass from the pitcher on my bedside table. You must be parched. She pushes herself to sit, then takes the glass, drinking the entire thing down. Thanks. You are... I set the empty glass on the nightstand and then turn back to her, gazing into the hazel eyes that have haunted me since parapet. You are miraculous. I finish in a whisper. I was fucking terrified, Violet. There aren't adequate words. I'm fine, Satan. She says softly, her hand rising to rest above my pounding heart. I thought I was going to lose you. The confession comes out strangled, and maybe it's pushing my luck after all I've put her through, but I can't keep from leaning forward and brushing my lips over her forehead, then her temple. Gods. I'd kiss her forever if I thought it would keep the coming argument at bay, keep us in this one pristine moment where I can actually believe that everything might be alright between us, that I haven't irrevocably fucked up the best thing that's ever happened to me. You aren't going to lose me. She gives me a puzzled look, smiling like I've said something peculiar, and she leans in and kisses me. She still wants me. The revelation makes my heart fucking sore. I take the kiss deeper, swiping my tongue over her soft lower lip and gently sucking on the tender curve. It's all it takes for me to flood my system, hot and demanding. It's always like this between us. The slightest spark sets off a wildfire that consumes every thought that isn't related to how many ways I can make her move. Will I have a lifetime of these moments ahead of us when I can strip her down to her skin and worship every curve and hollow of her body? This is not when she's barely been awake for five minutes. I draw back, slowly releasing her mouth. I'll make it up to you, I promise, holding her delicate hands between my rough ones. I'm not saying we won't fight or you won't want to throw those daggers at me when I'm inevitably an ass, but I swear I will always strive to do better. Make what up to me? She pulls away with an inquisitive smile. I blink as my brow furrows. Has she lost her memories? How much do you remember? By the time we got you here, the poison spreads to your brain and her eyes flare and something shifts, something that sinks my stomach like a rock as she tugs her hands from mine. She glances away and her eyes glaze in that way that tells me she's checking in with her dragons. Don't panic, everything is fine, and Donna isn't quite the same, but she's... her. She's fucking huge now, but I'm not about to say that to Violet. Her gift is also gone, according to Taryn, but there's plenty of time to share that news. Instead, I say... The healer told me he isn't sure what lasting effects the poison might have, because it was something he's never seen, and no one really knows how long it will take to get your memories back if there's any lasting damage, but I'll tell you. She throws up her hand and looks around the room, as if noticing where we are for the first time, then scrambles backward, out of bed, pulling her robe closed. The look in her eyes puts a vice around my chest as she stumbles to the large windows that line my bedchamber. The windows that look out over the mountain this fortress is built upon, down to the valley below, and its line of charred trees marking where the earth was scorched all the way to stone, and the quiet town, which used to be a city, of Orisha beneath us. Now we've worked our asses off to rebuild from a pile of cinder and ruins. Violet, I keep my shields up, trying to respect her privacy as I walk to her side, but gods, I need to know what she's thinking. Her eyes widen as her gaze sweeps over the town, each structure with its identical green roofs, then pauses on the Temple of Amari, which was the most noted landmark besides our library. Where are we? And don't you dare lie to me, she says. Not again. Not again. You remember. I remember. Thank gods. A murmur, shoving my hand into my hair. It's a good thing, proving that she's truly healed, but... Fuck. Where are we? She bites out every word, her eyes narrowing on me. Say it! The way you're looking at me says you already know. There's no way this brilliant woman doesn't recognize that temple. This looks like Orisha. She gestures to the window. There's only one temple with those particular columns. I've seen her drawings. Yes, brilliant fucking woman. Orisha was burned to the ground. I've seen those drawings too, the ones the scribes brought back for the public notices. My mother told me she saw the embers with her own eyes, so where are we? Her voice rises. Orisha. It feels incredibly sane to tell her the truth. We built. We never burned. She turns her back on me, in the process of rebuilding. Why haven't I read about this? I start to tell her, but she holds up a hand, and I wait. It only takes her a minute to work it out too. She points to my rebellion relic and says, Nelgrin can't see the outcome when more than three of you are together. That's why you're not allowed to assemble. I can't help it. I smile. This brilliant fucking woman is mine. Or was mine. Will be mine again if I have anything to say about it. Which I probably don't. I sigh, losing the smile immediately. Fuck. No, I'm not giving up until she tells me to. Things might be complicated, but so are both of us. That, and we're not big enough to warrant the attention of the scribes anymore. We're not hidden. We're just not advertising our existence. Which is also the reason this place is still technically mine. Nobles weren't exactly eager to throw their money at a scorched city, or be taxed on unusable land. Eventually they'll notice. Eventually I'll lose it. Then I'll lose my head. You can know whatever you want. Just ask. She stiffens. Tell me one thing right now. Anything. Is. Her shoulders stutter as she inhales. Is Liam really dead? Liam. A fresh stab of sorrow pierces my ribs. Heartbeats pass in silence as I try to find the right words. But there aren't any. So I take from my pocket the palm-sized, freshly-finished carving of Andarna Liam had been working on. She turns in my direction, her gaze immediately locking on the figurine. And her eyes water. It's my fault. No, it's mine. If I had just told you everything sooner, you would have been prepared. You probably would have schooled us all on how to kill them. My soul breaks all over again when she swipes at twin tears with the backs of her hands. I set the carving in her hand. I know I should have. But I couldn't bear to burn it. We laid him to rest yesterday. Well, the others did. I haven't left this room since we got here. Our gazes collide and it's all I can do not to reach for her. But I know in the last place she'll seek comfort. I haven't left here. Well, you do have a vested interest in my survival. She quips with a watery, sarcastic smile. Give me a second to get dressed and then we'll talk. Kicking me out of my own room. I reach for that sarcastic, teasing tongue that used to be so easy when it came to her. And back away. No one's listening. Now, Ryerson. I can't keep from wincing. She never uses my license. Maybe it's because she doesn't like to remember that I'm Fen Ryerson's son. And all my father cost her. But I've always been Zayden to her. The loss feels like a bottomless abyss. Like a death blow. Bathing chamber is through there. I point to the far wall and stride for the exit. Swinging my sword over my back on the way out. My cousin is leaned up against the wall, talking to Garrick. Who's boasting a new six-inch scar from temple to jaw. They both fall silent as I shut my door behind me. They tense and Garrick stands to his full height. She's awake. Thank Amari. Bodhi says, his shoulders sagging. His arm is still in a sling, recovering from the four places of ending fractured it. She's going to have to choose. I look at Garrick, noting the worry in his eyes. He's already told me he thinks she'll keep our secret. That worry is for my mental state if she doesn't forgive me for not telling her sooner. She'll either keep our secret or she won't. That's something you'll have to figure out, he replies. And then teach her how to hide it from Atos if she chooses. Any word from the Flyers? Saria is alive, if that's what you're asking. Bodhi answers. So is her sister. But the rest, he shakes his head. At least they made it out, and now that Violet is awake, I can finally breathe. You figure out what that box was that Trad was drawn to back at Resin? I ask. Garrick's dragon is remarkably sensitive to runes, which allowed them to locate and retrieve this small iron box beneath the rubble of the clock tower. They're working on it right now. Hopefully we'll have an answer in the next couple of hours. I'm glad she's alright, Satan. I'll tell the others. He nods once and heads down the hall, almost as familiar with the castle's layout as I am. Considering he spent every summer here before the apostasy, or secession as the Nevarians called Dad's Rebellion. Funny how people rename everything that makes them feel uncomfortable. We lost faith that our king would ever do the right thing, and they call us traitors. Bodhi wrinkles his nose. What? You smell like dragon ass. Fuck off. I chance a whiff, and can't argue. I'm using your room. I would consider it a personal favor. I extend my middle finger and head toward his room. An hour later, I'm bathed in impatience as I wait outside my room in a fresh set of leathers with Bodhi, who's doing his best to lighten my mood, just like he always does. When the door opens, and Violet stands there, I nearly swallow my tongue at the sight of her unbound, damp hair curling just under her breasts. I can't even articulate what it is about the strands that pushes me straight into need-to-fuck-her-now territory, and I'm too busy fighting to keep my hands at my sides to question the why of it. She exists, and I get turned on. I've come to accept that particular truth over the last year. Bodhi grins, flashing a smile that looks exactly like my aunt's used to. Good to see you up and about, Serendu. Then he smacks me on the shoulder as he walks off, looking back over his shoulder. I'll fetch the back-up plan. Good luck. Gotta accept the haul of her into my arms, and love her until she forgets everything except how good we are together. But I'm sure that's the last thing she'll ever want again. Come back in, she says softly, and my heart lurches. As long as you've invited me, I walk in, loathing the distrust in her eyes. Whether or not Violet will believe me, I've never lied to her, not once. I've just never been entirely truthful either. Is all this original? She asks, her gaze sweeping over my bedroom. The majority of the fortress is stone, I say as she studies the detailed arches at the ceiling, the natural lighting from the windows that consume the western wall. Stone doesn't burn. Right. I swallow hard. I think after all you've seen, the question I have to ask before I tell you everything is pretty simple. Are you in? Are you willing to fight with us? She could just as easily decide to turn us all in. She didn't know enough to condemn us, but she does now. I'm in. She nods. Relief surges through me in a rush more powerful than anything I can channel from Segale, and I reach for her. I'm so sorry I had to keep... My words die on my tongue as she steps back, avoiding me. Not happening. A world of hurt flashes in those hazel eyes, and I fucking wither. Just because I believe you, and am willing to fight with you, doesn't mean I'll trust you with my heart again. And I can't be with someone I don't trust. Something in my chest crumples. I've never lied to you, Violet. Not once. I never will. She walks over to the window and looks down, then slowly turns back to me. It's not even that you kept this from me. I get it. It's the ease with which you did it. The ease with which I let you into my heart and didn't get the same in return. She shakes her head, and I see it there. The love. But it's masked behind defenses I foolishly forced her to build. I love her. Of course I love her. But if I tell her now, she'll think I'm saying it for all the wrong reasons. And honestly, she'd be right. I'm not going to lose the only woman I've ever fallen for without a fight. You're right. I kept secrets, I admit. Pressing forward again, taking step after step until I'm less than a foot from her. I palm the glass on both sides of her head, loosely caging her in. But we both know she could walk away if she wanted. But she doesn't move. It took me a long time to trust you. A long time to realize I fell for you. Someone knocks. I ignore it. Don't say that. She lifts her chin, but I don't miss the way she glances at my mouth. I fell for you. I lower my head and look straight into her gorgeous eyes. She might be rightfully pissed, but she sure as malic isn't fickle. And you know what? You might not trust me anymore, but you still love me. Her lips part, but she doesn't deny it. I gave you my trust for free. And once is all you need. She masks the hurt with a quick look. Never again. Those eyes will never reflect hurt I've inflicted ever again. I fucked up by not telling you sooner, and I won't even try to justify my reasons. But now, I'm trusting you with my life. With everyone's lives. I've risked it all by just bringing her here, instead of taking her body back to Bazgayeth. I'll tell you anything you want to know and everything you don't. I'll spend every single day of my life earning back your trust. I'd forgotten what it felt like to be loved. Really, truly loved. It had been so many years since Dad died. And Mom. Not going there. But then Violet gave me those words. Gave me her trust. Her heart. And I remembered. I'll be damned if I don't fight to keep them. And if it's not possible. You still love me. It's possible. Gods, do I ache to kiss her. To remind her exactly what we are together. But I won't. Not until she asks. I'm not afraid of hard work. Especially not when I know just how sweet the rewards are. I would rather lose this entire war than live without you. And if that means I have to prove myself over and over, then I'll do it. You gave me your heart. And I'm keeping it. She already owns mine. Even if she doesn't realize it. Her eyes widen. As if she's finally seen the resolve in mine. It's time she knew everything. Knowing Violet, she won't stay tucked away. Safe behind Baz Guyot's walls. Especially not now that she knows just how corrupt those walls are. She'll fight this war at my side. There's another insistent knock at the door. Fuck is he impatient? I mutter. You have about twenty seconds to ask a question if I know him. She blinks. I'm still hoping that missive at Aspen was really about the war games. Do you think there's any chance we just happened to end up in the middle of a wyvern attack at that outpost? That definitely wasn't an accident, little sister. He says from the doorway. I sigh and move to the side. Watching Violet's eyes widen as she sees him standing in the doorway. Told you I knew better poison masters. I tell her softly. You weren't healed. You were mended. Brennan? She stares at her brother in open mouth shock. Brennan just grins and opens his arms. Welcome to the revolution, Violet.