Page 119 of Ashes of Honor

“What do you mean?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

“You can be general, or you can lead, but you cannot do both. Not effectively, not fairly. One of the two will suffer, and with a war looming over you like a shadow, it will not be easy to convince them all to keep either.”

“I can assure you that won’t be a problem,” I replied evenly, lifting my chin, guilt washing over me as to the reason why.

Luna’s gaze lingered on me, heavy with skepticism as if she were trying to figure me out. But it wasn’t my place to make her see. As general, it was up to me to do what was necessary, to make the decisions no one else could stomach, for the good of everyone—even if it cost me more than I could admit.

I hoped Luna would understand someday. That they all would.

The fire crackledin the hearth, its warmth protected by the air magic I’d practiced since getting back. Sweet, harsh scents of woodsmoke mingled with faint traces of spice from the food spread across the low table. Prescott’s quarters had always carried a sense of calm for me. Fire or not, it had a warmth to it even in his absence.Despitehis absence.

Tonight, the room was alive. Laughter echoed off the wood-paneled walls, the flicker of flames painted the faces of the people I loved the most in hues of gold. I sat curled on the brown leather couch, a steaming cup of coffee clutched in my hands.

The dogs tumbled near the door, tails wagging as their play became more rambunctious and out of control. I shifted my attention elsewhere, forcing myself to appreciate the here and now, because in twenty-four hours, everything would be different. Tomás leaned on the arm of the chair across the coffeetable, talking animatedly to Moe. The same Tomoe who dodged his heavy-lidded stare as though we would all buy the reddening of her cheeks was from the fireplace—not the golden-skinned boy granting all his attention to her. Riley sat on the other side of me, Yasmin tucked under his arm. The two of them whispered to each other and blocked out the rest of us. Across the room, Elie and Emma sat in the corner, their laughter occasionally broke out in waves.

It was chaotic. Loud. Awkward at moments, but it was home—this was my family.Mine.Even Adelaide had been allowed to make a rare appearance now that Hunter trusted us all. She watched the dogs with wide eyes, stuffing her face with some oat cookie Reina had baked her. Jessa had the worst of it all, unwanted by everyone but here by grace of Reina’s lack of boundaries and weakness to lust. Perhaps the awkwardness of their interactions had spared me the complicated situation of the other woman sharing this couch.

I caught Yasmin’s glares, pretended not to notice in the same way Jessa did when it came to Hunter shooting daggers at her from a few seats away. The tension between the Moore’s and her was almost comical. Almost. Reina and Jessa’s ‘latest drama’—complicated my ass—had cast a shadow on the first half of the night. Explaining why no one was surprised she’d arrived at Reina’s side to Alexiares was, in fact, comical. Some things with Reina would never change—her messy love life was one of those things.

“All right, all right,” Reina said, standing up dramatically. “Story time!”

Hunter groaned, “Here we go.”

Reina ignored him, grinning.

“So there I was, pulling this soldier from the rubble, literally healing him as I was pulling, and BAM!” She clapped her hands together loudly.

Abel jumped back at the noise, causing Emma to squeal. Her brother, Luke, woke up from his nest near our bedroom door and Hal rushed over, scooping him up to rock him back to sleep.

“BAM?” Alexiares’s brow raised.

Reina ignored him, her voice dropping in dramatic flair. “I’m yanked off my mare by not one, not two, butthreePansies. Mind you, they aren’t even what y’all seen before. These babies were nightmares made of flesh … or is it flesh made of nightmares?”

“It was one Pansie,” Alexiares deadpanned from beside me, not bothering to look up from his coffee as he kicked it back.

“Let my sister have her moment,” Hunter said, giving Alexiares a silent, menacing warning.

“Yeah,pup,” Reina said, popping both Ps with a smug grin. “Let me have my moment.”

Their relationship was one of the few things that could still coax a genuine laugh out of me these days. The way they balanced each other out—it was a kind of healing I wasn’t sure either of them had expected. Reina got the brotherly banter she’d always deserved from Seth, while Alexiares, whether he’d admit it or not, found in her the kind of sibling bond he’d been denied with Evander. It worked for them.

The thought tugged a smile to my lips, my hands tightening around the warm cup in my lap. My thigh bounced, a steady rhythm of nerves that hadn’t registered until Alexiares shifted closer. His hand settled lightly on my knee, grounding me. I met his eyes and nodded, grateful.

“Anyway,” Reina went on, fully in her element. “First one was off me in seconds. I put an arrow through one eye—WHAM!” She mimed the motion. “Then, for fun, the other eye.”

“Tell them, babe,” Jessa chimed in, her voice sticky sweet. Reina shot her a sharp stare to silence her before recovering with an exaggerated laugh. Hunter’s gaze remained fixed with distaste at the blonde.

Abel was eating it all up, nodding along as if he hadn’t heard the story a dozen times. “Then what happened?” he asked, leaning forward.

At least Yasmin and Hal seemed somewhat entertained. Elie watched on, bored but laughing on cues.Better than before.

Reina basked in the attention, leaning back as though she were holding court. “I had one arrow left, and I knew I had to make it count. So, I channeled my inner Amaia. I used it to get a new weapon. Improv at its finest.”

Abel nodded appreciatively and Hal shook his head in a laugh of disbelief. His middle child, Olivia, hung onto his leg, leaning forward, mesmerized by Reina and her story.

“I don’t believe it,” Hunter muttered.

“Well, ya should.” Reina’s gaze hardened, a smug challenge flickering in her eyes. “I’ve been able to outshoot you since I was in a diaper.”

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