236

236
Dravina POV

Malrik’s gaze lingered on me soft, steady, a quiet kind of support and then, without a word, he stepped back.

Ansel and Ysolde followed, leaving me standing alone with Cassian.

He shoved his hands deep into his pockets, clearing his throat.

“Didn’t realize you had this in you,” he said with a crooked smile.

A tired laugh escaped me, genuine despite the exhaustion. “Neither did I.”

For a moment, silence stretched between us, the air still thick with the aftermath of battle. But for the first time in years, there was no bitterness between us. No venom. Only respect tentative, fragile, but real.

“I heard what you did,” Cassian said, his tone lower now, edged with something like admiration. “You freed them before we even arrived. Guess I underestimated you… never gave you the chance to show what you were capable of.”

I smiled faintly. “The past doesn’t matter anymore. I hold no grudge, Cassian.”

His eyes softened. “I know. Still… I’m glad you found where you belong.” He hesitated, then added, almost under his breath, “And thank you for sparing me back then. I was cruel. Looking at what you just did out here, I can admit it… I wouldn’t have survived if you’d decided I deserved your wrath.”

He used my old name, and for once, it didn’t sting. It felt like a ghost of a wound that had finally scarred over.

I laughed, and he stepped closer, pulling me into a hug. It was warm, unguarded an embrace meant to heal rather than reopen old wounds.

“Thank you,” he murmured against my hair. “For forgiving me.”

In the back of my mind, Malrik’s growl rumbled, low and possessive, the sound of his jealousy wrapping around me like a chain. I bit back another laugh.

“Thank you,” I whispered back to Cassian, “for letting me go.”

He released me, hesitating just a second longer before stepping back.

“Maybe fate hasn’t finished with you yet,” I teased lightly.

His lips curved into a smirk. “Who said it hasn’t?”

And with that, he turned and walked away. His shoulders were straighter, his steps lighter, as if the weight he had carried for so long had finally slipped free. Whatever his future held, it no longer seemed to be dragging him down.

Dashira appeared then, quiet and pale, her eyes shimmering. She didn’t speak at first just threw her arms around me, clinging tight, her body trembling.

“Thank you,” she whispered at last, voice breaking.

She’d never been in a real battle before. Neither had I not like this. Yet somehow, we had endured. That was enough.

When she pulled away, my eyes drifted toward the courtyard, where Drethos and Zenovia were being carried inside. Both bloodied, both unconscious but alive. They would survive.

Roarke, though, was another matter. Chains bound him, a collar locked tight around his throat. Tavian had done it himself, acting fast after overhearing Roarke and Marzena speak of the device. Efficient. Merciless. Exactly when it mattered most.

Whatever power they had clung to it was finished.

“We’ve located Roarke’s laboratory,” a voice announced behind me.

I turned to see Jareth Boone standing tall, his expression hard.

“It’s in Ashflow. Our men are already moving in.”

Ansel shot forward, his whole body tense. Boone’s next words made his fists curl tight.

“Tavrix Moonchild is being held there.”

“I’m going,” Ansel said immediately, his voice sharp with determination.

I didn’t stop him. I hoped he was strong enough for what he would find. I hoped we weren’t too late.

Malrik came to stand beside me, silent as ever, but his presence steadied me. Together, we turned back toward the house.

This was far from finished. Rest would be brief, if it came at all.

The council still owed answers.

And the truth about Roarke Fenwick

would blaze its way into the light.