Page 32 of The Kingdom of Flames and Ash

“Only because Lira freed Tavish and returned here with him,” Caelan spat.

“Are you going to allow him to talk to me with such disdain?” Sylphia’s wings beat the air choppily, conveying her frustration.

I wouldn’t scold Caelan for speaking the truth, and right then, we had more important matters at hand. Unfortunately, the Seelie were the only ones who could assist with our immediate needs. “I agree there’s no reason to argue, and we’re wasting precious time. Please see if there are earth fae who can aid us in healing the cave, but let’s not make this information common knowledge… not yet. I fear it would throw the entire kingdom into turmoil.”

With Lira unwell, Finnian and Lorne severely injured, and me unable to tell which guards I could rely on, I couldn’t stop a war. But if we didn’t address the food problem, we might as well hand Lira over to the dragon prince because when the dragons returned, we wouldn’t be able to withstand their attack.

“Fair point.” Sylphia nodded and flew out the closest window into our village, leaving me alone with Caelan and the guards.

Wanting to return to Lira, I placed a hand on the door handle and said, “For now, take stock of the food inventory for the village. Pay careful attention that no one takes more than their allocated rations. If the Seelie don’t agree to help replenishthe land, there will be trouble when I address the need for the reduction in food.”

Buidhean and the other guard turned and headed toward the castle kitchen.

Once the two were far enough away, I rejoined Lira in the bedroom. Right now, there wasn’t a guard watching over our room since Finola and Struan were splitting their time watching Eldrin.

“Are you sure all of this is wise?” Caelan exhaled loudly. “You’ve handed the Seelie our village weapons and allowed the same king and queen who forced us to move here to stay under the roof of this castle. I worry that you aren’t thinking clearly because of—”

My patience snapped. I spun around, grabbing his neck and slamming him into the wall. A little piece of stone fell onto his head.

“I’ve allowed you to question and disrespect mymatefor far too long.” I bared my teeth. “This ends now. I’m not sure how much clearer I can be, but I’ll try one last time out of respect for our friendship.”

His eyes widened, and I tightened my grip on his windpipe. I needed him to realize that nothing would ever change between Lira and me, no matter how desperately he wanted it to. “Lira is my fated mate, my future wife, and your futurequeen. You will respect our relationship and her place within our court, or you will be named a traitor.”

A hand touched my shoulder, and a jolt shot down my arm and into my chest. That was when I noticed the love and concern floating from Lira to me.

I jerked my head to see her standing beside me with a sad smile on her face. She said, “I love that you want to protect me, but I also appreciate Caelan. Every concern he’s ever had has come from a place of loyalty to you. It’s okay for him to behesitant about me. The Seelie did force this horrible situation on you, and at first, you resented me so much that you tried to fight our connection.” She kissed my cheek and placed her free hand on my wrist. She then linked,Release him before you do something you’ll regret.

My chest clenched as every fiber in my being wanted to continue to hold Caelan in my grip to ensure that he understood this was more than a threat… It was a promise. Yet, I found myself relieved when I released him and dropped my hand back to my side.

Lira swayed on her feet, her exhaustion still within her.

Caelan gasped. He wasn’t used to me turning my wrath on him; I almost always targeted Finnian. Yet, ever since I’d kidnapped Lira, Finnian and I had grown closer because of his acceptance of her.

Lira moved between Caelan and me and faced him. “I do appreciate that you’re trying to protect my mate from me, but letmebe clear.” She pressed her back to my chest, and the thrum of our connection hummed between us. “Tavish and I have completed our bond, and I only want what’s best for him. Why would I have broken him out of the Seelie prison if I weren’t loyal to him? If you don’t accept our relationship, I can’t promise I’ll be around to stop Tavish next time. So please, accept me. I love him and will be by his side no matter what.”

Unable to stop myself, especially after everything she’d just said, I slipped my arms around her waist, careful of the wounds in her wings. After my parents’ deaths, I’d believed I’d never experience joy again, but Lira had changed that for me in just the small amount of time she’d been here.

As the food shortage problem pressed on me, terror seized my lungs. I couldn’t imagine losing her, not now. If the Seelie refused to help, I wasn’t sure how I would protect Lira from the dragon prince.

“You’re right,” Caelan croaked. He cleared his throat and rubbed the handprint I’d left behind. “I struggle because his instinct is to protect you over his people.”

“And that won’t blasting change,” I growled. “She comes first, and then my people. My need to protect them hasn’t vanished, and Lira protects them the same as I do.” Even when I’d wanted to punish everyone for turning their wings on us, Lira had encouraged me to give them a second chance like she’d given me. “You need to accept that.”

“Believe me.” He coughed uncomfortably. “I do, and I won’t continue to question it any longer. Your friendship and happiness are important to me.”

The uncomfortable temperature of my blood eased, and I took a deep breath, inhaling Lira’s moonlight-mist-and-rose scent.

“That doesn’t change our need to rely on the Seelie to solve this problem.” Caelan shook his head. “I’m not comfortable with that.”

Lira’s head tilted back. “How long have I been asleep?” She glanced out the window. “What have I missed?”

“You’ve been asleep for thirty minutes at most.” Despite Caelan making the correct decision to locate me and inform me of the problem, I hated that, ultimately, it was me who had woken her up. Now that she was aware that there was a problem, there was no chance she’d fall back asleep. And if I didn’t update her, she’d be upset with me. My shoulders sagged as I filled her in on what we’d learned and what her mother planned to do.

She turned so that she could see both Caelan and me. “How long until someone figures out what you’ve learned?”

“Not long.” Caelan rolled his shoulders back and spread his wings. “The rocks that fell have been cleared. That was one reason it took us so long to assess the damage—the cave had almost completely collapsed.”

Lira’s worry merged with mine, making every limb feel heavy.

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