Chapter Thirty-Eight
CASSIA
REXTON AND I teleport to the center of camp, right outside the leadership tent.
Rexton fucks off to who-knows-where while I ensure that the squad officers within First Unit are all aware of their designated locations.
They are, and I’m impressed by their sheer speed and efficiency as they ready their soldiers and teleport out of camp.
Prince Nolic and his men will be able to teleport the second they set foot off Greed’s soil, and we need to be prepared for the worst.
Camp clears out in under thirty minutes, and I send one messenger to Aziel and another to Raum with an update on the situation. They’ve been readying additional troops, getting Wrath’s soldiers into position to teleport in and support, and they should begin preparing to do so.
“Ready?” I ask Rexton.
He nods, and we teleport to the pass where Prince Nolic and his men are set to arrive. It’s a narrow area, surrounded on both sides by prominent mountain peaks.
Androl is already there with a small handful of Wrath soldiers. Most of First Unit is located on the mountains overlooking the pass. It offers the best vantage point.
Rexton appears beside me.
I scan the pass, expecting to see a Greed messenger waiting for us, but the clearing remains empty. Alarm bells are ringing. A glance at Rexton’s cautious expression confirms that he’s thinking the same thing.
Androl licks his lips, his black eyes darting around. “Something isn’t right.”
Prince Nolic is a royal. He’d expect us to be waiting for his arrival. He wouldn’t risk crossing into Wrath without assurance that we aren’t going to slaughter him and his hundred soldiers.
He’d send a messenger.
But he hasn’t.
We wait several minutes. Still, nobody appears.
I shift my weight. “Where do you—”
My question is cut off by a loud sound from the mountain on our right. It’s a call, one meant to signal that fighting has broken out. How? It would take the Greeds hours to climb the mountain and cross into Wrath, and there’s no place for them to have done so without being seen.
Now’s not the time to worry about that.
I teleport toward the sound, landing squarely in the center of the mountaintop. It’s chaos. There are Greeds everywhere I look. Hundreds of them. Where have they come from? Panic claws up my throat, but I push it down as I teleport toward the nearest Greed.
First Unit has over a thousand highly trained soldiers. They know what they’re doing, and they’re familiar with the unpredictability of war. I have to trust that.
The Greed nearest me begins to turn in my direction, and I pull out my souvenir dagger and sink it into his chest before he fully registers what’s happening. Wraths continue teleporting into the area, responding quickly to the call.
We’ll make quick work of the Greed soldiers, but I anticipate it’s only the first of many surprises.
A man appears beside me. He’s fucking huge, and he reeks of power. He lunges for me, almost knocking me off my feet. Men as large as him aren’t supposed to be so fast, and I grimace as I avoid his tree-trunk arms.
The Greeds know who I am. Everybody does. I’m a target.
I refuse to be an easy one.
It takes a minute, but I successfully take down the man. He lands halfway on top of me, dead, and I grunt as I shove him away and jump back up to my feet. That wasn’t an easy one, and I wipe my blade on my pants as I scan the area for Rexton.
I hope he saw that.
Fighting surrounds me, but it’s abundantly clear the Wraths are winning. I’m not the least bit surprised. That’s exactly how it should be. Mammon can train her soldiers all she wants, but she’ll never compare to us. Nobody will.
Rexton is nowhere to be seen, and a pit begins forming in my stomach. Where is he? Did he leave? Maybe he’s been secretly working with the Greeds this entire time, and this was all a ploy to infiltrate Wrath.
I shake my head. No. That’s not it.
Another Greed comes for me, but he’s almost immediately intercepted and taken down by Androl. It’s not a coincidence that I’m surrounded by the strongest soldiers within First Unit. They’re protecting me, ensuring I don’t die in my first real fight.
I don’t suspect they were ordered to do so. I hope not, at least, but I’m not surprised they’ve taken it upon themselves to do so. I’m a royal. If Aziel were here, they’d be surrounding him, too.
I’ve seen my father spar against Uncle Chev a handful of times, but I’ve never seen him truly fight. I’ve heard it’s terrifying.
My lungs constrict when I finally find Rexton. He stumbles forward, landing on his knee. A Greed stands behind him, a smile on his lips as he rips a spear out of Rexton’s back. What’s with these people and spears?
Rexton murdered Mammon, and the Greeds haven’t forgotten. I should’ve never asked him to join me in First Unit. Why did I do that? I knew he’d be a target, but I foolishly believed he wouldn’t be harmed. If I can’t kill Rexton, then nobody can. He’s practically invincible.
He plants a hand onto the ground, clearly injured. I teleport to him, not caring that I’m leaving my little bubble of protection. Rexton shouldn’t have left it, either, the fucking idiot.
The Greed who speared him is strong. His power hits me the second I’m within his vicinity, and I instinctively breathe through my mouth as he turns in my direction. I intended to kill him before he noticed me, but he’s too fast for that.
He’s on me in a heartbeat, his large frame imposing and full of violence. In his right hand is his spear. The tip and several inches of the shaft are covered in blood. Rexton’s blood.
Pure anger pours from me, and despite my weakened state, I move faster than I have in days. I shift beside him, careful to avoid his long, muscular arms. My speed is my best asset, especially against a demon of his size.
If he gets hold of me, I’m as good as dead.
The Greed reaches out, and I duck underneath his arms before digging my blade up into his throat. I’m aiming for his jugular, but I’m off by a few millimeters. It’s not ideal, and I fight to slice my blade through the tough muscle and cartilage that make up his throat.
Blood spurts, hitting me in the face, and bile rises up my throat. This is gory, and it reminds me too much of the Greed whose trachea I tore out. I don’t enjoy killing nearly as much as I thought I would.
I actively dislike it.
Androl and two other Wraths teleport beside me, and Androl takes over fighting the spear-wielding Greed as I shift my attention to Rexton. He’s fallen to his elbows, his forehead pressed against the ground.
I drop beside him, my dagger falling from my hand as I grab his shoulders and haul him up. “Fuck.” I clear my throat. “Rexton?”
He groans, his forehead dripping with sweat. I just barely resist the urge to shake him alert, and I’m faintly aware I’m visibly panicking as I rip open his shirt. The spear didn’t pierce his heart, but there’s a giant fucking hole in his torso. I can see through him.
“This is so much more painful than I imagined.” Rexton grunts. “You made it look easy.”
I make everything look easy.
Will this kill him? I’m not a medic.
I can’t take the risk. I won’t.
Rexton can’t die.
“Hey, Cassia,” Rexton starts. “Why are you looking at me like that? Slow down for a second and take a breath. I’m not—”
His blood coats my hands and drips down my arms as I haul him close. He might be upset about this, but his death isn’t a risk I’m willing to take.
“Cassia?” Rexton grabs my elbows. He looks concerned. I ignore it. “What are you—”
I don’t think twice as I lean in and bite, fully sinking my teeth into his throat. The bond coming to life between us is intense, but my panic outweighs it. All I can think about is the hole in his chest. His blood.
Rexton’s grip on my elbows tightens, but he doesn’t push me away.
I release his throat and pull back, eyeing the mark before lunging forward and sinking my teeth in again. Our bond has already formed. I can feel its warmth seeping through my bones and weaving around every molecule of my being, but you can never be too sure.
Rexton places a hand on the back of my head. “Cassia…”
I release him, then bite down again. The stupid idiot isn’t dying today. Not if I have anything to say about it. I sink my teeth in deep, ensuring there’s no chance of our bond dissolving or breaking apart. I’ve never heard of one doing that, but I want to make sure.
I need to make sure.
Despite having never experienced a bond, the new connection to Rexton feels natural. It already feels like a part of me, and I poke and prod at it until I find Rexton. I can feel his pain, the pulsating in both his chest and back.
“Cassia.” Rexton smooths a hand down the back of my head. “Please stop biting me. You’ve made your point.”
This isn’t about making a point. This is about saving his life. Power can be funneled through a bond, and I have no qualms about forcing mine inside Rexton if it means keeping him alive. Our bond vibrates as I stroke it, and I wait until Rexton relaxes before beginning to shove my power into him.
Rexton hisses. “No.” He curls his fingers into my hair, and I cry out as he pulls the strands, forcing my teeth out of his neck. “I don’t need it.”
“Yes, you do.”
“I feel your fear.” He lowers his voice, his eyes flickering around. “And I promise you I’m not dying. You’re making a scene, and it sends a bad impression.”
I don’t care how I look. Let everybody see my panic. Let them know that Rexton is my weakness.
Androl and the other soldiers are keeping busy, but I’m sure they’re aware of my every movement. They already know I’ve bitten Rexton, claiming him as my mate. There’s no backtracking, and I truthfully don’t want to.
I don’t care if First Unit doesn’t respect me. I saved Rexton’s life, and I consider that a great victory.
Rexton releases my hair, then nudges me away. “Go.”
His chest is already healing. The skin is knitting back together, annoyingly faster than mine did. The spear didn’t hit anything vital, just skin and muscle. I had a few arteries and bones broken, and those are harder for the body to heal.
I straighten up, but I keep a close eye on Rexton as I return to fighting. Androl and the others did an excellent job keeping Greeds away from me, despite the inconvenience I’m sure it brought them.
My anxiety is all-consuming, and it settles only slightly when Rexton vanishes. He’s in no condition to fight, and I refuse to release his end of the bond. I can feel that he’s moved out of the area, hopefully returning to camp and seeking the help of a healer.
I’ll check on him after. I’d prefer to remain with him, but I settle for spying on him through the bond. It’s the best I can manage.
Where is Prince Nolic? I’m going to tear out his fucking spine.