Page 92 of A Trial of War
“Not enough for what we’re soon to face, I assure you,” Gunnar said, lifting his cup.
“Enough,” Idris scolded, smacking the back of Gunnar’s head. “No talk of doom and gloom tonight.”
Gunnar rubbed his head before tipping it back and emptying his wine. “Fine. I’ll need a few more of these then,” he said, rising to refill his drink.
I scooped a bite of the layered noodle dish and lifted it to my mouth, savoring the mix of flavors Daxton and I had spent all afternoon perfecting.
“Tonight is meant to be an escape,” I said. “To remind us what’s worth fighting for. Not the battle, not the victory… but this. All of us, here, together, laughing like idiots in a room that smells of good food and old parchment from the library.”
“It’s perfect,” Idris said, giving me a side hug.
As I finished my plate and moved around the room to greet the rest of our guests, I noticed my mate sitting by himself near the hearth.
Daxton was quiet, letting the room breathe around him, understanding that silence sometimes said more thanany speech ever could. But tonight, the quiet around him felt different, heavy, lingering, like he’d wrapped himself in it on purpose.
“Hey.”I nudged gently through our bond, brushing a thread of my magic along the tether between us.“You alright?”
He turned his head, and when his silver gaze met mine, the breath left my lungs in one sweeping rush. Gods. Sometimes, I forgot what it felt like when he truly looked at me—not as his queen, not as his alpha, not as a weapon in the coming war, but as the female he loved with a ferocity that could split the world open.
He wasn’t just looking at me.
He was seeing me, all the way down to the raw, unpolished edges of my soul.
“As long as I have you, Spitfire,”he said, the words quiet but carrying all the weight of everything living and breathing in this world.“I’m home. No matter where we are in this life or beyond the crossing.”
The bond pulsed, warm and steady, curling around my center. My heart ached at the love I sensed from him, crashing over me like a tidal wave. Sometimes, I wondered how a single male could possess such strength and still have a softer side reserved for me.
“I’m nervous,”I whispered through the bond, though the words barely formed before he caught onto my emotion stirring beneath.
He sweetly smiled at me from across the room, and the world went still for half a breath.
“You don’t have to be,”he replied.“Remember, you’re not alone. You’re never alone. Trust that I’m always with you.”
I crossed the room to him as he stood with arms outstretched to bring me into his embrace. I swallowed hard, feeling tears prick behind my eyes, not from fear, but from the way he loved me. From the way he chose me, again and again, knowing without a doubt I was his.
“I love you,” I said softly, the words slipping out as I buried my face into the nook of his neck.
A low hum vibrated through his chest before he said, “I will always find you, Spitfire.” He leaned closer, his lips brushing my cheek. “We will always find each other.”
He leaned back as his gaze swept across my face, like he was committing each feature to memory.
“Tomorrow, we travel to Solace, and soon, we face Minaeve and King Taran on the battlefield,” Daxton said in a commanding yet empathetic tone. “But we fight knowing we carry all of this with us.” He wrapped one arm around my waist as he motioned to the room. “Our family.”
He turned his gaze to me, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “Our people… united as one.”
As everyone ate and drank themselves into bliss, I reached over to the hearth and gave the coals a gentle nudge. Flames leaped higher, warm and golden, flickering across the room. A spark that helped the room glow brighter. Allowing all of us to feel a little safer, a little warmer.
Daxton’s attention moved to the High Prince of Crimson City, who finished a trip around the room with his new babe. “Adohan,” he said, gaining his focus. “Your friendship has anchored me through storms I didn’t think Icould survive. I owe you my thanks a thousand times over, my friend.”
Adohan gave Daxton a respectful nod as he handed Ember back to Idris. “And you’ve anchored me, helped protect me and my family for centuries. I’m honored to call you my king, and Skylar my queen,” he said, with a shallow bow toward me, before rising and laughing lightly. “Although most of the trouble did start with Castor…”
Idris giggled, swatting at her mate playfully.
“I always strive to keep things interesting,” Castor bellowed from his seat across the room.
I chuckled, watching as Nyssa signed to him, “There will never be a dull moment in our long lives together.”
“None,” Castor said as he pulled her in for a kiss.
