Page 165 of Commanding Flame and Shield
Hours. I realized it had indeed been hours.
Thunder shattered the skies, the sound reverberating through the earth. And then Adrastos, voice magically amplified, called for silence. Demanded they cease fire. The world froze, and I felt his eyes on me before I saw him.
His amplified voice boomed, “Serve me, Porter. In exchange for the mortals. Simple. Easy. As discussed. Personally, I’d let them burn—they'll die, anyway.” A sickening smile. I gripped the hilt of my sword tighter. There was nothing human in his face. No soul behind the dark gaze as he took one step away from his core of ruthless fighters. “But you won’t do that, will you?” A cruel smile twisted his features.
Agamemnon came forward with Layla again. This time she was dangling in front of him, her slight form spinning slowly in a magically suspended circle. The sheer jumper she'd been taken in had long since soaked in the rain, streaks of blood marring the neckline, and every detail of her body—which wracked with sobs—was visible through it. Red clouded my vision, pulse a roar in my ears as a snarl clawed from my throat. Her eyes were tight with tears, her mouth sealed shut under a filthy gag. Something inside me broke irrevocably at the sight of her so broken and objectified as the legion of Renown heckled and laughed.
“Lying filth!” I roared, raising my sword as my body began trembling with rage. “They have bro—"
“Have we? Broken the bargain, little Commander?” Adrastos interjected.
“Or did we agree to return yourfamily, unharmed?” Agamemnon’s eyes were just for me as the vile words left his lips. "We said nothing of your human whore. Perhaps we start with her. We’ll resort to the man if her life doesn’t hold enough weight.”
My stomach became a writhing, molten snake. Holy Fuck. When Adrastos repeated back his side of the bargain, he had said family.Family. Not friends. My eyes widened, fire burning against them as though my power was working to push its way out. The brothers laughed as I hesitated, realizing our mistake.
“She is family!” I roared. “She’s James' mate!”
Adrastos tossed his head back and laughed. “Humans don’t possess enough resilience to havemates,” he spat the word. “Besides, we still have the stowaway—what’s his name?"
“Didn't care to ask,” Agamemnon sneered. “Didn’t matter, once his jaw cracked.”
“Regardless. I suppose he'll die just as well.”
“Fuck you!” I roared, trying to see through the line of giants to their other captives. My family. Sam. When their bodies didn’t part enough to reveal anything more, I glanced back at the line of souls, still holding steady despite being nearly weaponless, many clutching wounds, or dragging the injured behind the line.
Ansel was unspeakably broken. Fae was drenched scarlet, her lips an eerie pale, chest heaving. They would fight to the bitter end by my side. Returning my gaze to the giants, my voice hoarse, I barked back. “My hierarchy is allowed to leave. Unharmed. You let them go home. My friends,andmy family—they are free, now.” Layla’s eyes widened, and she began shaking her head, frantically trying to dissuade me. That broken piece of me fractured into countless, unrecoverable pieces.
The Renown snarled, and the crawlers stirred around them. But my eyes were only for their leader…
Adrastos gave one jerked nod, eyes unwavering.
One step forward.
“Your deal has been struck, demon.”
Alvara’s howl tore through me, and I breathed against the agony there. Louder than Adrastos’ sneer of victory, or roar for silence. I held my hand up, a silent plea for her to stop. To surrender…To surrenderme. There was no coming back fromthis. And it was the only way. She knew it. I knew it. The visions knew it.
We had entered the knot.
It was all for nothing—the agony of the morning. The bloodshed. It wasn’t enough. Perhaps it spared us some semblance of loss here on the field. Showed them what her wrath would bring them. But it wasn’t enough.
One last glance, it’s all I could grant myself. To gather the courage to do what needed to be done. It all but undid me. Seeing her frantic face twisted in panic. Seeing the emerald-green eyes I loved so much, so distorted with agony. Aren dove to keep her from her dash to me. Wincing in pain, he dragged her lithe body against his own. She kicked and screamed her defiance. The blood wolves snapped and snarled at her, ready to block her should she charge.
Never had I wished so badly that she could see inside my mind. Wished she could seeeverything. Wished she could have known what she meant to me—really meant to me, beyond mate, beyond love, beyond all the trivial bullshit titles.
She stilled for a heartbeat, eyes wild. Everything in me shattered at the betrayal that could not be avoided. Alvara had tried.Weallhad tried—again and again. But the visions remained the same. Our fate unchanged. This was the only way.
I love you. I knew she couldn’t hear me. Couldn’t feel the thought press into her mind like a lover’s caress. But I thought it, nonetheless.
Slowly, pain rippling through my very soul, I turned back to Adrastos. His curled lip was sickening, twisting my stomach into an icy knot as he demanded I kneel and drop my weapons. Never in my life had I thought to kneel, and yet, on that killing field, for my family, I did.
Gingerly I placed my sword on the earth below my feet, blood dripping onto the field. The demons heckled like raging hyenas, and Adrastos and his brother roared with satisfied laughter.
“Come along, princeling.” There was nothing human left in the eyes that stared me down, but I would not yield. Would not flinch at the fate dealt to me. Wouldn’t grant him the satisfaction of showing my fear. My body honored the commands, heart steady.
And then the first blow struck.
SEVENTY
