Vow of Magic (Prophecy of the Mage

Queen Book 3) A. Lonergan

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 VOW OF MAGIC
PROPHECY OF THE MAGE QUEEN
BOOK THREE

A. LONERGAN
Copyright © 2023 by A. Lonergan
All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written
permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
To my B, I don’t think I could survive in a world without you.
 CONTENTS

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Also by A. Lonergan
About the Author
 CHAPTER ONE
RYVEN

There she was.

Juniper in all of her magical glory. I could hardly believe my eyes as the magic rushed forth from her fingertips and coated
the dirt floors beneath our feet. There was a collective gasp around the arena as the vines wrapped a protective cage around
our future queen. When the thought entered my mind to push her to her breaking point, I never in a million years thought it
would bring forth magic. I was merely doing it to get her out of my head, to push her away. I didn’t think it would do something
like this.
Leo rushed forward with his sword but one of the thorned vines snapped forward and batted him away. He dropped his
sword to the dirt and pouted at the snaking plant wrapping around Juniper. I knew better than to try to break through it, it was
her magic protecting her from me. I didn’t know if I should’ve felt ashamed or proud that I brought out such a reaction to
manifest her magic, but there was no taking it back now. All I could do was explain myself or pretend this had been my plan
from the beginning.
I ran my hands down my face and sighed. The three women who deemed themselves Juniper’s family were going to have a
field day with this. They hadn’t been here when Juniper bested Leo, the giant, and now they were really going to be furious that
they missed her power manifesting. But to be honest, would they have ever let me push her this hard? They would’ve
interrupted and stopped my berating. They would have never let me push her to her breaking point. So, maybe this wasn’t such
a bad thing. I had dealt with worse in the past. I could certainly handle The Three, which was the nickname they’d started
calling themselves once they fled the fraud empire. I hadn’t realized it was their doing until that day in the apothecary. They
started rumors about a ferocious band of men that were writing the wrongs of the Ender Kingdom. They’d defended peasants
and women on their journey to the keep for the first time. The rumors went wild until people were wondering if the men would
eventually join the rebel’s cause.
Reva never confirmed or denied the rumor she started but I could see the satisfaction shining in Grove’s eyes and it gave it
all away. Ash pretty much admitted that they played heroes when they went above ground. No one was the wiser and it worked
perfectly to use the name as a threat when they were in a bind. People were either terrified of the Three or worshiped the
ground they walked on, unaware that the Three were actually women. Incredibly powerful women, but women all the same. I
knew why they said the Three were men, what person would quake in their boots over the thought of three ladies coming to
rescue someone? Not many.
Leo stared at me expectantly like I was supposed to fight the vicious thorns around the queen. I didn’t know what to do. I
wasn’t going to try to cut her out and I wasn’t going to fight them.
He waved one of his big hands. “Do something!”
I pinched the bridge of my nose as I got closer to the brambles wrapped around Juniper. As I got closer, the vines got
smaller until they revealed an exhausted beauty. Her chest rose and fell slowly and her silver hair was a tangle around her face.
Her cheeks were still flushed from all the drills and training I put her through. Guilt shot straight through my chest and caused
me to stumble. I couldn’t believe I had been so harsh and hard on her. But now as I looked upon her sleeping form, I knew it
was for a reason. Whatever thought that entered my head to do such a thing could have come from the magic. It wanted Juniper
on a specific path, it was the only way to explain it.
“I told you she was our Queen,” Leo whispered over my shoulder and I groaned. He was right and I’d been too blind to see
it. Her magic had been waiting for the right moment to protect her and while I’d done the right thing… I’d also done the wrong
thing. She must have truly feared me for it to react this way. I frowned.
But then why was it letting me get to her now? Carefully, I reached forward and pulled her body from the magical bramble
nest. As soon as she was lifted from the soil, the magic slipped back into the ground as if it had never existed. A collective roar
went out around me and a new fear lit up in my gut. It would be even harder to protect her now. Now that the entire keep knew
exactly who she was. It was easier before, everyone waited with bated breath for what would happen next. They didn’t need to
now.
I closed my eyes briefly before I carried her from the arena, Leo on my heels. He knew as much as I did what this meant,
even though he’d never doubted Juniper for a single second. When I asked him about it, he shrugged, “I just knew. She has a
queen look to her.” I brushed it off, but as I spent time around her it was no surprise why the magic sought her out. Her kindness
knew no bounds and I hadn’t seen nearly as much as others. I carried her to the room she was still staying at within my home
and Leo locked it up tight.
Her brow puckered as she dreamt and I had to fight myself to put her down. My heart didn’t want to let her go but my brain
forced me. Just as I tucked the blankets under her chin, her brow smoothed out and I was able to leave. Leo waited for me in
the kitchen as I thought over everything I would need to do now.
“What has your panties in a wad?” Leo grumbled as he dug through my food. He found my stash of brownies and grinned as
he shoveled two of them into his mouth.
“I don’t know how I’m going to protect her, there is no telling how her magic will drain her… How it will take to her. She
could be completely at the mercy of those around her either during or after her magic use.”
Leo chewed as a thoughtful expression passed over his face. “Or maybe, she finishes the warrior program and goes to the
forge.”
Once upon a time I told Juniper about the forge, I’d seen the hope in her eyes. But now everything was different. If she went
to the forge then that meant she was ready to kill. That meant she was ready for patrols. How could I let her go that route
knowing how it would strip her bare? All of the soft, innocent parts of her would be gone. She would be hardened and
different. There was a chance she would end up like all the other monarchies that came before her. How could I let that
happen?
As if he could read my thoughts, he shook his head. “She is different from your past. She is not the Fraud Queen. She is not
General Nova. She will not try to hurt you with her power like they did.” He sighed as he scooped up another brownie. “You
have to trust her and you also need to let her make that decision for herself.”
He was right but… “She is almost done with the program. She was much more advanced in her training than I thought.” Leo
fought a grin and I narrowed my eyes at him. “What do you know?” He stuffed as many brownies as he could get into his mouth
to keep from answering me. A few crumbs rolled down his chin and got stuck in his beard.
I tried to steady my anger through my breathing. I took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly before I faced him again. “As
your commander, you need to tell me what you know.”
The twitch at the corners of Leo’s eyes told me I crossed a line but I didn’t like being out of the loop and I knew in my soul
I needed to know this. What was I missing?
“You are no spy,” Leo laughed and sprayed bits of brownie everywhere. He didn’t have the decency to even look
embarrassed. “I’m surprised you didn’t figure it out when she slipped into the trunk and onto your journey unnoticed.”
I raked both of my hands through my hair and then tugged on the ends. “What is it I’m missing? Just spit it out!”
“She’s been watching from the caverns, learning all of our moves and everything we do in the arena. That cave collapsing?
It caved in on her.”
I blinked at the man across from me. Was I really that stupid? Was I really that dense that I hadn’t noticed the changes in her
and realized what she was up to? How dumb could I be? Honestly…
Leo shrugged. “She bested me. Eventually, she will best you and when she does, you will bring her to the forge and let it
determine her future. If you don’t, I will do it and you will not be able to stop me. She is made for greatness and you will not
stand in her way.”
“You sound like Alric,” I chuckled. My friends loved her, the people loved her when she went around them. She tried. She
wanted to be worth something to someone, I could see it burning in her eyes. She wanted—no needed—a purpose.
Leo puffed up his chest with pride. “That’s because Alric told me to get your head out of your ass for you.”
Pressing my lips together, I rolled my eyes. “Of course he did.”
“You can’t let your past interfere with your future,” Leo leaned against the wall as he eyed my little table. He would crush
one of my chairs, hells he’d already done it once before. The poor giant had splinters in his ass cheeks for weeks.
“My past is complicated,” I swiped my hands down my jaw. Leo knew it all. Leo was the reason I was still alive. I owed
him everything, as well as Alric. I took a deep breath. “You know this.”
“You more than anyone should want the Mage Queen on the throne then,” Leo’s brows tented in the middle of his forehead
as concern swirled in his eyes. “She will avenge everything that happened to you.”
“The only way she can avenge me is if she kills me,” my whisper took us both by surprise.
“It wasn’t your fault,” I could tell that even he didn’t believe his words. He tried to make it better by his next words. “It
was a long time ago.”
I closed my eyes and let out a breath. “It has consumed my life. The guilt has eaten away at me. I killed them, it was my
fault. Every death rests on my shoulders. I should have never told Malya Ender where the rebels were. It’s my fault my parents
are dead.”
“You were a young and dumb teenager in love, I’ve known many teenagers that have done stupid things.”
I closed my eyes and pictured each of my family members’ faces. I joined the Fraud Queen’s army to spy and in turn, fell in
love with the one woman I was supposed to target. I thought she was different. I thought the rebel’s cause was silly when I fell
in love with the woman I wanted her to be. I was blinded by beauty and lies. I thought for sure I could change things. I thought
love could change things, how wrong I was.
“Teenagers don’t have their entire families killed for treason.”
 CHAPTER TWO
UNIPER

Spying was something I hadn’t learned and didn’t think I could do until I pressed myself against the wall and listened to
Ryven’s heartbreaking tale except he stopped talking and I knew my time of listening was up. I don’t know what force had me
pressed against the hall wall listening to him bare his soul to the man that already knew the story but as soon as he was done
speaking, I unglued myself from the rocky wall and rushed back to my room. I yanked the blankets back over my body and
evened out my breathing even with my heart rate going ninety to nothing. So many questions swirled around in my head as I
waited for him to come find me and realize I listened in on something I had no business hearing.
Ryven had been in love with the Fraud Queen. I didn’t know what to think or feel. I thought for sure the only one that went
into the fraud empire to spy was Alric. Even more things seemed like a lie now. But of course, they’d hidden it all. When
Ryven didn’t open my door and come check on me, I took a deep breath, opened my eyes and slid from the bed. It was time to
make my consciousness known.
In a way, I was thankful for the conversation Leo and Ryven had. It took my mind off of what happened in the arena. I
clenched my jaw as I briefly closed my eyes. I couldn’t believe Ryven treated me the way he did. What happened in the arena
after my magic though? I didn’t feel any different. I flexed my fingers out in front of me and wondered how I could do it again.
In Ryven’s home, I was too afraid to unleash anything like that again. But was I even capable of doing magic again?
Ryven had asked for it though… would it really be that horrible to give him another taste of his own medicine? Was it so
horrible to show him I wasn’t this weak little thing? That I wasn’t fragile.
I ran my hands down over my training leathers and grinned to myself. I looked like I belonged here. I looked like Reva,
Ash, and Grove. I wished they had been there to see me unleash my power or to at least see Ryven’s face when it all happened.
I slipped from the bed and padded quietly down the hall. I didn’t think I would get lucky to overhear such information
again, but I would take what I could get. The home was silent as I entered the kitchen. Leo was gone and Ryven’s face was
buried in his hands. I’d never seen him in such a state before. I cleared my throat and he immediately jumped from the table. He
smoothed all the emotions from his face and placed his hands behind his back as if he were standing to attention. He blinked a
few times before he got down on one knee. His hair fell forward as he bowed to me and I was too stunned to speak.
“My past is riddled with heartache and death. I have made far too many mistakes with you for you to keep me in your
employ but I will not lie. I am the best you have. If you are going to go against the fraud empire, I am the only one that can help
you win. I am the only one that will get you the crown and your throne.”

I TOOK a deep breath as I watched him. I still didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t spoken about his mistakes with me so I
couldn’t bring any of that up or he would know I’d spied on him. Somehow I felt horrible for it even though I deserved to
know, especially if he was going to be my commander. Dizziness overtook me and I had to grip the side of the wall to remain
standing.
My commander.
My army.
My kingdom.
I blinked and blinked some more as it all came crashing down around me. I was the queen. I was the Mage Queen.
Ryven unfolded himself from the floor and rushed to my side. He gripped my elbow as he led me to his table and chairs.
What did this all mean? When would I have to march to battle? How would I march to battle? I had a whole army at my
disposal, but how could I ask them to pretty much forfeit their lives for me? For me?
“Are you okay? Is there anything I can get for you?”
I could hardly hear his words over the rush of blood in my ears. He was to be my dutiful servant now. No longer would we
share heated glances. No longer would the tension be there when we each walked into the bathing chamber. Everything that I
hoped for with the man before me was stolen. Gone. Stolen so quickly and I didn’t know how to comprehend it all. All the
possibilities were taken from me because of my magic. Why couldn’t it have waited just a little while longer? Why couldn’t I
have gotten to experience more with him? My heart ached within my chest for everything I would never have known. But it also
soared with the possibility of my purpose. I was no longer useless. I no longer needed to float around and find something to do
with myself. I was someone. I was a queen.
“Juniper?” Ryven’s voice cut through my thoughts. “Do you need anything?” He frowned. “I’m sorry, I guess I should get
used to calling you your proper title. Your Highness.”
No. I didn’t like that. Not at all. Not with Ryven. Not like this. I shook my head. “No, I don’t think so.”
“In public, I must.” His voice sounded so empty of all emotion and I found myself fighting tears. He made me so angry. He
pushed me past my limits but whatever he did to my body… to my heart… I needed to figure it out. We couldn’t be stuck in this
limbo. We couldn’t just stop. Right?
I nodded my head as my emotions got the best of me and I could no longer be in the same room with him. On wooden legs, I
rose from the table and walked to the bathing chamber. He was right on my heels but not for the reasons I so desperately
wanted— and needed.
He cleared his throat as he passed me in the doorway. “I must ensure it’s safe.” It only took him a few minutes and he was
back to my side. “I will wait for you out here, if you need anything please yell.”
A frown tugged at the corners of my lips. I wanted to yell and scream. I wanted to tell him no. I wanted to beg the gods to
take it back, that I hadn’t had enough time yet to figure out who I was.
“When you come out we will go visit Sita and have you fitted again for some new clothes.”
All I could do was nod before I disappeared into the steam.

S ITA WASTED no time to bow to me as I walked through the curtains into her shop. “I know greatness when I see it.”
I shook my head. “None of that. You aren’t allowed to act this way. You helped me sneak into a trunk and disappear into the
night. We are well past these formalities.”
She chuckled. “I suppose you’re right.” She eyed Ryven in the corner of the tent with one of his hands poised over the
sword hanging from his hip. I wondered if he still had the two swords at his back or if he didn’t care to carry both around the
keep. “Will he be staying for your fitting?”
I swallowed back the emotions ready to choke me at any moment. I nodded my head, too afraid of what I would give away
with my words. Out of all of this, Ryven was the hardest part I would have to get used to. I didn’t want to have to go through
this with him. It hurt even more that he turned into a statue.
“Commander,” Sita addressed Ryven. “You may look over my entire shop if you wish before we go in for a fitting but I will
not permit you to come back here while she undresses.”
Ryven’s eyes didn’t even flicker. He merely nodded and my nose burned with more suppressed emotions as he breezed by
me and checked every darkened corner in Sita’s shop before he resumed his position by the door to her tent.
As soon as we were alone she turned on me. “What happened on the journey? You haven’t come to visit since you returned.
I see the storm brewing in your gaze. What happened between the two of you?”
So as quickly and as quietly as I could I replayed the entire journey. Even the stuff I left out from Livia. The heated touches,
almost kisses, and each time I woke up with his hand splayed across my naked abdomen. Her eyes widened as I divulged
everything. “He’s practically a statue now.”
I nodded as a tear slipped down from the corner of my eye. By all means, I should have been angry with him, but now all I
felt was sadness. I preferred the ass version of him over this. I even preferred the mean version over this. Anything but
emotionless.
Sita flicked her dark hair over her shoulder before she stared me down in the mirror. “I know exactly what needs to be
done to break through that stone-cold exterior. If he had feelings for you before, they’re still there. We just need to bring them
out again. You’ll have to play dirty.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know if I want his attention after the way he spoke to me.”
Her mischievous grin only continued to grow. “You’ll make him grovel, don’t you worry.”
 CHAPTER THREE
RYVEN

Just a few short days later, Alric came home. He paced the length of my living room as I told him of Juniper’s magic. I may
have left out how it came to be but I had no doubts that Juniper would fill him in on that. Until then I could prepare myself for
his anger.
“How are you holding up?” Alric finally asked when my tale was over.
I frowned. “What do you mean, how am I holding up? Aren’t you going to rush to Juniper’s room to ask her all about her
magic and how she’s doing?” I could hardly believe what I was hearing.
His lips curled slightly in amusement. “I will later but you’re my friend and I know what happened to you before.”
“You mean how you saved me,” More guilt ate away at me as I thought about his tirade on what he’d given up for the Fraud
Queen. How he’d been stripped of everything to be a spymaster because I was going to be killed. I was on the chopping block
waiting on my execution when he came to my rescue. He was the only reason I stood here today.
“I think we saved each other,” Alric said softly as he patted my shoulder. “The fraud empire took everything from the both
of us. All we have to do now is take it back. We march into battle behind the woman who is kind but has no reason to be. We
follow the true queen and we teach her everything we know on the way. If anyone deserves the crown it’s Juniper.”
But that didn’t change how I felt about her. How I yearned from her. How badly I wanted her. Nothing changed except I
couldn’t act upon it. I could no longer get drunk and go after her. If anyone had to be on the top of their game, it was me.
Possibly Alric too but I couldn’t ask that of him. As long as Juniper was in his care or with him, I could take a break but I
could never know the freedom I had before. Juniper’s life came first. The queen’s life trumped everything else.
“Has she tried to use her magic again?” Alric asked as he looked toward her room.
I shrugged. “I have no idea. We don’t exactly speak.”
“You are not a machine. You can speak to her and interact with her.”
I shook my head. “No, I can’t because my body doesn’t know how to act right in her presence.”
Alric chewed on his lip and changed the subject. “Are we going to celebrate the winter solstice?”
I wanted to, I really did. But I didn’t know how I was going to put that together. Anya hadn’t been caught. There were no
traces of her above ground. Alric left the three women up there for longer just in case she did turn up, though I could see he
was regretting it now that Juniper received her magic. They would have his ass when they found out. The priests were potential
murderers. Juniper now had her magic and there was no telling how predictable it was, as I hadn’t seen her even try to conjure
it again. Though I didn’t exactly blame her for that. I ran my hands down my face. “I don’t know how to plan a celebration with
all this shit exploding around me.”
Alric waggled his brows at me and I fought a grin. Of course, he had a plan. “Leave it all to me. We need this. We need
celebration and laughter. At least for a little bit before we march forward. If we don’t deserve it, Juniper does. Get her a gift,
take a break for a little bit, I’ll stay here if I need to and you get your head on straight. Go on patrols if you need to. I’m back
and you can rely on me.” He cocked his head to the side as he considered me. “You need to kill something.”
“You’re promising to an awful lot. You’re gonna watch over the queen, keep her safe, plan a Winter Solstice celebration,
keep up with training, and take care of yourself?”
He licked his bottom lip as his face went serious. “I’m worried sick about those three, or rather a particular redhead that
wants nothing more than to see my head on a spike, and I really need something to keep my mind busy. If anyone deserves a
break, it’s you. You need to be on top of your game for what’s to come.”
 CHAPTER FOUR
UNIPER

This whole spying thing was starting to make me feel icky but the more I did it, the more I couldn’t stop. The information I was
learning was too valuable to give it up. I had to know more about Ryven. I needed more. When Ryven left me with Alric, I
grinned as the door clicked closed behind him and then whirled on my friend.
“We are going to have a Winter Solstice celebration?”
“I thought I heard a mouse breathing too hard in the hallway,” Alric smirked. “I see you’ve thought about what I asked of
you before I left.”
I rolled my eyes. I would neither confirm nor deny his suspicions especially since I didn’t want him to tell Ryven when he
got back. He had no proof that I was sleuthing again. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. I couldn’t risk him taking away
my little freedom and I couldn’t risk him trying to lock me up. There was only so much I could take within these walls
especially with Ryven acting like a statue. Especially after all the hurtful things he said to me. I was still processing that. “Do
we get to dress up?”
Immediately, I thought of the dress Sita was starting for me. It was like starlight and magic. The fabric slid through my
fingers and caused a shiver to go up my spine. It would be magnificent when she was finished with it.
Alric nodded. “I plan to completely transform the entire training arena for it. I want everyone to forget their troubles for the
night. It will also be the celebration we announce your magic. Has your mark come in again?”
I shook my head and then shrugged. I didn’t think so but I couldn’t exactly see my entire back either.
“I’ll have one of the girls check it when they get back. It’s not that big of a deal but I am curious.”
“You aren’t going to check it?” He’d seen my bare back before.
He folded my hand within his. “That was fine before, but now we must keep you and your virtue taken care of. Nothing else
matters.”
“What about what I want?” I frowned this time. There went what little control I thought I would have.
“I don’t want rumors to circulate about us again, especially since I’ve been seen with Reva and pining so hard for her. Our
courtship is over to the public I don’t want them to speculate anything especially with your magic coming in like this.”
I hadn’t tried my magic again, too scared of it and what would happen but I could feel it buzzing and writhing under my
skin. It wanted out. It wanted freedom just as much as I did. I shrugged again.
“Have you used your magic since it erupted that day during training?”
“No,” I pouted. “And I haven’t been back to train either.”
I hated it. I was being treated like a child that kept misbehaving. “We need to get your magic under control, find Anya, and
sniff out the ones that aren’t loyal to you before you go out in the open like that again. Why don’t you wait till after the
celebration? Many people are waiting for a formal announcement.”
“What about your father and the other priests?” I hadn’t gotten much time to speak to them. They merely stared at me. I
figured a proper introduction was in order, right? Didn’t they want to at least speak to me?
Alric openly winced before he tried to cover it up. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
I cocked a brow at him. “Why not?”
He pursed his lips as he chewed on the inside of his lip. “I don’t think this is something we should be talking about.”
I rolled my eyes. “I could command you.”
He blinked long and slow. “Oh, could you?”
My shoulders slumped in defeat. “Probably not but only because you’re my friend. But what if I run into one of them?”
It was Alric’s turn to roll his eyes. “You think you’ll be facing one of them alone? No chance. Either I or Ryven will be
with you at all times.”
I pouted. That was the problem. I would never know freedom.
“And if I decide I want to be a spy and take that up as a new hobby?”
His lips thinned out in displeasure. “I shouldn’t have offered that to you prematurely, but yes, if you’d like to take that on…
I will not stop you.” He sighed. “Though we do need to get your magic in check. How are you feeling?”
 I shrugged. “How am I supposed to feel?”
“Can you feel the magic?”
My gaze flicked down to my hands. I hadn’t had much practice and I was too afraid to see what I was capable of.
Alric patted my shoulder. “I know it’s probably frightening but the world needs you. This keep needs you. The crops are
dying. Food will not last us through winter and though this isn’t something I wanted to worry about, it’s something I need to.
Whenever you’re ready we can start in the fields and gardens.”
No pressure.

ALRIC’ S WORDS didn’t leave my mind. They seemed to echo on repeat no matter what I did. I couldn’t escape the pressure that
was now my life. Though I was elated that I had a purpose and that my life and torture weren't exactly in vain, it was hard to
breathe with this new weight pressing on my shoulders. What if I couldn’t do it? What if I was still a fraud? Just like the queen
currently sitting on the throne. Yes, the magic whispered promises to me and the others but that didn’t mean I would do good.
That didn’t mean I would change the world for the better. Who was to say I was the better choice?
I stared down at my trembling fingers through the steam in the bathing chamber. This seemed like the only place I could find
alone time these days. But no matter how much I wished to be alone, Alric’s words followed me. I buried my face in my palms
and took a deep breath. The humidity seemed to drown instead of comfort as of late. I pushed my hands away from my defeated
form and held my palms outward. With a deep breath, I focused on the small tingles that could be found beneath the surface of
my skin. It was there, I could feel it, but it was almost afraid to come out again. I wasn’t exactly in danger like I felt before with
Ryven.
“Come on,” I whispered to myself and my magic. “We can do this.”
Before I knew what was happening, the ground beneath my feet trembled and a few pebbles rained down from the ceiling.
Grass sprouted between my toes and around my feet. In an instant, there was a thick carpet of green coating the floor of the
bathing chamber. I curled my hands into fists before I sunk down to my knees. Would it disappear like the vines before or was
this here to stay? A giggle escaped me as I ran my fingers through the thick blades of grass. There wouldn’t be a worry about
slipping on the floor now. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to try my hand in the fields.
I smiled as I fought back a yawn and everything went black once more.
 CHAPTER FIVE
UNIPER

“I told you we needed you in the fields, not in your bathing chamber,” Alric muttered beside me. I took a deep breath as I fought
to get conscious and found the air still thick with steam and condensation. Excitement shot through me as I realized there was
still thick grass beneath me. My magic healed the ground within the chamber but it almost drained me at the same time. Healing
the fields would have to wait.
Alric’s eyes roamed the room where my magic touched. “You did all of this?”
I nodded against the ground. “I needed to practice. I didn’t know if I had it in me to go to the fields.” I covered my face
with my hands. “I didn’t want to embarrass myself out there.”
He smiled down at me. “We would go after nightfall when the keep sleeps. Your magic hasn’t been announced, there is no
point in getting people excited or worked up. Not yet. Especially when your magic takes from you as it gives. You will be
vulnerable. Both Ryven and I will need to be there when you use your magic again.”
If Ryven ever came back, he’d been gone for days doing whatever he needed to do to get me out of his system. As much as
it bothered me and got under my skin, it still gave me hope that my plan with Sita would work whenever he came back. I fought
to keep the smile off of my face as Alric helped me from the green foliage.

“WHAT IN THE seven hells happened to my bathing chamber?”

“Ya know, I think it really adds character to the space. It was starting to look a little plain and the last thing we would want
is the queen to have a drab space,” Alric replied to the growling voice.
I kept my eyes closed from where I was lying and tried to listen to the rest of the conversation like I was known to do
lately. I hadn’t expected Ryven to come back so soon.
“You’re back early,” Alric tried to interject.
“I can’t just shirk my duties like you and everyone else suggests. There are things to be done, parties to be planned, a queen
that needs to be protected.”
Alric’s scoff sounded offended. “Do you honestly think I can’t handle all of that?”
I could practically see Ryven rolling his bright green eyes in my mind. “I can hardly handle one of those things.”
“That’s because you’re more worried about what’s going on between her-”
“Finish that sentence and you’ll regret it,” the growl in Ryven’s voice only intensified.
Alric merely chuckled as if nothing could bother him. “Fine, but you know I’m right.”
Ryven said something under his breath and Aric’s laugh turned into a booming sound.
“You need to loosen up,” Alric prodded.
“What happened to my bathing chamber? You can keep trying to change the subject but my mind is in working order.”
“Juniper may or may not have been trying out her magic a little.”
“A little? The entire cave is covered in grass. How is that a little?”
I rolled my lips to keep myself from laughing. Had the greenery continued to spread after I left? Was it still growing?
“You should be proud. She did it all on her own.”
“Proud? I should be proud? What if it was too much for her?”
Snooping and eavesdropping was doing me no good any longer. They were speaking about me as if I was in another home,
not in the other room. I shoved my hair away from my face and sat up. I had been lying flat on my back in Ryven’s living room
with tons of different colored and shaped pillows piled beneath me. They looked like nothing that Ryven kept in his home and
after peering a bit closer, I could see that they came from mine. One of them was slightly deflated from Leo. I didn’t remember
falling asleep here, but then again, since my magic had come in my memory had a few gaps in it.
Footsteps echoed down the hall as my friend and my slight friend made their way back into Ryven’s home. Alric was
grinning and Ryven’s shoulders were slumped in defeat.
“You’re back early,” my voice came out gravely and foreign to my ears.
Ryven’s eyes flashed with something I couldn’t decipher and Alric’s grin continued to stretch across his face.
 “Glad to see you’re awake, how was your rest?” Alric leaned down to kiss my forehead before retrieving a glass of water
from the counter in the kitchen.
I shrugged my shoulders as I drained the glass and handed it back. “I feel fine.”
Alric’s eyebrows twitched on his forehead. “Our commander has returned.”
I hummed as we watched each other. He hadn’t shaved his face in a few days and there was a few drops of smeared blood
under his chin. Was it his own or had he finally done the killing that everyone thought he needed? His green eyes were darker
than usual and his hair was pulled back into a messy bun. His swords were nowhere to be seen, but I knew better.
“Can I start training again?”
Ryven rubbed the back of his neck as his eyes flicked to Alric. “Do you honestly think that’s a good idea?”
“Do you honestly think keeping me prisoner is the answer?”
A crease formed between his dark brows. “I don’t have all the answers, Your Highness.”
I let out a very unladylike groan and shook my head. “Of course not.” I ran my hands down the front of my clothes, trying to
smooth out the wrinkles that weren’t there. Anything to keep my hands busy at this point. “Have you heard from Reva, Ash, or
Grove?”
Alric nodded slowly. “Yes, they will be home soon. Everything seems quiet up there. No unrest, not much crime. Everyone
is too focused on preparing for a bitter winter to care about much else.”
“You said something about me helping in the fields?” I piped up.
“You did what?” Ryven’s composure quickly dissolved as a vein bulged in his neck.
“We need help with the crops,” Alric’s voice was smooth but I could almost pinpoint the worry beneath his tone.
“And if I can help, then I want to. I should be able to. These are my people, are they not? They have suffered enough.
Maybe it’s time I give them something to look forward to. A life not stuck under here, a life worth living.”
Ryven’s gaze bounced between us before he shook his head. “I see you both have everything figured out. What do you need
me for?”
“You need a break,” Alric took a step toward the brooding man but Ryven held his hand up in dismissal.
“I need no such thing, I was completely capable before and I am more than capable now.”
 CHAPTER SIX
RYVEN

Blood spotted my new shirt. I should have known better than to go hunting in new gear but I had been too ruffled to actually
look through the things I was shoving into my leather bag.
The leather bag that still smelled like Juniper. I hung my head forward and let out a deep breath. What was I doing? I was
being a giant child was what I was doing and I needed to get all these festering emotions under control. I leaned forward as I
wiped off my soiled blades and rolled my head on my shoulders. I was making a mess out of everything. Killing hadn’t changed
much. It gave me an adrenaline rush. It helped me feel alive for a moment, but then everything that was crushing my shoulders
came right back. I had to be better and I had to do better or I would get her killed. I couldn’t continue to make the same
mistakes.
Maybe I hadn’t killed enough. There were more than enough monsters out there to be slain but if I was being honest with
myself—which I definitely wasn’t— I needed to vanquish another foe. One that had been tormenting my nightmares for entirely
too long. Revenge wasn’t exactly the word I would use for it either. It was a need to right my wrongs. A craving to give the
people the justice they deserved. A lot of this that was happening out in the world was my fault. I was close enough to the
Fraud Queen at one point, I could have taken her out. I should have done what I needed to. But I was young and dumb and here
we were.
I yanked my now-soiled shirt over my head and stared down at the new foliage coating the bathing chamber. Once again, I
was entirely too close to Juniper. I didn’t know if it was her magic in the air or the small fact that she was just a few feet on the
other side of the wall but I could smell her. She took over everything that I was.
Gritting my teeth, I cupped steaming water between my hands and splashed my face. The water came back with little flakes
of brown and red. I thought for sure I had gotten all of it when I washed up in the stream outside of the keep. There was no
point in bringing carnage back into the Keep. The people didn’t deserve that, they’d been through enough already. At least they
would have something to look forward to when the ball came around. I didn’t know how I felt about it just yet. I knew it was
necessary and needed to keep morale up. We hadn’t done anything fun in as long as I could remember besides the music in the
square or seeing others in the pub. But both of those things didn’t give the people something to look forward to, not like this
would. I pinched the bridge of my nose as I imagined my role in all of this. I would have to put on a brave face and a bright
smile. This was going to be interesting.
 CHAPTER SEVEN
UNIPER

Alric was making arrangements for the solstice, which meant I was back in Ryven’s very capable hands. Though I had to do
myself a huge favor and not think about everything those hands were capable of or I would never recover. I simply had to keep
myself busy or I would somehow find myself thrown into his arms. Which I couldn’t let happen, not if my plan was going to
work and this plan was a long game one. Plus I didn’t exactly want to get rejected either. Even though I had a feeling what he
said in the arena wasn’t exactly true, I could risk my poor heart just yet either. There were definitely feelings there, they’d been
brewing for a while. I just needed to make sure I went about it in the right way or I’d potentially push him away for good.
Sita wanted me to come by her shop for another dress fitting and Ryven was on my heels like normal. His face was passive
but I could see the tension in his shoulders and his gaze. He was still worried about Anya and the priests—rightfully so. The
tent flapped open as Sita shoved her way out into the street. She grinned as her gaze perused Ryven sinfully.
“I see your shadow has returned. Has he done naughty shadow things yet?”
My cheeks flamed as I prayed Ryven didn’t hear what she said, but based on his flared nostrils and burning gaze, there was
no such luck. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Sita’s look turned absolutely feral. As quickly as I could, I slammed my hand over her mouth. “Nothing. She meant
nothing.”
Sita remained quiet as I removed my hand but that didn’t stop her from waggling her eyebrows in a suggestive manner at the
poor man. Gods help the man or woman that caught her eye one day. I shoved the vivacious woman through the tent flap and
shook my head at her.
“I can’t believe you!” I whisper-shouted.
She shrugged up one shoulder like she had no care in the world. “It’s the long game and we are playing it in the right
direction. He won’t be able to stop thinking about what I was insinuating and if it had something to do with him.”
I pressed my hands into my heated face. “I’m pretty sure he knew you were speaking about him.”
She giggled as she pulled iridescent material out of a leather trunk in the corner. “Good, it’ll keep him up tonight and I
know the perfect thing to help.”

THE BLACK BOX tied off with a ribbon felt like a bomb between my hands. Ryven insisted on carrying it for me but there was no
way I could allow that, not with what was inside of it. I couldn’t believe I agreed to this crazy, harebrained scheme but here we
were. I didn’t exactly have to go through with the insane plan but I knew I would. If I didn’t, I would always wonder and I
needed to know if following through with the rest of the plan was silly. It was the long game but I needed to drop lots of
breadcrumbs and have him following me like a lovesick puppy. I didn’t know how on earth I was going to make that a thing but
I knew the way he looked at me when he didn’t think I was watching. The way his eyes followed my body in the arena.
Now I had a slinky black, see-through nightgown that was apparently going to shoot his socks off, as Sita insisted it would.
I didn’t know how I was going to muster up the courage to even put the thing on. If only Reva was here. She would’ve helped
me get over myself.
Ryven was quiet like usual. He didn’t even ask me what Sita meant with the shadow comment and I was grateful but his
eyes tracked my every move. My hands wouldn’t stop twitching on the ribbon and it was almost as if he knew what was in the
box. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did, if he could hear through the tent walls and was pretending to not know what was going
on. With those thoughts, I could feel my cheeks starting to heat up again. I needed to think about anything else but him and him
potentially knowing our plan. Where in the seven hells was Alric when I needed him? This could have all been avoided.
When we finally got back to Ryven’s home, I practically ran to the bathing chamber. “I need a bath!”
“I need a cold shower,” I barely registered as I fled the room and sunk to the green floor. Alric, somehow, formed a type of
barricade to prevent anyone from coming into the bathing chamber from my previous home so he nor Ryven needed to scope
out the space every time I needed to bathe or pee. Which was a relief. With shaking hands, I placed the box on the wooden
stool in front of the corner vanity. Very carefully, I pulled the ribbon free and the box slid open gracefully. Placed in the center
was a black, see-through, sparkling masterpiece. This wasn’t what we’d been fitting me for for the last few days, but it was a
prize I was a little nervous to have. I knew what she wanted me to do. I knew what I needed to do but could I actually go
through with this?
I left the box and the nightgown on the stool and stripped down before plunging headfirst into the small pool. The grass in
the bathing chamber immediately soaked up the excess water and the steam quickly began to curl around my face. I leaned back
against the rocky edge and closed my eyes. Along with the grass, a thick moss took root along the edge of the water and was the
perfect place to rest my head.
The sound of steel meeting steel meant it was my time to shine. If I waited any longer, I would lose my nerve.
 CHAPTER EIGHT
RYVEN

The only way to get my mind off of what the dressmaker said was to sharpen my blades. While Juniper bathed and got ready
for the night, I had to keep my thoughts busy and what better way to do that than to sharpen my swords? If I didn’t remain
focused I could lose a finger so my mind, for the most part, stayed right on track.
But everything went out the window as Juniper emerged from the bathing chamber. Every thought, all focus, was gone in the
blink of an eye. The sword I was so focused on no longer mattered and the sound of it clattering to the ground was a distant
sound. A black slip of material was all that covered her body and covered was an understatement. Every curve and dip I
imagined of her body was on display with very little concealed. My mouth went dry as I tried to think of something to say,
anything really. Her lips curled at the edges as she pushed her hair over her shoulder and I was met with even more skin on
display. My breath caught in my throat and for whatever reason I began to shake my head.
“What are you doing?” My words were breathy and not my own. Her teeth tucked her bottom lip between them and the
blood in my body rushed right down where it didn’t belong.
“It’s gotten a little warm at night,” Her voice was just as foreign as my own. Her cheeks were stained pink in the low
lighting and I wondered if they tasted as good as they looked.
My brows pulled together as her words registered. “It’s almost winter. Our first snow is right around the corner.”
The stupidest words I could have ever said. Her bright lavender eyes flicked away from me to the ground as she took a
deep breath and I knew I screwed it all up.
She closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip again and I was a puddle, a big sopping, stupid puddle. She could have told me
to impale myself on my own sword and I would have done it. There wasn’t a single thought in my head that made sense and
before I knew it was in front of her, brushing her hair behind her ear, tracing the curve of her jaw.
“I’ve thought about you like this more times than I could count,” I leaned forward and ran my lips across her neck. “Every
night you’ve invaded my dreams. My thoughts. You’ve consumed everything and I don’t know how to get back.” Her pulse was
erratic under my touch. “All I want to do is pleasure you.”
 CHAPTER NINE
UNIPER

A tingle raced down my spine and I didn’t know how I was still standing at his words. One of his hands was buried in my hair
while his other was slowly tracing my body on the outside of my nightgown.
Sita had been right but victory was the last thing I could think of when Ryven’s lips met the side of my neck. With every
touch, I was on fire. My knees trembled as I fought to stay standing. If it hadn’t been for the wall behind me, I would have gone
down to the ground the moment his sword had. The look of devotion on his face was enough to bring down an army. Every wall
he’d tried to put up between us crumbled to nothing. At least I hoped it did. Those thoughts meant nothing as his tongue and
mouth continued to descend down my neck to the top of my nighty.
His heated gaze flicked up to mine, as if he was asking for permission and I was gone. Everything that I thought this was,
everything I imagined this night to be was nothing. Nothing could have prepared me for this moment. When his rough fingers
skimmed the edge of my thigh, I nodded frantically. I wanted him. I wanted the kind of pleasure he promised. When his lips
found my skin again I was done for. A moan slipped from my lips and my breathing intensified. This was it. Everything I’d read
in Reva’s books was about to come to life.
When his fingers brushed over the most sensitive part of me, my legs buckled. In seconds, he was up, and had my legs
wrapped around his waist. The pillows from my previous home were still scattered about on the floor and he wasted no time
spreading me out on them. The little bit of fabric I wore hiked up my thighs and Ryven missed nothing. He was back covering
my body with his before I could think to utter a word. As much as I hoped he would kiss me, I wanted him to touch me even
more. When his hands grazed the inside of my legs once again, I was a mess. I bit my lip to keep myself from crying out.
“I want to hear every sound, I want it imprinted in my memory forever. When I think of you like this, with my hand on
myself, I want your cries of pleasure in the back of my mind.”
My mouth fell open at his words and only fueled the fire burning through my veins. No one had ever spoken to me like that
before and it did nothing but make me want him even more. He pulled away from me to yank his shirt over his head and I
thought every thought had gone right out of my head when he’d touched me. No. I would never be able to recover from the way
his body made me feel, the way it looked, and the way it felt pressed against me. If this was to be a simple fling, I would hold
onto it for the rest of my days. The memories would keep me comfortable and warm at night.
His lips quickly found the side of my neck again while his hands did quick work of his leather pants. I was dizzy with it all.
I didn’t know what to do with myself. This was all so new and intoxicating.
When his lips finally found my own, I knew what the heavens felt like. His lips were slow and curious against mine as his
hands trailed along my skin. Every nerve ending in my body was alight. His mouth was gone from mine too soon and quickly
traveling down the side of my neck and then to the top of my nightgown. His bright eyes begged for consent and I nodded it
against the pillows. Before I knew what was happening, his mouth was covering one of my nipples and gently tugging it
between his teeth. With the friction of the thin material and the warmth of his mouth, I didn’t know how anything could feel
better than this. Nothing could feel better than this until his fingers slipped between my legs and stars danced behind my eyes.
Whimpers and moans filled the space between us and echoed around the room but I was too far gone to care about the way
I sounded or the way I looked writhing beneath him. He chuckled against my other breast and my stomach clenched with
pleasure. His fingers continued to work against me and I didn’t know how anything could get better, I didn’t know how I could
possibly continue until… I couldn’t.
Colors, sounds, and euphoria exploded behind my eyes and I felt like I was flying. I rode wave after wave as Ryven
continued to lick and suckle at my skin. He placed a kiss on my heaving chest and leaned back on his knees. His eyes were still
dark and the evidence of his lust strained against his untied pants. His lips were curled in satisfaction but I didn’t know how he
could possibly be sated. I hadn’t hardly touched him, he’d be so focused on me and my pleasure. I sat up and reached for the
rest of the laces on his pants, not exactly sure what I was going to do, but willing to figure it out. It was only fair.
He shook his head before raking his fingers through his hair. “That won’t be necessary.”
I frowned. “Do you not want me to take care of you?”
His chuckle was low and sensual and started up everything all over again. “I would love nothing more but I know if we
continue down this path, I won’t be able to stop and for right now, I need to stop.”
I leaned back against my elbows and nodded my head. I didn’t understand but if he wasn’t ready, I wouldn’t push. I
wouldn’t want anyone to treat me in that manner. He pressed a chaste kiss to my lips and rocked back onto his feet and all I
could do was sit there dazed. What did this mean?

THE NEXT MORNING , my body felt renewed, refreshed, and somewhat different. More than anything I wanted to run down to
Sita’s shop but I knew I couldn’t. That would give everything away to Ryven and I wasn’t so sure I was ready to kiss and tell.
I didn’t know what I expected as I rolled out of the warm bed, but it wasn’t an empty home. Ryven wasn’t in his quarters
and Alric wasn’t here either. Which didn’t seem right. The night before, Ryven was quick to excuse himself into the bathing
chamber and I fell asleep quickly waiting for him to come back. He didn’t come to my room and I didn’t know why I thought he
would. Just because we shared something physical didn’t mean it was more than that, right? There was a spread of fresh
pastries and roasted meats on the table in the kitchen but they were cold. He must have left early. I swallowed back my sadness
and tried to eat quickly.
When I yanked the front door open, Alric was leaning against the wall on the other side. His eyes slowly roamed my body
from head to toe. “I was told not to enter the home in case you were indecent.”
I blinked slowly. What did I say to that? Under his scrutiny, my cheeks heated. His grin was lazy and knowing. What did
Ryven say to him? Obviously enough.
“I am decent,” was all I could mutter, too afraid I would give more away.
“What I’m trying to figure out is why he would warn me of such things. I didn’t realize you made it a habit to go around
someone else’s home exposed.”
“I wasn’t exposed,” The lie sounded wrong coming from my lips because I had been. I’d been so very exposed. There
wasn’t much to the imagination with that gown and I loved it. It felt freeing, invigorating, and empowering. I’d never looked in
the mirror and loved what I saw but watching Ryven love what he saw did something to me. It changed me. I cleared my throat
nervously as I waited for my friend to say anything but he simply kept staring at me like he could see through my lies and maybe
he could being the Spy Master.
He hummed in the back of his throat. “Where are you off to?” I honestly didn’t have any plans. I wanted to get out of the
house, that was for sure but I didn’t know where I planned to go. Honestly, I would have been happy to go anywhere. “Thought
you could sneak off, did you?” He didn’t seem upset with this question, merely amused like always.
“I’m dying to train again,” I prodded.
“We will discuss it again after the Winter Solstice celebration and you’re magic is announced. Things are too uncertain at
the moment.”
I pouted but didn’t push. If Alric didn’t even want to train me in secret then there were bigger things happening behind the
scenes. “One day you’re going to have to let me in and tell me what’s happening in my kingdom.”
“The moment the kingdom is yours, so will all the whispers be.”
 CHAPTER TEN
UNIPER

It was two weeks until the Winter Solstice celebration and it had been a week since Ryven disappeared again. Regret and
rejection were common friends as I fought the urge to go look for him. Were the things he said real? Was he angry with me? I
didn’t even get to see him the next morning before he was gone. I didn’t speak to Alric about it, but he tried to reassure me that
it was nothing I could have ever done. But he didn’t know what happened. At least that was the game he was playing.
Reva, Ash, and Grove would be back today. Alric kept promising they would be back sooner but I had a feeling they were
up to something out there that they couldn’t just leave behind. They’d nicknamed themselves The Three for a reason.
Boredom followed me everywhere I went. As much as I longed to practice my magic, I didn’t want to be incapacitated for
hours on end afterwards either. I probably needed to build up my endurance but there was no telling if this was something that
would go away or if it was the plague of the magic that lived within me now.
“The bitches are back!” The front door slammed open and Reva made her grand entrance. Her hair was piled up on top of
her head and there was a bruise under her left eye. Dirt and dust were caked on her clothes like she’d been rolling in a hole
somewhere instead of fighting bad guys. Grove was the next one in and made me do a double take. Her dark hair was cropped
close to her face and she didn’t look happy. Her lip was split and there was dark bruising around her neck.
My eyes widened. “What happened to you?”
She held a blood-caked hand up. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Alric leaned against the wall like he already knew about all of this. He probably did. What would it take to surprise him?
Reva grinned despite the view I was taking in. “We ran into a little trouble on the way home. Someone thought they could
sneak up on us and grabbed a handful of her hair.”
Grove rolled her eyes and shook her head as she stalked out of the room. “So much for not wanting to talk about
something.”
“Where’s Ash?” Alric’s eyes watched the door thoughtfully.
Reva scowled and sauntered back to the entrance. “She was right behind us.”
Ash kicked the door open with the bottom of her foot and flew into the entryway. “I like to have my own dramatic
entrance.”
A snort escaped me as Alric rubbed his temples. These three were entirely too much. At least I wouldn’t be bored
anymore. Well, I could hope I would be included in their shenanigans once again. I missed their excitement and love of life. I
missed them.
Reva threw her arm around the back of my neck and shook her head at the other woman. The other woman that didn’t look
at all like she’d gotten into any trouble on the way home. “She was sleeping.”
“She slept through a fight?” I asked in disbelief.
Reva’s lips flattened. “Yep, our camp was attacked and she slept through it all.”
“A girl needs her beauty sleep,” Ash yawned dramatically.
“I’m glad you all made it back,” I wrapped my arms around Reva’s waist and squeezed her affectionately.
“What happened while we were gone?” Ash’s brows bounced on her forehead.
My eyes jumped to Alric and he bit his bottom lip before he joined Grove in the kitchen.
Coward.
“My magic came in!”
Reva ripped herself from my arms and grabbed my shoulders with a gentle shake. “What?!”
I nodded my head enthusiastically. Reva turned an angry glare to the kitchen just as Alric was coming out. He held his
hands up in surrender but didn’t say anything to help his cause.
“You didn’t tell us her magic came in! If you had, we would have come back without delay and dallying!” Reva shrieked.
Alric rolled his eyes. “Oh yes because that’s something that can be written down and be possibly intercepted by our
enemies. Think Reva. We haven’t seen each other since her magic came in. How was I supposed to get word to you?”
“We saw Ryven, he could have mentioned it.”
 My heart squeezed in my chest. So that’s where he’d disappeared to.
Alric shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t control the commander, and I don’t know what he’s doing. He could be deep in an
operation of some sort.”
A grin stretched across Ash’s face. “Not likely. Unless it includes getting so drunk he has to be dragged out of the local pub
and thrown into the ditch.”
Alric’s nose wrinkled. “I guess that’s my newest assignment.”
I swallowed back the thick emotions trying to bubble up and nodded my head. Someone had to go make sure he was okay,
because this most certainly was not. What if he got himself killed? What if that was what he was trying to do, to begin with? I
rubbed my eyes to keep myself from crying. Maybe getting involved with him was silly if this was how he was going to act
afterwards. I couldn’t afford all of these warring emotions going on.
“You okay?” Reva whispered as she bumped her shoulder into mine.
I nodded my head and tried to put on my best face but I knew she would come sniffing around later when Alric left to go
check on his friend.
“You all need to bathe desperately,” I wrinkled my nose at the stench. “Except maybe you, Ash, but if you don’t bathe I
have a feeling they’re gonna get madder at you.”
Ash winked at me. “You’re probably right.”
Reva shot me a meaningful look that told me this wasn’t over, which I knew to be true and grabbed her canvas bag off of
the floor before rushing into the bathing chamber. Too late did I realize that I hadn’t put away the slinky nightgown that I’d worn
for Ryven a week prior. I couldn’t bring myself to do it and now it was going to be my ruination. Reva leaned against the
opening to the bathing chamber and on one finger held my secret up to the light.
“And what is this?”
The color drained from my face as I tried to think of some kind of excuse and not a single one came to mind.
Alric whirled on me quickly, a mischievous grin stretched across his face. I was truly doomed with these four. I would
never be able to live this down again, I knew it. “So this is it.”
“This is what?” Reva’s brown eyes were saucers as she looked between us. I swallowed audibly and puffed my cheeks
out.
“It’s something Sita put together for me to try to seduce the commander.”
The thin material fell from her finger and piled onto the floor. “What?”
Alric blinked rapidly. “It was a lot more fun when you were denying it.”
With flaming cheeks, I rushed to snatch it from the floor and bury it in my bedroom. Then I would go find a spot for my own
grave. This day had started out so promising…
 CHAPTER ELEVEN
RYVEN

Train harder, that was all that mattered. Except just as I was starting to break a sweat, I was immediately interrupted. I was
staying in one of the more secluded inns at the back of the village above The Rebel’s Keep. It was where I knew I wouldn’t be
bothered and the owners liked money more than anything else. I made sure I paid them handsomely for their secrecy and they
never gave me any trouble. I always had a hot bath waiting for me in the evening and an even hotter meal whenever I needed it.
They kept me fed, clean, and warm. Which was much appreciated with the first snow flurries coating the ground this morning.
“I should have known you would be here,” Alric said from the shadows of the inn. How he knew where I was, I had no
idea, but Alric had his network that I knew nothing of. He had eyes and ears everywhere. Just because I paid for invisibility
didn’t mean that I actually got it when it came to the Spy Master. There wasn’t any amount of gold that could keep me hidden
from him. “At least you don’t smell like ale.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” I raised my sword and did another turn, practicing my footwork and balance. Icy wind
whipped through the alley and I took a deep breath of its freshness.
“Reva reported seeing you being thrown out of a pub a few days ago.” Alric pulled a knife from his boot and began to pick
at his nails with it. He was playing nonchalant but I knew better. He was trying to unnerve me. He’d been trying this trick out
since we were children. It hadn’t worked then, it wasn’t going to work now. Even though my old friend could almost best me in
a fight, didn’t mean he intimidated me. Not much did.
I continued my conditioning and mulled my thoughts over. How was I going to tell Alric what really happened? It was none
of his business on one hand but on the other… When it came to Juniper’s safety, it was.
“I planned on coming back a week ago, but after what happened…” I cleared my throat unsure of what I wanted to give
away. There wasn’t any way I could lie about it. He’d seen me the night after and I was a mess. I hadn’t wanted to leave, but by
the gods, I had no other choice. What else was I to do? Stay and let it go further? Absolutely not.
Alric’s blonde brows lifted on his forehead. “Yes, I’ve seen the neglige.”
Rage like no other bloomed within my chest and before I knew what I was doing, my blade was pressed against his neck.
His eyes were bored as they took me and my weapon in. He knew I wouldn’t hurt him but with the anger I was feeling… I
wasn’t so certain. When it came to Juniper everything was different. Nothing was off the table. It meant my emotions were
unchecked and I was out of control. It was another reason I was up here, away from her.
Slowly, ever so slowly, he held his hands up in surrender. “Reva unearthed it and brought it out for show and tell.”
I closed my eyes as I lowered my weapon. “Of course she did.”
“She’s certainly a wild card.”
“Good thing we aren’t talking about her,” I ground out.
“After things transpired, I couldn’t stick around. Things couldn’t progress past where they went. I couldn’t ruin her for her
kingdom, for her future… husband.”
Alric ran his tongue over the front of his teeth. “I see.”
“So for the good of the world and for her, I left and I won’t return for a bit. I will admit I got a little sloppy, but I am in
control now.”
Alric shoved off of the alleyway wall and nodded once. “That’s all I wanted to check in on. There is nothing wrong with
having a night out for yourself and cutting loose a little, but I wanted to make sure this wasn’t an ongoing issue that we needed
to address. You’re the commander and as much as I didn’t want to pull rank like that and remind you of who and what you’ve
worked so hard for, I will. I would. I came here to do that if I needed to.”
I clapped him on the shoulder and bowed my head. “I appreciate that because I will do the same for you.”
He chuckled. “I wouldn’t mind it so much if you have to drag my ass out of a pub every once in a while. I probably need
it.” He shook his head. “Hells, I know you needed it but I wanted to make sure you weren’t dead in a ditch somewhere or
fighting through the townspeople or something even worse.”
“As long as we are on the same page,” I smirked. “I’m fine though, the silence is a nice companion and the food isn’t too
bad.”
 Alric groaned in envy and threw his head back. “I would kill for some silence. I would kill for some killing.”
“You can get a good break next time.” But I knew he wouldn’t. Anytime I gave him a break and let him loose, I knew he
wasn’t resting and was still working. That was the downfall of having eyes and ears everywhere, there was always something
to report except in the case of Anya.
“Still nothing on the target?”
Alric shook his head. “Nope. All quiet. I kind of hoped you being out in the open up here would have drawn her out but so
far the only reports I’ve gotten are about monster sightings and petty crimes.”
Frustration thrummed through me as I turned away from my friend and stalked across the half-frozen ground. My boots
crunched with every step and I felt my stomach going with it. How was I supposed to keep Juniper safe while Anya was on the
loose? Honestly, I wasn’t keeping her safe at all by being up here, but for now, I needed this. I wouldn’t get another chance
once we were in the castle. Once she was inaugurated. But when would that happen? There were too many pressing issues at
hand and I could hardly juggle what I had.
Alric whistled through his teeth. “Just be sure you’re back for the solstice celebration. I heard Juniper’s dress will be the
talk of the night. Just imagine all the men fawning over her if you aren’t there frowning in the shadows.”
That was enough to set me ablaze. My eyes cut to him quickly. “I’ll be there.”
 CHAPTER TWELVE
UNIPER

The ball was three days away and I would have been lying to say I wasn’t nervous. Ryven still hadn’t returned, though Alric
assured me he was in good spirits and not dying nightly by his own drink. It was somewhat of a relief. But my thoughts and
overthinking were eating me alive. I could hardly focus on anything else and because Ryven hadn’t come back yet, I couldn’t
help in the fields. I could see the stress in Alric’s eyes when I questioned him about it. Why did Ryven have to be there? Why
couldn’t the girls come with me? They already trailed me everywhere as it was. What was one night going out to see about the
crops?
I had my hands buried in my hair and was trying to stretch my back when the front door opened. The girls were in the
bathing chamber and I hadn’t seen Alric in a few hours. My hand went for the dagger on the floor but stopped when I realized it
was Ryven. His hair was wet and hanging around his face in thick curls, his clothes were rumpled, and there were bags under
his eyes like he hadn’t been sleeping. In the back of my mind, I wanted to run into his arms but all I could do was frown.
“Did you have a good trip?” The words tasted flat in my mouth. I couldn’t imagine just how bad they sounded to someone
else.
He nodded once and tossed his leather bag on the counter. “Yes, it was enlightening.”
“Did you come back for the ball?”
One of his dark brows rose. “Is that what they’re calling it?”
I continued to stretch forward and didn’t reply. What was there to say?
“No one is watching you?”
“Am I a child?”
I didn’t bother with looking up to see his face. He was the one who had left. He was the one that left without clearing the
air and now I didn’t know how I was supposed to act. Even though Reva found my nightgown, I refused to talk about it. I felt
mortified. I must have done something wrong for him to leave so abruptly. I couldn’t bring myself to face the sex goddess
herself that left Alric hanging, wouldn’t speak to him about it, but he still chased after her. I wouldn’t be the one to chase after
Ryven. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to. Oh, I wanted to know what I did wrong. I wanted to communicate but I couldn’t carry the
world’s fate on my shoulders while nursing heartbreak either.
“Well, isn’t this awkward,” Reva said from the doorway.
Ryven rolled his eyes at her as he dug through the dinner spread out on the table. “What’s awkward? The fact that you’re
still in my home?”
She ignored his comment and joined me on the floor. Her night clothes were made out of silk and I wondered if she bought
them when she was above ground. I knew Sita could work this kind of magic but I also knew she didn’t have the time. She
needed more help.
“Livia is going to come help you get ready for the ball and I’ll help you get dressed. Are you excited?” At least she was
changing the subject. We were all excited even though things were stressful and uncertain.
I jumped from the floor and flew into the kitchen. “Do you know where Alric is?”
Ryven’s gaze darkened as he took me in and satisfaction heated my blood. I still had an affect on him even if he didn’t want
to act on it and had to leave. “Why?” He asked around a mouthful of food.
“Because I’ve been waiting weeks for you to come back so I can help the people here. For whatever reason, Alric didn’t
want me to go into the gardens or the fields until you were with us. Now that you’re back, we shouldn’t delay. I heard the
reports snow was falling just last week. If we are going to work some magic, literally, we need to hurry.”
Ryven sighed, shoved a pastry in his mouth and motioned for me to leave ahead of him. He rolled his head on his shoulders
and I heard a few pops before we were out of the door. Reva was right on our heels, sword in hand, silk pajamas still on. At
least she had the decency to put her boots on, even if they weren’t laced.
“Shouldn’t we tell the others?” I asked as the door swung closed behind us.
Reva rolled her eyes. “If they were concerned about us, they wouldn’t be floating around that hot spring like this is a
vacation. If they panic because we left, it’s their own damn fault.”
 Alrighty then.
Alric was waiting for us in the kitchens. I grinned. “How did you know?”
“The moment I got word Ryven was back, I knew it was only a matter of time before you dragged his sorry ass here.” He
hooked his thumb toward Ryven, who looked like he would rather be anywhere but here.
When Reva stepped around me, Alric looked like the cat that had the canary. His eyes got big as he took in her night clothes
and then her unlaced boots. “Aren’t you a goddess made real?”
She scoffed but even in the low lighting, I could see his words affected her. Her usually pale complexion was starting to
turn a soft pink. Ryven cleared his throat and Alric snapped to attention. Reva’s lips curled slightly and it was my turn to elbow
her in the ribs. I didn’t care what she said, she was smitten with the poor man. She could try to deny it all she wanted. No
wonder he followed her around like a lovesick fool.

THE GARDENS HAD BEEN PICKED over. How we had an overabundance of food really surprised me. There were a few buds on
the plants but other than that, it was slim. My work was cut out for me here. At least that was what I thought until I buried my
fingers in the dirt and I felt the pull. A spark seemed to ignite in my chest and before I knew what was happening, my hands
were glowing beneath the dirt and the poor plants that’d seen better days started to perk up before my eyes. With a harsh
exhale, I felt the magic leaving my body in large gulps, almost as if the plants were thirsty and I was their only nutrient. I closed
my eyes and what bloomed within the darkness was fascinating. I was the only source of life here in this dirt. These plants
wouldn’t survive the winter and wouldn’t return in the spring if I hadn’t come when I did.
I pitched forward, completely depleted. Hands wrapped around the tops of my arms and hauled me from the now
overgrown vegetation. I didn’t have any energy to open my eyes, but I could feel it. I could feel the happy plants around me.
They were thriving now. They would live. The pull was still in my chest, there was more work to be done.
“Take me to the fields,” my voice sounded far away.
“Absolutely not,” the voice was almost as distant as my own.
Once again, staying conscious wasn’t an option and whatever they were saying around me was lost to the darkness around
my mind.

“THIS HAPPENS EVERY TIME?” Reva’s voice broke through the darkness and for a moment, I thought she was speaking to me.
“Unfortunately,” Alric didn’t sound amused or even remotely happy. I couldn’t blame him though I had just fixed all of the
farming issues he was stressing about. It was then that I noticed, my body was being jostled around. I rubbed my eyes to get the
grit from them and focused on the way my body felt. I didn’t feel as drained as before when I’d used my magic, which felt like
a win even if I didn’t voice it out loud.
“There is too much work to be done, she cannot do it all on her own,” A voice rumbled from beneath me and my eyes
zeroed in on Ryven carrying me up the ramps to our home. There were dark circles under his eyes that only pronounced how
green they were.
“What do you propose then? Does someone else out here have the same magic as me?” I asked, quietly, secretly loving the
feeling of his arms around me but also silently berating myself for the thought. I didn’t need to like the way this felt. I didn’t
need to get addicted to his hot and cold urges. I needed to be able to care for myself so I didn’t keep falling into this mess
headfirst.
He clenched his jaw and I wanted nothing more than to run my finger down the bulging vein on his neck.
Treacherous body.
“You can’t do this all on your own,” he started.
“I won’t be, that’s why all of you are here, is it not?” I finished.
The vein bulged even more and I found myself wondering what it would feel like to press my lips there. I really needed to
get a grip on these feelings.
A soft hand wrapped around my own, “You aren’t alone, but we can’t take these things on for you, even though we want to.
You can’t burn yourself out trying to save the world.”
I squeezed my eyes closed in frustration at Grove’s words. She was right, but she was also wrong. The magic. The gods.
They’d chosen me for this. “Isn’t that why I’m here?”
Ryven took a deep breath and no one said anything again until we were in his home. I could have walked the remainder of
the way, after I woke, but I knew this wouldn’t happen again. I knew if I wanted to feel this way, I would only get so many
opportunities to do so. I could play the damsel if it meant satisfying my treacherous heart. And the ridiculous organ between my
legs that made me want even more, even if it meant not getting emotionally satisfied.
 CHAPTER THIRTEEN
UNIPER

Livia finished up my hair like the expert she was and smiled at me in the mirror. There were braids and curls all over my head,
I didn’t know how I was going to possibly get it all out when this was over.
“I’ll work on your makeup after you eat, gods know you won’t have the time tonight,” she giggled as she gathered all of her
hair tools and combs. “There is food waiting for you in the kitchen.”
My stomach clenched. The kitchen I shared with Ryven. The home that we’d been dancing around each other for days in.
I’d purposefully ignored him, knowing that my body wanted him too desperately for its own good. Knowing well enough that it
would get me hurt again. I was still reeling from him being back but it wasn’t like it meant anything. He was void of all
emotion and any time I got the courage to finally speak up, he disappeared and Alric waited in his place.
Coward.
Stupid, stupid, sexy, coward.
I yanked my black robe around me tighter and took a deep breath. There was no where for Ryven to escape this time. Alric
had too much to plan and too much to take care of for the ball. My three friends were also getting ready and my dress would be
delivered soon. If he abandoned me now, it wouldn’t look good. Maybe he would stay in his room, that was the one place I
didn’t dare to go into. Even though my wandering thoughts brought me to that place almost every night.
Livia gave me a bright smile before she disappeared and I was left alone with the enemy. The enemy I so desperately
wanted. He was watching the town below his windows and had a steaming cup between his hands. His dark hair was
disheveled and his clothes looked rumpled, as if he’d slept in them. Maybe he had. Was this what he was wearing tonight? I
doubted it. He would look his best, and this was definitely not his best. I swallowed thickly as I piled up a plate of food, not
worrying about what it was, too distracted by the man taking up every little space left in my brain.
He didn’t turn from the window as I sat in the same room as him. “Are we going to keep pretending nothing happened?”
He didn’t turn toward me, just shrugged his shoulders. “What’s there to say?”
Rage bubbled up inside of me faster than I could have ever anticipated.
“You left!” I exploded. I didn’t even know why I was so mad, maybe I was hurt and I just couldn’t hold it back anymore but
he left me after we had shared something like that and maybe I was stupid, but I thought it meant so much more. Maybe it only
meant more to me and this thought made moisture fill up in my eyes. I blinked rapidly to get the tears away.
“What else was I supposed to do?” Ryven’s brows pulled together in the center of his forehead. “All I can think about is
you. You make me insane. You consume every thought, every movement, every piece of my being and it’s going to get us both
killed.”
A tear I was fighting, won and slid down the side of my face. “I thought I meant nothing to you.”
In three calculated steps he was in front of me with his hands on either side of my face. “You mean everything. You are
everything and if we keep this up I am going to ruin you like I have ruined everything else.”
“What if I want to be ruined?” I whispered as another tear won. He caught it with his thumb and swiped it away.
“This world needs you whole. Needs you better than me.”
I shook my head. “What about what I want?”
“You have millions of people counting on you. They need you more than little me.”
“Then help me, I can’t do this without you.”
He took a step back and all the warmth in the room went with him. His face fell as he shook his head. “It’s forbidden.”
“Says who?” I yelled and threw my hands into the air. “Who?”
“Proprietary!”
I snickered to keep myself from shrieking. “So you’re telling me that I’ll just be able to marry royalty one day? Is that what
I’m being saved for? There is no one else!”
He clenched and unclenched his jaw. “A prince could come from another land.”
“Ha!” I turned away from him in absolute disbelief. “A prince? A prince that could have come a long time ago to save these
people but wouldn’t show up until I’m here in all of my magical glory? I don’t think so. I won’t marry some prince. I won’t
marry for proprietary! I will marry and love who I want to.” I turned back to him and shoved my finger at his chest. “And if you
are too stupid to see that then maybe this is all for the best. Maybe you were right. Maybe I’ll just be alone with all of these
memories to keep me company.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t continue to do this to myself and everyone else. When
I opened my eyes he was gone and there was more relief than pain this time. The plate of food I knew I needed no longer
mattered. Before I could stop myself, I picked the plate up and threw it as hard as I could at the wall. The food and ceramic
exploded and it didn’t make me feel any better, like I hoped it would.
I blew a breath out and stared at the mess I made. Livia would be here soon to start on my makeup and I was an even bigger
mess than I had been before.

S ITA BLINKED at me in the long mirror she had a massive man bring up for her. Once again, she’d worked magic and she
couldn’t convince me otherwise that she didn’t have it in her fingers. The black dress melted to my body like water- not even
like water- like a substance I’d never encountered before. It was impossible to describe. The front dipped down and
crisscrossed around my chest while two massive slits showed off my legs all the way up to my thighs. Long sleeves puffed out
around my arms and cinched at my wrists. I turned in the dim lighting of the bathing chamber and gasped when I saw my back.
The back of the gown dipped down to my hips to show off the barely there mark that seemed to be materializing more and
more each day. I could hardly see it in the mirror but based on the way Reva acted when she saw it this morning, it was even
darker than the day before.
I dabbed at the makeup under my eyes and faced my friend. “You worked magic again.”
She pulled me into a tight embrace before I could see the emotions overtaking her. “I didn’t expect this day to come so
soon.”
“You act as if I’ll be leaving you,” I choked out.
“But won’t you be?” She pulled away and her eyes were glassy.
I frowned. “What do you mean? Why would I leave?”
She blinked a few times and dabbed at her own makeup. It was perfect, just as she was. “You can’t hide away in this little
cavern city for the rest of your life. It’s time for you to return to the Last Fortress. I wish you could stay here forever, but the
people need you.”
My frown only deepened. “I don’t understand. The magic in the castle said…”
She shook her head. “Those things will come to pass when you leave here. You will never grow if you don’t experience
life and death. Everything in between.”
“I can’t leave without you,” I placed my hands on both of her shoulders. “You will have to come with me.”
Her smile was sad. “I would love nothing more, but I will need to stay to make sure others have clothes. I will not be far
behind once you leave, but people will need help packing up their homes to follow you. Your kingdom will need a lot and we
will be there once you are established.”
I swallowed hard and nodded once. I didn’t want to get into this emotional talk. I wasn’t ready to leave, especially not her.
She looped one of my curls around her fingers. “I will make sure you have plenty of clothes on your journey and will try my
best to make it light for travel but the magic will know you. It will let you pass safely.”
Gods, I hoped so. I didn’t think I could handle another journey like the first. I knew any trip across The Wastes would be
perilous but everything that happened after… I would be content if I didn’t have to go through that again.
Sita shoved her silks and ribbons into her black trunk before she grinned at me again. “You are magnificent.”

THE USUAL TRAINING arena was completely transformed. I could hardly believe my eyes. Lanterns of all shapes and sizes were
hung and strategically placed around the room so you could see each other’s faces and where you were going but not much
else. It was romantic, it was mysterious, and I could hardly believe Alric had pulled this off. Two long tables were set up on
either side of the massive constructed stage in the center of the room and a wait staff served drinks and small finger foods from
wooden platters they carried around gracefully beside their shoulders. The dresses and fine attire were all over the spectrum.
There were some dressed in their finest, while others wore threadbare clothes that looked to be falling apart. But it didn’t
matter here. There was joy, laughter, and music. There was celebration and that meant no one cared what you wore. Children
were mysteriously absent—not that there were many—and I wondered who would purposefully volunteer to stay back with
them and miss all of this. It was magnificent. My feet pressed into the soft dirt ground and I reveled in the feel of the earth
between my toes. I opted out of the black slippers Sita threatened me with and knew as soon as I stepped into the room it was
the right decision. The hum for my magic to be used was back with each step. It knew what it needed to do to heal this room,
but it was waiting for my command.
Ryven’s face was a mask as he watched me from across the room. But he couldn’t hide the emotions in his eyes, that was
laid bare before me. Alric had his hand on my elbow as he escorted me into the room and everything went silent. The chatter,
the music, everything. It was like nothing else existed. I lifted my chin slightly as every gaze rested on me. People immediately
stopped what they were doing to catch a glimpse. Why we were having this party and celebration hadn’t been announced but
people knew. My lips curled slightly as I tried my best to not let my nerves get to me. I had many interactions with most of
these people. They’d welcomed me with open arms and plenty of food. Livia wrapped her arms around her partner and raised
her glass to me across the dance floor. It was strange seeing my sweet friend in another element besides fussing after me. Reva,
Ash, and Grove stood off to the side. They weren’t here to celebrate, they were here to work. Though they definitely didn’t
look it, they were decked out, head to toe. They looked incredible in their dresses and makeup. I hardly recognized them.
Which made me incredibly sad. All I wanted was for them to enjoy themselves but I had to remind myself that this was the life
they wanted to live. They loved fighting and rushing to other’s aid. I couldn’t take them away from the duty they’d instilled in
themselves.
As I made my way across the room there was a collective gasp as I passed. The mark was now visible to those who were
ready to accept me as their future queen. We would bring about a new age. We would take down the fraud empire and it was all
there in the birthmark that magically appeared on my skin. Alric warned me I would need to show off my magic tonight and I
didn’t know if I was ready but I also didn’t exactly have a choice either. I was beyond afraid I would black out again but Alric
insisted that a little show wouldn’t take it out of me. A simple demonstration was all I needed to do.
A flute of champagne was placed between my fingers and Alric smiled down at me. I would put on a good show for these
people, my people. Even if I wasn’t exactly ready to lead them and I had no idea how we were going to usher in a new age. I
guessed the planning for that would come when I got my footing with my magic. I couldn’t march into battle or try to take down
a powerful empire when I couldn’t stay awake after displaying my magic.
Ryven’s eyes blazed into the back of my neck as I wandered about the room. It didn’t take long for people to start talking
again and the excitement soared around me. Food was passed around as music played from a stage set up in the middle of the
training arena. There was a small dusting of snow on the ground and I wondered just how far down we were that you couldn’t
see the sky but snow still fell here. Was this another kind of magic? Surprisingly, even with the snow on the ground, the air was
warm enough around us. It had been a chilly walk from Ryven’s home and I wondered the whole time how I was going to
survive this night with such a thin dress on. I knew Sita could work magic, but keeping me warm in something like this seemed
a little unattainable. But weirder things had happened.
Alric was a distant shadow and I wasn’t sure why he didn’t act like a friend over a bodyguard until his thoughts rang
through my brain. He didn’t want it to look like we were courting. Which made sense, but I didn’t understand why one of my
girlfriends didn’t get closer.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the priests. They were late to the party. Honestly, I was surprised they even made it to
begin with. It didn’t seem like something they would be interested in but if what Alric said was true… they weren’t the real
deal to begin with.
They collectively bowed to me and once again, the room went into a hush.
“We see you have gotten your mark and there are rumors of your magic.” Thalias, Alric’s father, was the first to speak.
I unglued my tongue from the roof of my mouth and tried my hardest to sound dignified. “Yes, both are true,”
Eryx smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Then you wouldn’t mind putting on a demonstration, I’m sure.”
The pull to look over at Ryven was overwhelming. We knew this would happen and we knew the people would want proof
but now that we were here, I didn’t know if I could actually do it. The dull tug to use my magic was a constant companion now
but I didn’t know if I had the courage to unleash it. It seemed to have a mind of its own. All four priests practically leaned in to
prey on my weakness. I straightened my back instead and tilted my head.
“Well, of course.”
 CHAPTER FOURTEEN
RYVEN

Juniper was trying to kill me, I was fully convinced now. If it hadn’t been the nightgown that kept me up all hours of the night
writhing in pleasured agony, it was this dress that was going to never let me sleep again. I speared my fingers through my hair,
slowly losing all of my sanity as I watched her deal with the priests. I couldn’t hear what was being said from here, but I had
an idea. They probably wanted to see proof. Eryx craned his bald head to look at her back and I wanted nothing more than to
plant a throwing knife in his eye socket. If he kept his eyes on her mark, it would have been one thing, but his gaze wandered
and that disrespect wasn’t allowed. It didn’t matter if she was royalty, she was mine.
The thought stopped me in my tracks and all the blood and anger collecting in my face drained away.
Mine?
The thought seemed foreign but was far from it. I knew she was mine from the moment I laid eyes on her but there was
nothing that could be done then and I didn’t think there was anything that could be done now. Alric tried to give me a pep talk,
he’d tried to convince me that things would be different when we finally left this place and made it to The Last Fortress again.
But I wasn’t so sure and I wasn’t overly excited for the change. Even though it tormented me to no end that Juniper was on the
other side of the wall, I enjoyed her presence in my home. The smell of her coated my belongings. When we left this place, I
would be nothing but a door holder. I wouldn’t get to share something like this with her again and it caused a painful throb to
shoot through my chest. I would miss her, even though I’d done my hardest to keep pushing her away. I wasn’t lying when I said
she was made for more than me. There was no telling what was out there in the vast oceans and if a prince decided to make his
way here, who was I to say she couldn’t have him? Have the best?
The last thing she needed was a soiled commander that had lost almost everything because he couldn’t keep his dick
contained. I blew out a frustrated breath as I took a step closer to our queen. She was going to demonstrate her magic, I could
practically feel it in the air. Everything was electric now. Even a few of the hairs that had been twisted and confined on
Juniper’s head started to rise a little. Her lavender eyes sparkled in an otherworldly way and her red-painted lips curled at the
edges. She was going to enjoy showing them who she was.
The Three were nowhere to be seen now and I wondered if they dispersed into the crowd to get closer to Juniper without
being noticed as easily. My swords were heavy on my back, waiting for the moment they would be needed. My hands flexed at
my sides. I hoped they would be needed soon. Which tended to be a problem considering I hadn’t stopped using them for the
past few weeks. Above ground, I hunted anything and everything that had monstrous intent. Down here, the itch was increasing.
The more I used the magic in the swords, the more they demanded blood. I knew that when I forged them. It was another reason
I hadn’t wanted Juniper train or to forge her own. Leo, the giant, loved to forget that little tidbit. It was probably because he
was so bloodthirsty already, he didn’t feel the magical pull that others would. The itch only continued to increase as those
bloodthirsty vultures circled her. Now that I knew they were capable of murder, all bets were off. They were on my radar and I
wouldn’t hesitate to slit their throats the moment they lunged, just as I had done to the apothecary owner and countless others.
Their blood meant nothing if it kept Juniper safe. I tried to remind myself that it was for the crown, that it was for the
world, but I knew better. All of this was for her, not for the rest of the world. The rest of the world be damned.
I pulled my hands down my face and grimaced to myself. These were dangerous thoughts, a treacherous slope I knew
would take me down.
Juniper’s smile was polite but I could see the fire in her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to take these imposters down
too. Maybe I would let her kill them. I shook the thoughts away. As bloodthirsty as I was, I couldn’t let her turn into this. I
couldn’t let her be haunted by her kills and the blood on her hands. It no longer bothered me but at one point it had. At one
point, it consumed my life and every waking moment with guilt. There were too many to care now but I wouldn’t let her fall to
my perils. She was better than this, she was better than me.
Alric remained a dutiful soldier behind her. He’d insisted I be her bodyguard tonight, but I knew better. I knew I would get
distracted, I would get sloppy, and I would be jealous. I’d seen the lecherous looks that followed her about the room. She
couldn’t help it and neither could I so I needed to keep my distance or I would paint this room red.
What was I becoming?
Who was I kidding? Becoming? I’d been this man for a very long time.
 CHAPTER FIFTEEN
UNIPER

I took a deep breath through my nose and prayed no one saw the trembling in my hands. All that was required of me was to put
on a small show of my magic, just a little one. But my magic wanted something else, it wanted big. It wanted to heal. But I
couldn’t pass out. I couldn’t deplete myself with this many people around. I couldn’t give away my secret. It just needed to be
big enough to placate the people until I could get it under control.
What if you never get it under control? A voice slithered into my mind and I knew it was true. There was a chance that I
never had a sliver of control again. There was a chance that the magic would take over and I would have no say in anything
ever again.
I rolled my head on my shoulders and stretched my neck out. I could do this.
Did I need to touch the soil? I knew the answer before I bent down to the dirt. I didn’t need to do anything. The magic was
there, it could feel the decay in the room. It could feel the decay in the world. It knew what to fix.
My eyes focused on a small spot between my feet and I imagined a little vine sprouting from the earth. Within seconds
that’s exactly what happened. But instead of being small, it was as thick as my leg, and instead of sprouting… it exploded up
before me.
There was a collective gasp around the room and the priests before me stumbled back in shock. I clenched my fists at my
sides as a wave of dizziness overtook me. The vine snapped to attention before me and stopped growing. It was easily the size
of Leo, possibly bigger, but it grew no more. I huffed out a breath and smoothed the concentration from my face.
“Is this what you were wanting?”
Lex raked his fingers through his brown hair. “Yes, I would imagine this would suffice.”
I couldn’t have stopped the grin even if I wanted to. I didn’t trust these men, even Alric’s own father, but I was pleased
with their shock. Something about it made me giddy with excitement. “I guess this calls for the celebration then!”
The music picked up and anything else I could have said was drowned out. I didn’t mind. I was tired of the politics, I was
sick of trying to impress these murderous fools. All I wanted was to enjoy myself, especially since I’d conjured magic without
losing consciousness. It was a cause for celebration. I was in control and I would do what it took to keep it that way.

A WARM FINGER slithered down the mark on my back and I shivered, I knew exactly who it was. It hadn’t taken me long to find
a dark corner and to watch the people enjoy themselves. Alric was nearby but in the soft lighting. He’d left me to my solitude,
which I was grateful for. But a few minutes ago, I watched him slip away, which only meant one thing.
“I haven’t seen this yet,” Ryven’s voice washed over the back of my neck and I fought myself from pressing back into him. I
wanted nothing more than to feel the rough edges of him. I wanted nothing more than to replay that night even if we had fought,
even if things weren’t perfect. I was drawn to him in a way I didn’t need to be, but damn it, I wasn’t going to fight it either.
“If you’d stayed around you would have had lots of opportunities to do so,” My voice was hard even though I wanted to
melt into his hands. I was also lying but he didn’t need to know that. The mark appeared a few days ago, and it was slow
coming. Even now I knew it wasn’t in its full glory. You could hardly tell what it was. It seemed like a bunch of well-placed
freckles and a few lines. I imagined in a few weeks it would be fully manifested. It was turning into something, I just didn’t
know what. I guessed it was coming in with my magic. The more I used my magic, the more the mark showed. It was only a
guess, but the best one yet. No one else knew or had the answers I was looking for.
“I’m sorry,” His voice was a whisper and goosebumps erupted on my skin. “I shouldn’t have run away. I shouldn’t have
said the things I did. I should have stayed, I shouldn’t have claimed you like I wanted to. But there’s a gallant part of me that
knows you deserve better than I. I wanted to make sure you knew everything that was a possibility for your future. I didn’t want
you to waste it all away for the likes of me.”
My breath seized in my chest.
“You have options and I’m going to make sure you’re aware of every single one. You deserve the best and if I’m not that
then I will willingly step down every time.”
I didn’t know what to say. I could hardly breathe. All I could do was watch as the people in the room spun in circles and
drank themselves into happy stupors. The town would be an absolute mess tomorrow but I couldn’t find it within myself to
care. These people deserved it. They needed happiness. There hadn’t been much of it, as of late.
His lips brushed the curve of my shoulder. “Gods, I will never be able to get the look of you out of my head after tonight.
Your greatness practically radiates from you and I don’t know how I didn’t see it before when I first grabbed you.” He
chuckled against my skin. “Blinded by beauty, I guess.”
“Stubborn man,” I managed to breathe out.
His tongue traced up the curve of my neck and I squeezed my eyes closed as my legs began to tremble. What kind of game
was he playing? “Let me apologize correctly, let me worship you in the way you deserve.”
How could I possibly say no?

IF ANYONE WERE to ask me how we got back to our home without touching each other and looking completely innocent, I
wouldn’t have known what to say. My skin was on fire. The air was full of electricity around us. I was sure we looked anything
but innocent. I didn’t know how we didn’t race from the celebration just to tear each other’s clothes off on the way. It was all I
could think about. The thin fabric covering my body was too much, I needed it off. I needed him like I’d never needed anything
else. I was a big ball of nerves that had never wanted something so badly.
The door swung closed and he was on me. There was little time to prepare as his hands slid into my hair and my back hit
the wall. His mouth was warm and tasted slightly like spiced wine and dirty promises. I didn’t know what to do, or where to
touch. He removed his hands from my hair and guided my own down his body. First to the buttons on his shirt. With trembling
fingers, I undid the first few but the rest seemed stubborn and before I could finish my task, he made an impatient sound in the
back of his throat and ripped the last six buttons free. They popped and pinged along the wall and the floor but it didn’t matter.
He immediately had my hands on his hot skin and every thought I had about anything else was gone. All I could think about was
his mouth sliding down the side of my neck and his hand pushing the thin fabric from my shoulders. A chill raced through my
body as the cold air brushed my nude skin. My breasts tightened at the feeling of his palms on my sides. When his mouth
brushed the skin between my breasts, I thought I was going to collapse. My knees shook as I tried to remain upright before I
knew it, he scooped me up from the wall and carried me straight to his room. His mouth hadn’t stopped what it was doing, it
simply went back to my lips.
He seemed to devour me. His lips were relentless but I didn’t mind. All I could think about was this. It consumed my every
thought. My every want. I was blinded by lust and need like never before. As soon as my back hit his bed, my dress was torn
from my body as if it was made of nothing but tissue. The beautiful work of art didn’t matter, I would mourn it later when I
could bask in the memories of what this night would bring. I would probably keep it as a reminder to look at when I felt lonely
because I knew that would come too. It was inevitable.
“Where did you go?” Ryven’s low timber interrupted my thoughts and I felt my face flush.
I shook my head against his blankets and watched his eyes go dark as he licked the center of my chest. Was this what
heaven was like?
“Stay with me,” he rumbled against my skin and I felt myself melt even more. “Watch me please you. Be here with me when
I taste you.”
My mouth went dry and I fought to keep watching him as he lowered himself farther down my body. He couldn’t possibly
mean?
His bright eyes met mine as his tongue swiped across me and my legs fell open in shock. He had. His grin was mischievous
as he lowered his face to the center of my legs again and licked me once more. A moan escaped my lips as my head fell back.
He stopped his efforts and my eyes flashed to his.
“Watch me please you,” he said as he ran his thumb down my center. I fought to keep my eyes on him as he continued
working my body into a big ball of ecstasy with his mouth and tongue. How was it possible to feel this good? How was it
possible to feel this alive?
I never wanted to come down from this high and I could feel it building bigger and bigger with every press of his mouth. So
many things made sense now that had never made sense before. His lips continued to move against me as he pushed a finger
inside of me and I almost came undone. The sparks—the euphoria—it was almost too much. I felt like I was on the edge of a
cliff about to dive off and there was nothing at the bottom to catch me.
Louder moans escaped my lips as he picked up the tempo with his mouth and started to move his finger. My breath hitched
in my throat as he lifted his head and grinned.
“Fall apart for me, let me hear you, let me taste you, let me savor this.”
 And that was all it took. I fell right off of the cliff into an abyss I had only thought I’d experienced in the past. Whatever
pleasure I’d brought myself in the middle of the night thinking of him was nothing like the pleasure of falling with him.
He continued to kiss, lick, and devour me as I fell apart over and over again. Every moan only seemed to fuel him and
when I began to pull away, he would push me back down. He wasn’t done inflicting this torturous rapture on me. When the last
wave of intense thrill died down, he crawled up my body, laying kisses in his wake. Everything felt new and different, but in
the best way. I could hardly feel anything with pleasure still coursing through my every nerve ending.
He kissed me long and deep as I tried to reach for his leather pants. He moved out of my reach and pressed his lips to my
cheek instead.
“Let me make you feel as good as you made me feel,” I whispered. He smiled softly against my neck and shook his head.
“I want nothing more but tonight is about you.” His lips captured one of my nipples while his fingers found the other and I
forgot about anything else but the feeling of his hands and tongue on me.
“Please,” a moan slipped free.
His eyes met mine as he released my breast with a soft pop. Heat curled within me again and I knew this was something I
would easily get addicted to.

THE FIRST CRASH seemed like something far away. We could ignore it, we could continue. The way Ryven’s tongue was tracing
circles on my body, I couldn’t possibly think of anything else. I couldn’t possibly stand to see what was happening outside of
our chambers.
But then another one happened and rocks rained down on us. We could no longer ignore what was happening in the keep.
Ryven pulled his face from my body, his eyes were wide, and something glowed from his back. He reached back and his hand
wrapped around the hilt of one of his swords. His face looked conflicted as he pulled himself off of me the rest of the way and
stalked to the terrace that overlooked the small city beneath us. Another explosion went off closer and Ryven was thrown into
the wall. More rocks and debris rained down on my naked skin and I sat up quickly. Ryven squeezed his eyes closed and shook
his head before tossing me a pillow.
“Put this over your head,” He marched back to the area that overlooked the chaos. He clenched and unclenched his jaw as
his eyes bounced between me and the obvious attack happening. “I can’t leave you but the keep needs me.” His words were a
whisper, obviously not meant for my ears. He ran his hand down his face and shook his head.
“Go,” I answered for him.
He whipped around quickly like he’d forgotten I was there. “I can’t leave you.” Or maybe he was offended I’d even
suggested such a thing. “You are the most important thing. You are going to heal this earth, heal your people.”
“I can’t do any of that if I don’t have people to heal. Those are my people down there.”
He was in front of me in a few short steps. His sword was gone and his hands were on my face in seconds. My dress had
been discarded long ago, but he still wore half of his clothes. A blessing and a curse, I supposed. Everything was about to
change right before my eyes. Everything I wanted, standing before me, was about to be different. I could feel it in the air around
me and in the rock beneath me. He pressed his forehead to mine and I could feel the trembling in his body. He was at war with
himself.
“The girls will be here soon,” My voice broke and we both knew I was lying. I knew they would be looking for me but
would they ever make it here? “You have to go protect my people—our people.”
The man I was falling in love with pulled away and searched my eyes. “You and I both know that may not happen. They
could be caught in the crossfire.”
Three more explosions had happened since he moved away from the balcony. Each boom sent us scurrying slightly. The
smell of smoke was thick in the air and I knew we didn’t have much time left. “Get the people out, the girls or Alric will get to
me and if they don’t…” I hated how afraid I sounded but there was no way around it. “I can defend myself. I can get out.”
He cupped my cheek and crushed his lips to mine. This kiss was nothing like the others. This one was full of remorse, pain,
and regret. It was full of everything he wanted to say to me but there wasn’t enough time. When he pulled away tears rolled
down my cheeks but I was quick to flick them from my skin. I couldn’t make this any harder than it needed to be. With both of
my hands on his bare chest, I shoved him toward his room. He would need his battle leathers and who knew what else. I could
hardly think. Between everything that we’d done and now this, my brain was scrambled.
When he returned from his chambers, he had a sword I’d never seen before between his hands. His other two were tucked
on his back. His brown fighting leathers were worn but looked to be in good condition. His dark hair was pulled back away
from his face. My dress was in tatters but somehow I’d managed to put it back on. There was dirt and rocks in my hair and I
was sure I looked a mess, but his eyes still held so much devotion for me as he handed me the weapon.
“I trained you well. I pushed you too hard and I was an asshole to you but I know you can defend yourself if you need to.”
Another boom shook the keep and knocked me off of my feet. I scurried to stand, thankful the sword was still in its sheath. My
lips trembled as I fought more tears. I could feel the goodbye on the tip of his tongue and it was the last thing I wanted. I wanted
to say see you later, but I also hadn’t seen what he had at the balcony. I couldn’t bring myself to do it yet.
 The front door exploded open and my friends rushed inside. Grove was the first to breach the room and one look at our
stance and a sly grin spread across her face. There was blood and mud caked on their faces. Reva let out a shuddering breath
and fell to her knees next to the kitchen.
“We are under attack by the fraud empire.” Her wide brown eyes met mine, completely ignoring my rumbled clothing, half
falling off of me. “They’re here for Juniper but they’re slaughtering anything and everything.”
The sly grin that had been on Grove’s face quickly fell off. “Whatever children were left, they’re hunting them. They want
children killed off first.”
“Where’s Ash?” They never separated. This was unlike them.
“She was attacked on our way up here, Alric stayed behind to help her.”
I nodded my head, they were formidable warriors. They could handle it, right?
 CHAPTER SIXTEEN
RYVEN

As much as my people needed me and as much I needed to see to them, I couldn’t leave until I knew Juniper was safe. That
meant making sure she had a weapon, she felt comfortable with it, and she’d covered herself. Her fighting leathers weren’t
broken in and they would probably be uncomfortable for her to run or fight in but they would keep her safe. Reva was
massaging some nasty dye into her hair to hopefully get her out of this without being targeted. I hated seeing her silver tresses
covered but I knew it was only temporary. All of this was temporary and when it was over with, she would have a kingdom to
run.
I pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead, avoiding the horrible smell of hair dye. She grabbed my hand before I could pull
away. Her purple eyes welled with tears and I knew it was going to break me to walk away from her, but I had no choice. She
was in good hands now. They would get her out of this crumbling city and to The Last Fortress. They would be safe there, the
magic would protect them and then I would be on my way… If I didn’t make it out with them. That was the plan, get as many
people out as I could, fight these monsters, and then get to the rendezvous point.
Having a plan made me feel better about all of this. It wasn’t a lot of relief but it was enough to pry me from Juniper’s side.
With one last lingering look over my shoulder, I marched from my home and immediately into chaos. Flying creatures
squawked overhead and there was a horrible roaring happening from somewhere deep in the keep. They’d let in true, actual
monsters to do their dirty work before they came in and slaughtered the rest. How they’d managed to organize monsters in such
a way was beyond me. It explained the lack of monsters around the fraud kingdom and the Floria Forest. They hadn’t been
killing them, they’d been capturing them.
Another explosion rocked the keep and more fire erupted from the center of the town below me. I took the steps two at a
time, my eyes searching for Alric and Ash as I went. I didn’t want to dive into all of this blind and having them with me would
give me better chances. It would give all of us better chances. But there was no sign of them. There were no creatures on the
stairs, the town below my home seemed too empty. Fires were raging, but no people to be found. Screams could be heard in the
distance and I swallowed back bile coming up my throat. I was born and bred for this. I could do this. The blood lust that’d
been in my veins earlier evaporated to nothing now. I knew I was about to see my people slaughtered and it ripped me up
inside. I could kill monsters, I could slay my enemies, but innocents? Never. These people didn’t deserve this and they’d all
been rounded up like cattle in the arena, waiting to be taken out. There’d been no one there to protect them.
Obviously, I wasn’t that stupid and I had some of my men stationed around the arena to keep the peace and to watch for
trouble but I hadn’t thought of an attack, especially not one to this caliber. Most of the men and women in the army had gotten
tonight off, like the rest of the keep. It was a night of celebration.
How did I not see this? I should have planned better, I should have been more on guard but all I could think about, all I
could see was her… All I could think about was her and here we were. Could this have been avoided? Probably.
My boots crunched on the rocks and dirt as I raced through the streets. Every home and business looked to be empty but
most of them were on fire. From what I could tell, the screams were coming from the arena and not anywhere near me. If there
was anyone here, they were dead. The silence made it ominous enough.
“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes? Where did you disappear to?” A familiar voice stalled me. Anya. The woman we’d been
looking for for weeks, finally showed her face. How interesting it was on the same night there was an attack.
She emerged from the shadows as I held my swords up in a challenge. A sneer curled my lips as my eyes assessed her. Her
cheeks were sunken in and her once golden skin was now pale and sickly. She hadn’t trained in a while based on how small
her arms and legs were as her clothes no longer hugged her body but seemed to sag. If it wasn’t for her voice, I would have
never recognized her. She was a shell of the woman she used to be, the woman I’d once admired and cared for. There were
many times that I wondered if I could have loved her if things were different, but as I looked into her haunted gaunt eyes, I
knew that it would have always ended the same— no matter what.
“You couldn’t help yourself,” she sighed. “Her beauty was just too much, wasn’t it?”
“What are you going on about?” I kept my eyes on her, but my focus was on the creatures flying above our heads. They
would try to distract me so she could pick me off.
 “Juniper,” she spat it like a curse. “That wretched thing.”
There wasn’t any point in arguing with her. That would go nowhere.
“Anya!” A booming voice echoed around us. “What a sight you are! Damn girl, what happened to you? Living in exile can
be hard on your beauty rest. I don’t think you’ll be able to get the years back that you lost, sorry.”
Alric strolled into the square like we weren’t facing off with an enemy and an attack wasn’t happening in our home. He
swung a sword around like he was ready for a dance. His eyes twinkled with merriment.
He closed his eyes as he smiled and hugged himself. “I always wanted to behead you, I guess this is my time to shine.”
Whatever amount of civility we’d had disappeared with my friend’s words. I was thankful for his candor as I hadn’t
wanted to drag this out. We needed to get this over with so we could get people to safely. The only way we could do that was
to get them to the Last Fortress and the only way we could safely do that was to be with Juniper. Her magic could produce
enough food and, hopefully, shelter to help provide for all the displaced people.
Alric looked over his shoulder at me as he charged our enemy. “Get to the arena, save as many as you can, Leo was headed
there.”
“Where’s Ash?” The question could wait but I knew if I saw Juniper before he did, she would want to know.
He swung his sword around and it sparkled in the low light. “A flying creature picked her up, she was slicing into its wing
when I heard Anya’s voice.”
Anya let him come after her and didn’t raise a weapon until the last minute. The clashing of steel on steel followed me as I
ran toward my people. As much as I wanted to take Anya out myself, I knew it wasn’t my priority. If Alric wanted to have her
head, he could take it. I had more important things to do.
Save my people.
Get to my queen.
 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
UNIPER

Smoke billowed around us as we fled down the mountain. The sounds of the screaming would haunt me for the rest of my life.
There was nothing I could do to help them either.
“Don’t even think about it,” Reva barked at me.
I blinked slowly. “They need us.”
Grove wrapped her fingers around my wrist. “They need you to get to safety so you can save their children or the rest of the
world. If you are dead, all of this is for nothing. You have to prioritize yourself.”
“You also don’t know if it's a trap, they might have planned for you to stay until the attack happened.” Reva cut eyes at
Grove. “We certainly hadn’t expected you to slip away with a handsome commander while we weren’t paying attention.”
My cheeks heated as I tried to distract myself from those memories. They served me no purpose here. I readjusted the
leather pack on my shoulders and hoped Ryven was okay with me borrowing it. Sita hadn’t fashioned me one yet and it was all
we could find in his overly tidy home. A few items of clothing were shoved into it by Grove while Reva collected food for her
pack. There wasn’t another for Grove to take so we agreed to take turns carrying it. She’d insisted I shouldn’t carry this burden
but I wanted to. Like before, I needed to be of use.
“Now what?” I whispered as we ducked between houses and snuck across another alleyway. Everything was quiet besides
the screams of terror in the distance. I squeezed my eyes closed briefly before we crossed another dark pass. I was supposed to
save these people and I was leaving them for dead. How could I abandon them like this?
“We get you to the outside,” Grove rolled her eyes like this was the obvious answer.
I hooked a thumb over my shoulder. “Isn’t the entrance to the keep, that way?”
Reva waggled her eyebrows at me. “There are secret passageways.”
I lifted a brow and shook my head at her. Of course, I should have known that. It only made sense especially if an invasion
happened to this caliber.
“Plus, where do you think all of the monsters got in from? They didn’t come through the passages, that is only known by the
elite of the elite.” Grove shot me a grin.
But wouldn’t Anya know where those were? I didn’t voice my questions out loud. I didn’t have time to as the scariest
shriek I’d ever heard was let out just ahead of us. Reva tilted her head back and forth to let out a few cracks and Grove
unsheathed her curved blades from the sides of her belt.
“Show time ladies,” Reva snarled and ran straight at whatever was lurking in the shadows before us.
Grove remained in her fighting stance in front of me while I surveyed the darkened alleys around us. I would keep my wits
about me and be of some help. Nothing would be able to sneak up on us if this was a trap. I rolled my shoulders back and
crouched with the newest blade in my possession. My legs shook but I was ready. When nothing appeared and the screeching
halted, Reva came back sporting a soiled tunic and smelling horrible. What I assumed was the monster’s blood was a bright
splatter of snot green across the front of her and her flaming hair was stuck to either side of her face. She wiped her blade
clean on the sides of her pants and re-sheathed the massive thing. I still didn’t know how she carried the huge weapon without
hunching or complaint. Grove kept her blades out and clutched tightly between her fists as we hurried through the homes. There
was no point in wasting any time now. Other monsters would be on the hunt for the one that killed their kind.

THANKFULLY, all of my training paid off. Before I trained daily and put myself through rigorous exercises and torture, I would
have never been able to trek up the inside of the cavern like this. My thighs were burning but not as bad as they could have
been. A few other monsters sniffed us out but they were little things. Grove and Reva exterminated them quickly. It didn’t look
like they’d even broken a sweat. But as we climbed and shimmied through little crevices, I noticed glistening on their faces.
This wasn’t an easy feat for anyone. Not a single complaint was muttered and when we finally reached the top of the small
alcove we’d shoved ourselves into, I felt like I could finally breathe again.
I could no longer hear the screams of my people, whether they were all dead, safe, or we were just too far away— I wasn’t
sure but I was thankful. With every sound of terror, I fought myself to not turn back, to not run to their aid.
 Reva hauled herself out of the hole ahead of me and then reached back to help me out. I turned to help Grove but she
swatted my hands away and hefted herself out with little struggle. My body was caked in dust and mud created from the sweat
pouring from our bodies. You could no longer tell if the blood from monsters was actually blood or just more mud at this point.
Reva planted her hands on the tops of her thighs and huffed out a big breath. “Not much farther.”
I didn’t know how she could tell. Everything was dark and quiet. We’d lifted ourselves up into a decent-sized alcove but
besides some bioluminescent mushrooms, the area was hard to see in. Grove patted her hair down and we were off again.

THE CAVERNS twisted and turned and soon I wondered if we were going in circles or if we were actually making progress. Dirt
rained down on us a few times and the caverns sook but there were no more sounds besides our labored breathing. Aches were
starting to set in but I pushed forward and ignored them to the best of my ability.
After what felt like an eternity crawling through the darkness, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I noticed light cutting
through ahead. Was I seeing things?
When Grove let out a triumphant sound behind me, I knew what I was seeing was real and I couldn’t help but grin. We
raced toward the light as quickly as we could before we skidded to a halt. Grove gripped her blades tightly as she stepped
around me and into the massive opening. We practically held our breath as we waited for her to return with a sly smile. Reva
wasted no time and flew into the light. Had we really been traveling that long? Had all of this gone into the morning?
As soon as I broke through the opening, the sound of the ocean hit me full force and I realized the bright light was the moon
reflecting off of the turbulent ocean. But none of that mattered when Ash launched herself at me and folded me into a tight hug.
No wonder Grove had looked so satisfied when she’d nodded the coast was clear. Leo and a few other men were standing with
Grove getting a run down on what was happening back in the keep.
Leo ran his hand down his thick red beard. “It all happened so quickly. They didn’t find our hiding places, they didn’t find
our exits or entrances, they blew literal holes in the walls and in the ground. The first explosion seemed strange, almost dream-
like and then the monsters started pouring in.” His sad eyes flicked to me. “We are thankful you were able to make it out alive,
Your Highness. We thought for sure they’d snuck you out before the attacks happened.”
My cheeks flamed as I thought of the reason I’d disappeared from the party. Before I could stop myself, I asked, “Where’s
Ryven?”
A man with light brown hair stepped forward. He bowed deeply at the waist before he addressed me. “Your Highness, he
was right on our heels but turned back to help others. Him and Alric both.”
I nodded once and hoped the coloring on my face was hidden by the darkness around us. “Thank you.”
“Do we have a plan?” Reva sheathed her sword but I could see the distrust on her face. She didn’t know all the soldiers
that escaped with Leo and she didn’t trust them, which was fine by me. We needed to be on our guard moving forward. I had
my suspicions that Anya was the reason the attack happened but I was sure she hadn’t acted alone.
Leo nodded before turning to his men. “Set up camp and rest, we will have a long journey ahead of us.”
The giant inclined his head to the side and we followed him out of the cave’s mouth and onto the sandy beach. The snowfall
that’d been happening everywhere else didn’t seem to be sticking here. The wind was chilly but there weren’t any snow
flurries in the sky and the stars were bright and clear. It was a small mercy. Leo crouched and ran a lazy finger through the
sand. He traced a few symbols and shapes before he looked back at us.
“We need to wait for Ryven and Alric to get back, but if they don’t make it by morning, we will have to leave without them.
They were hoping to get more people out but unfortunately, I don’t think they will make it here. The only people who knew
about this escape route were me, Alric, Ryven, and The Three. There was no point in anyone else knowing. It was too
dangerous. Most of the ones that make it out alive will go through the main entrance and they will seek refuge in the nearest
town if they aren’t slaughtered.” He chewed on his bottom lip for a second as he ran his hand over what he’d drawn in the
sand. “We can’t afford to stay here for much longer, I don’t even want to make camp. A fire will attract others and we don’t
have good enough numbers to fight right now. Most of us are exhausted or drunk. We need to lay low.”
Reva nodded her head as she ran her hands down her cheeks. “We will wait for a little bit for Alric and Ryven. If they
don’t show we will have to leave without them. They know we would go back to the Last Fortress.”
“Right,” Leo let out a deep sigh. “I don’t want to go without them but there is a chance they didn’t make it. We can’t wait
forever.”
A lump the size of a boulder lodged into my throat. Why hadn’t I thought of that? Of course. There was a chance they didn’t
make it. The man I was falling in love with and my best friend. I couldn’t lose them both but there was a high chance that I
could. Nothing was promised in war. Nothing was promised in this life.
“Would you like to add anything, My Queen?” Leo asked, almost reverently.
I shook my head, no longer able to talk. The thought of losing those two was too much to bear. What was I supposed to add
anyway? I wasn’t a commander, I was still trying to figure out politics, and my magic was still kind of finicky. I wasn’t
anything special. I was just a random person the gods had chosen to carry out their plans and they hadn’t exactly given me any
direction on it either. I was just as lost as anyone else except now I could make plants grow.
 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
UNIPER

Two hours passed with nothing. No sight of Ryven or Alric. The lump in my throat only seemed to grow as I hunched down next
to my three friends. The winds picked up and made it next to impossible to stay warm. Eventually, we retreated back into the
mouth of the cave. It helped a little with the spray from the ocean and the biting cold wind, but it did nothing to help my
growing anxiety. We didn’t speak, we didn’t plan, we simply existed together because we each knew that this could be it.
There was no telling what was waiting for us out in The Wastes or even in the Last Fortress. The magic could deny me entry. It
could destroy us all for coming back before I was ready. Would I ever be ready? Was this the heartbreak and war I needed to
experience in order to be accepted by the gods?
Exhaustion pulled heavy on my body and I didn’t know how I kept myself awake leaning against Ash. But I was thankful I
had when the cavern shook and shouting echoed from inside the darkness. The ground rumbled beneath our feet as we jumped
to attention. It took a few minutes to understand what the screaming was.
“Run!!!” It sounded somewhat like Alric, but I didn’t allow myself to get my hopes up. Instead, we stumbled from the cave
mouth and the girls raised their weapons. When The Spy Master cleared the cave mouth, I felt so much relief I thought I would
pass out.
Until I noticed the blood running down his temples and the sheer panic in his eyes. Blood rushed to my ears at the fear and
terror in his eyes. What else was he saying? I couldn’t hear anything over the rumbling of the earth and my own anxiety.
Reva wrapped her fingers around my wrist and stumbled backwards a few steps before she hauled me up and began to run.
Right before our eyes, the ground was caving in. At first, it was random spots and then as I turned back to look over my
shoulder, I realized it was all coming from the direction Alric was running from…. And now Ryven. He dove through the
mouth of the cave, looking completely untouched. The fear on his face fell away when our eyes made contact. He stumbled a
step and his shoulders drooped like all he’d cared about was making sure I’d made it.
I shook my head frantically. “No, keep running!!!”
Alric looked back at the same time the sandy floor gave out underneath the most important man in my life.
He mouthed something I wasn’t sure I understood. “I can die happy now.” And my heart sank. He wasn’t going to run for
his life?
“Don’t be stupid!” I screamed back at him.
He was running now but not with the fervor of before. Why was he giving up? What in the seven hells did he think he was
accomplishing? I needed him damn it. I ripped my wrist out of Reva’s death grip and raced back. Alric caught me around the
waist and threw me over his shoulder all while I watched the man I loved race for his life. But it was no use, the ground
collapsed all around us and by some miracle, we weren’t sucked down with it. Alric threw me as far as he could to prevent me
from being taken down if he was. I hit the ground hard and rolled before inhaling dust and sand. I buried my hands in the sand
and prayed for a miracle. Magic shot out from me into the ground and I hoped it saved someone, anyone, but especially Ryven
and Alric. A cough exploded from me as I crawled forward. My hip hurt from the impact but I didn’t care. I would assess
injuries later. All that mattered was making sure Alric and Ryven both made it. A massive cloud of dust, dirt, and sand
obscured everything from the cave-in.
Frantically I patted the ground as I crawled forward. My hand met with a leather boot and then a thick calf. I waved my
hands around to try to dispel some of the debris in the air but it was no use. I knew who it was before I could even see him.
Alric sat up and blinked a few times before he patted his body down.
“Did we make it?” His voice sounded muffled and I wasn’t sure if it was from the rushing in my ears or the chaos going on
around us, but we couldn’t stay here now. The village would be coming to investigate and the fraud empire would be right on
their heels.
All I could do was nod at my friend before I finally threw myself into his arms and held on for dear life. My body shook as
I tried to regain my composure and be able to stand but it was no use. By using my magic at this level of exhaustion, I didn’t
know if I would be able to stand on my own. I’d been stupid and reckless but I had to try. Shapes and shadows emerged from
the dust and my heart ached when I realized not a single one of them were Ryven. Alric must have seen the devastation on my
face as he stood up and tried to dust us both off but it didn’t matter, it was all in vain. The debris still hadn’t settled in the air
and by the amount of it, I wondered if it ever would.
“Find the girls, I will search through what wreckage I can to find him.”
I hadn’t noticed I was crying until Reva found me and tried her best to clear the moisture from my cheeks but it was no use,
it was more mud now. “That was stupid.”
I nodded my head as a sob escaped my lips and she folded me into her arms. “I’m sure Alric will find him.”
She didn’t sound very convincing and I didn’t have anything left to say. When Alric emerged from where most of the dust
was still rising alone, I felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest. All the breath was sucked out of my lungs and nothing
could have prepared me for the bone-deep desperation I was feeling. No amount of books, gossip, other people’s stories could
have prepared me for what this felt like.
“I’m so sorry,” Alric muttered as he went to stand beside Ash. I blinked rapidly while I shook my head. It wasn’t true. It
couldn’t be true. No one could fight like him, no one trained like he did. If anyone would survive, it would be him. There was
no going around it. I shoved Reva’s hands off of me and marched toward the direction The Spy Master had come from but
bigger arms hefted me from the dirt and carried me back the way I came.
“I don’t like manhandling women, but you cannot go back there, it is too dangerous and your body is exhausted. We are all
exhausted, My Queen.” Fighting Leo was a lost cause and I eventually let my body sag within his grip. He wasn’t going to let
me go back and risk myself. He wasn’t going to go back at all. His long strides didn’t pause or stop and eventually, the
movement of his massive body lulled me into a passive, almost dreamlike state. It wasn’t until the sun broke through on the
horizon that I finally rubbed the grit and debris from my eyes and looked at my surroundings. I didn’t know how long the giant
carried me but I knew I was grateful because I no longer had it in me to fight.
Which was horrible considering none of this was over with and we didn’t know what we would be facing in The Wastes,
but I found myself not caring. I found myself numb and not feeling. Reva kept shooting me worried glances over her shoulder
and Alric sulked behind us. I didn’t have it in me to even look in his direction, knowing well enough that he was hurting as
much as I was. Ryven was his best friend, his confidant. They didn’t always see eye to eye or get along, but they had a strong
bond. They’d known each other since they were children and saved each other’s lives on many occasions.
Even though we’d seen a peek of the sun on the horizon, it didn’t mean anything. The clouds quickly moved in to cover its
warmth and within a few hours of walking through The Wastes, it was covered in snow. I honestly didn’t know which was
worse, the biting wind or the snow flurries bigger than my fist.
“We need to find shelter so we can rest,” Reva said around her teeth chattering.
Leo shook his head. I didn’t know how he wasn’t freezing, maybe my body heat was helping him. “We cannot stop.”
“We are going to die of frostbite or exhaustion. Take your pick.” Reva jabbed her pointer finger at the big man. His chest
rumbled with laughter and it did something to thaw my insides but it didn’t take long for me to go back to being numb. When
had I even stopped crying? I couldn’t say. I didn’t remember the tears stopping. I touched my cheeks tenderly and they burned
from all the cold wind. Tiny specs of snow were stuck to the moisture that dried on my face. Maybe I didn’t have any more
tears to cry. That seemed like the most logical thing to have happened.
“Then we will die because if we stop, the fraud kingdom will catch up to us. I know they are on our heels, I can feel the
rumbling in the earth. We need to make it to the river and pray it has frozen over for us.”
“If it hasn’t?” Ash questioned from somewhere behind the big man.
His kind eyes flicked down to me. “Our queen will know what to do.”
A hysterical laugh exploded from me. “I’m sure.”
Everyone ignored my outburst and continued the trek in silence.

MY LIPS WERE BURNING and my cheeks lost feeling a long time ago. Between the wind, the rain, and the snow—I was sure I
looked like a dead woman walking. I didn’t remember falling asleep in Leo’s arms, but when I awoke, I was being dropped on
my ass and there was chaos erupting around me all over again. The snow didn’t do much to cushion my fall but I didn’t care
anymore. I couldn’t feel my body and I most certainly couldn’t feel my emotions.
With stiff fingers, I wrestled my blade from my belt and tried my hardest to keep myself from crying as I looked at it. I
couldn’t let my emotions surge again. I needed to help, or maybe I needed to stay put. No one seemed to care about me over
here, drowning in the snow. The monsters dipped down from the sky as they shot out ice from their mouths and picked up men
with their talons.
Red sprayed the snowy landscape around us and I pushed myself out of the mush melting against my clothes. I couldn’t stay
put, if I did I would surely drown in the water filling the hole I’d been deposited into.
It also helped that I was feeling something more than numbness and desperation. Red-hot rage surged through me as I
scrambled out of the melting snow and into the fray of bodies and screaming. I couldn’t feel my fingers but that didn’t stop me
from gripping my blade with everything I had and running at the first monster I saw.
“Ahhh!!” A warrior cry exploded from me as I slashed and sliced at the ice lizard. His tongue shot out but I was quicker.
The wiggling membrane landed on the ground with a thud and the monster screamed. It swiped its claws out and caught some of
my hair but I couldn’t feel it. All I felt was a blood call and I was ready to answer it. Avoiding its claws again, I jabbed my
weapon forward and bright blue blood exploded all over my front. What did it matter? I was already disgusting and I had no
one to impress anymore. All I cared about was the rage warming my blood and getting feeling back into my limbs.
Monster after monster went down at my hands. I couldn’t tell you what they looked like or how their blood felt as it ran
down my weapon and onto my fingers. By the time the hoard was taken care of, I was a mess of black, blue and purple
splatters. I didn’t know what kind of monsters the blood even belonged to and I didn’t care. I leaned over and heaved in
massive lungfuls of air before Leo approached me slowly.
He held his hands up in surrender, as if I wouldn’t know it was him. Maybe I wouldn’t have. Had I attacked one of my
friends? As my gaze roamed around the survivors, I noticed their wary glances. Had I been that frightening? I honestly couldn’t
remember and it was probably best that I didn’t. When Leo offered me a water skin I drank from it greedily, forgetting about the
others that probably needed it just as much, if not more, than I did. I dropped it back into his meaty palm before I straightened
up, wiped my blade on my soiled pants, and eyed my people.
I’d been nothing but a spoiled heartbroken queen all morning and I couldn’t be that for these people any longer. They
needed a strong leader and as much as I wanted to curl into a fetal position and cry some more, I couldn’t. In the mix of
survivors, there were teenagers, soldiers, mothers, and even the elderly. When they’d joined us, I didn’t know. The entire
beginning of the journey was a blur.
I sheathed my blade and straightened my shoulders. I would cry when I was alone. I would mourn when I didn’t have
people looking at me, pitying me, fearing me. I would hurt when I had the time but that time was not now. “We have a lot of
ground to cover.”
I couldn’t feel my feet anymore and I was sure there were more blisters than I could count hiding within my boots but we
needed to get to safety and that meant getting out of The Wastes.
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