“Then it is decided. Our prince’s guard is complete.”
“They’ll serve you well,” Asher assured me. “They know who you are inside and appreciate you like you do them. That loyalty will drive them more than anything, which in my experience, makes them perfect to be your guard. The friendship you share will make their duty to protect you stronger.”
A certain emotion crossed his expression and he paused, his determined gaze focusing on Kingston. “Chief, I would like to formally request permission to leave your side and become the prince’s commander.”
What the—? Stunned, I glanced at him for a few moments. I had no words.
Kingston, however, did. “Your request is granted, Commander Asher Dawnsky.” A gleam of pride captured his features. “You will henceforth pledge allegiance to Braxton Skystorm, Prince, and future King of Caelisium as the leader of his guard.”
“Thank you, Chief.” Turning to face me fully, Asher removed the spear from his belt, extended it, and anchored it to the floor, falling to one knee beside it. “My prince, I pledge myself to you, spear, strength, and soul. I swear to protect you and fight for your cause no matter the cost. My spear and heart are with you… Brother.”
Emotion reached my throat as I watched him kneel before me, pledging himself to me. I had almost killed him earlier today with my erratic power, and still, he believed in me. Asher wasn’t only my best friend; he had become the older brother I never had. Also, I was pretty sure calling me Brother hadn’t been part of the royal custom, which made my appreciation stronger.
“And so, you shall rise as my commander,” Evie whispered in my ear, feeding me the words everyone expected to hear.
Forced to clear my throat before speaking, I straightened and placed a hand on his shoulder. “And so, you shall rise as my commander, Asher Dawnsky. My loyalty and protection are sworn to you as you have sworn yourself to me.”
Lowering the spear, Asher stood tall, his eyes showing the same emotion I felt a moment before I pulled him into a hug. Probably not a royal custom either, but I didn’t really give a fuck.
“We are going down together, huh?” I joked, pulling back.
“So, it appears.” He grinned.
“Well, nobody asked me, but I accept your request too,” Imogen huffed, our chuckles mixing as we looked at her.
“I approve of it too,” Evie offered with a heartfelt smile.
“So do I,” Willow added, seemingly touched by the exchange.
“Very well, then. We will speak to the warriors tomorrow and make it official,” my mentor indicated, glancing at me.
“We will, but tonight, I need you and Kingston to accompany me somewhere important.”
The chief’s brow creased in confusion. “I thought you were retiring to your quarters for the night. Where is it you want us to go?”
Sighing, I took Evie’s hand back into mine. “To the Lake of Tranquility… I have to talk to my mother.”
4
EVANNA
Silver moonbeams illuminated the land below us as we flew in silence to the edge of the Woodlands. My gaze swept over the majestic pine trees ahead, standing as tall as the red bridge from the Mirror World while carving the edge of the peaceful pastures of our Greenlands.
Warmth spread soothingly beneath my lower body as I sat on the natural saddle of Tharion’s neck. The same fire force that made him one of the most dangerous creatures in this realm, second only to Azazel, now sent soothing waves through me. Braxton’s arms possessively wrapped around my body while he sat behind me, causing his Dragon’s warmth to mix with his in the most unexpected yet perfect way, engulfing me whole.
I never thought I would one day consider Fire Fury to be a peaceful creature, and yet, as I flew with him towards the place where we would meet Braxton’s mother, his serenity almost seeped into me through the heat his scales exuded.
With him, and Braxton’s arms around me, I felt protected beyond anything I had ever experienced, and though the feeling should have startled me, I welcomed it. To say that I had misunderstood this powerful being was an understatement—we all had—but I vowed not to do that any longer.
“Are you okay?” Braxton’s deep voice fanned my cheek, and I slowly nodded.
Though I knew he was referring to my possible nerves about finally meeting his mother, the true Princess of Caelisium, and having to be robbed of consciousness to do so, the feelings whirling through my body were for a completely different reason.
Braxton’s strong chest pressed against my back in a familiar and sinful way, his arms fiercely holding my waist while powerful thighs trapped me against his body. The sensations he was unknowingly eliciting in me were wreaking havoc, melting my insides, quickening my heartbeat, and making my breathing shallow.
Of all the moments to have this reaction to him, this was definitely not the most appropriate, but this man did things to me without even meaning to… and I absolutely loved that about him.
Braxton was the only man who had ever made me feel that way, stirring every desire that could possibly exist inside me and then magnifying it times one hundred. I was his so deeply that sometimes I wondered if the decision had been made for me long before my soul reached this realm. The emotions I felt for him the very first time he touched me still rang true today, and it was both unnerving and exciting, making me crave more.
Reading the signs of my body like a language written just for him, Braxton leaned even closer, and his heated skin sizzled over every inch. A small shudder made its way along my spine in response, making the little hairs along my neck stand on end. His hands splayed over my belly in a way that was possessive and heated, gentle but sensual, and I wanted more of it. All over me.
Instinctively, my hips tilted backwards, pressing my ass to his lap, and feeling all the hard things I wanted to feel.
A slow, knowing smirk tilted my mate’s lips against my cheek, even though a small grunt left him. “Hold that thought,” he whispered near my ear, his breath doing things to me as it tickled the sensitive curve of my neck. “I’ll do anything you want me to do to you once we are back in our room, for now,” he nodded towards the horizon, “we’ve arrived.”
Oh, Gods. My startled gaze shifted forwards just as Tharion began to descend, taking us into the canopy of giant pine trees.
Let the panic begin.
All desire I’d felt immediately evaporated as the nerves Braxton had originally expected to find in me crashed into my chest like a wild sea storm. My stomach tightened when our ride landed, and my pulse began to race. I wasn’t really scared, but I was meeting the woman who had given birth not only to the salvation of Caelisium, the only person who could finally help me bring freedom to our realm, but to the man I loved more than anything.
A man who proved to me, without even knowing it, that true love not only existed, but it was worth everything. A love that came to me after I vowed never to seek it… One that I secretly never believed I deserved.
She was the Princess of Caelisium, and thanks to her and the Harbinger of Justice, the Gods’ chosen royal line was secure with Braxton—the first pure-hearted Devenish in over two centuries. All my hopes for a new world rested on him fighting this war until the end with me.