ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END
GAbrIEL
By the time Wren and I make it back to our cabin, early morning light is streaking across the sky. We climb the steps, and once we reach the landing, the raven finally leaves its perch—it’s been on her shoulder since it arrived at the end of the bonding.
After getting over the shock of seeing the raven, Evelyn explained that in rare cases, the gods will bestow a Blessed with a familiar.
The bond is not unlike the one I share with Mist, although this one is not forged.
According to the seer, it was formed the moment the raven chose Wren.
The familiar is a third gift from the gods, a partner to help Wren in the times ahead.
Something about the seer’s words, along with the raven’s appearance, unsettled me. The feeling remains even now, hours later. Why would the gods send Wren a familiar if she’s out of danger’s path?
My stomach twists. Something is coming, I’m sure of it.
Mist feels it, too, and we’re both on edge.
Our bond is strumming with anxiety, and she went out a few hours ago to patrol the woods, hunting for the source of our unease.
Even now, my gaze sweeps through the forest, searching the shadows.
I don’t see anything amiss, but that doesn’t mean trouble isn’t imminent.
My gut is never wrong.
The raven’s wings flap as it flies, settling on the edge of the roof above us. Its silver eyes meet mine, and I swear the raven nods before ruffling its feathers, getting comfortable, and peering out into the forest.
As if it were keeping watch.
Wren studies the raven for a long moment before she turns to me, rubbing a fist over her sternum. “I can feel the bird, right here, next to our bond. Is that . . . normal?”
“I think so. That’s where I sense Mist.”
She nods slowly, seeming to mull my words over.
“It’s strange,” she says after a moment.
“The bond?”
“All of this.” Wren presses herself against my chest, and I wrap my arms around her, holding her close. “I never expected the day to turn out this way when I woke up.”
I brush my lips over her forehead. “It’s been a long day, hasn’t it?”
But I wouldn’t change a single moment.
“My heart feels so full right now, Gabe. As if it’s close to bursting.” She peers up at me through her lashes. “You make me so happy.”
“Oh, little bird. You make me happy, too.” And even though I’m still uneasy, even though I can’t help but think that the raven’s presence is an omen of what’s to come, I kiss Wren. I can’t help it.
Asking me to stay away from her would be like asking the stars to stop shining. Fucking impossible.
Wren’s tongue slides against mine, and she clutches my tunic, tugging me closer.
I can feel her need as though it’s my own, and I shove my thoughts of danger aside, focusing on this moment.
Kissing Wren deeply, I lose myself in the familiar taste of her as we stumble towards the door, breaking apart long enough for me to unlock it.
Our mouths meet once more, and our newly sealed bond vibrates as we stagger inside. I lock the door behind us, and when I turn around, Wren has already undone the laces of her dress. Clothes disappear amid frantic kisses until there are no barriers between us.
We end up in bed, Wren on her back with her hair splayed out behind her. She is an angel bathed in the blue light of her Mark, and I am unable to stay away.
Taking her hand in mine, I trace the brilliant ink that has settled in her palm.
“You are mine.” I kiss her, my cock hard and heavy between us.
She reaches between us, guiding me to her entrance. “Yours.” She lifts her hips, and her wet heat welcomes me. “Always.”
We both groan as I push inside her tight walls. I capture her lips and slowly move. This isn’t a frantic coupling, but a declaration. A promise, like the bonding ceremony earlier.
“I love you.” I grip her hip and pull out before thrusting into her, letting her feel every inch. “So fucking much.” Thrust. “I will never stop.” My hand slips between us, and I find her clit, rubbing it slowly. “That is my vow to you.”
She moans, and I swallow the sound with my mouth.
When her walls start fluttering around me and I can feel how close she is, I raise myself up on my elbows and hold her gaze, my strokes never faltering.
“You have been my undoing, Wren.” She tenses beneath me, gasping and clawing at my arms. “You unraveled everything I ever thought I knew about this world.”
“Gabe,” she whimpers desperately.
“And I would never have it any other way.”
She has undone and remade me. Once, I lived for myself. Now, I live for her.
And when she comes with my name on her lips, I am helpless to do anything but follow her into bliss.
I will follow her anywhere.
A frantic caw yanks me from sleep.
My eyes fling open, and I jolt upright. The sudden shift from sleeping to waking is jarring, and I blink, trying to focus.
Beside me, Wren jerks awake, looking as tired as I feel.
The suns shine through the windows, and judging by their brightness, it must be midday.
We’ve been asleep for a few hours, maybe less.
“What’s happening?” she asks.
I swing my legs out of bed, yanking on the pants I discarded last night.
“I don’t know.” My bond with Mist is tense, and my sense of discomfort from the night before has returned tenfold.
Wren rubs her chest. “The raven is upset.”
I toss Wren her sheathed dagger, and she grabs it as I tug my shirt over my head and strap weapons on. “Get dressed, Birdie. We’ll go investigate.”
My stomach hasn’t been in so many knots since the night I chased my father beneath Rose Palace all those months ago.
I have a very bad feeling about this, but I keep it to myself, not wanting to spook Wren in case I’m wrong.
Even so, as she finishes getting dressed and slides on a pair of boots, I double-check my amulet and weapons.
Before we go, I fuse my lips to Wren’s. The kiss is far too short, but there isn’t time for anything more. My bond with Mist is thrumming anxiously as Wren and I move apart. Taking her hand in mine, pressing our bonding marks together, I unlock and open the door.
Bright sunlight assaults my senses as I step outside. I squint, acclimating to the midday light, as the raven flies towards Wren in a flurry of feathers. It lands on her shoulders a moment before a scream slices through the air.
“Gabe,” Wren says urgently, tugging on my hand.
“I heard it,” I say, taking the porch steps two at a time.
Panic leaks into her voice, and she clings to me. “The twins are in that direction. Theon and Maia, too.”
Another scream has my stomach writhing.
“I know, Wren.”
Being right has never felt so awful. My chest constricts as panic weaves through me, and not all of it is mine.
People start pouring out of buildings. Voices rise. Chaos erupts.
I draw Wren in for a punishing kiss, murmur “I love you,” and then we run.
We’re approaching the main hall, and the cabin where Wren’s sisters spent the night is beyond the trees, when I catch sight of Alaric.
The captain is standing on a tree stump with Soren on his right and a soldier I recognize from our time in the mountain on his left—Bellamy. The man barely spares us a glance, lacking the vitriol he showed me under the mountain.
A crowd is gathered before them. Most of the assembled group is armed, but there are a few who appear to be defenseless. Alaric’s face is drawn, his skin pale. When he looks up at me, his lips pinched, I know something truly awful has happened.
“There has been a breach,” the captain announces. “The net is broken.”
Furious murmurs break out around us, and my stomach plummets.
“Those housed in the northern part of the camp have been brought to the schoolhouse,” Alaric says. “There are no casualties at this time, but the situation is tenuous and unfolding.”
“Can the net be repaired?” someone asks.
Alaric’s mouth thins. “Not while the situation is still active.”
The soldier inside me translates his words without thought.
The attack is ongoing.
I’m not the only one who hears what Alaric isn’t saying. Chaos breaks out, and the crowd grows frantic.
“I thought we were safe . . .”
“ . . . the king . . .”
“I need to go; my kids are alone . . .”
“Esyn have mercy on us . . .”
“ . . . how did this happen?”
At some point, Alaric starts speaking over the questions. Those who can’t fight are already being pulled back from the breach. Elders, mothers, and the youngest children are being sent into the tunnels with a small guard. There is a contingent of rebels at the broken net.
Wren’s grip has been steadily tightening around my fingers, and now they feel a moment away from going numb.
Her face has lost all color save for her Mark.
It’s a sapphire, glowing more brightly with each passing moment.
Her violet eyes shimmer with unshed tears, and the raven is a stark contrast to her pale features.
“This is my fault,” she says softly, the words so quiet I’m not sure she meant to say them out loud.
“No.”
She looks up at me, silver lining her eyes. “Yes, it is. Just like the attack under the mountain, I caused this.”
My heart cracks. “It’s not—”
“All good things come to an end, Gabe. I’ve witnessed too many dark things to think otherwise.
This is my fault, and I can’t . . . I can’t do this.
I can’t stay here and wait to be told what to do, wait for someone else to fight for me.
” Wren draws in a deep breath and blinks away her tears.
“I won’t. I’m going to fight, and you can either stay here and listen to Alaric or come with me. ”
She stares up at me, as if there’s even a question about what I’ll do.
“Let’s go,” I say.
I will never hold her back, never tell her she can’t do something. If she wants to fight, that is what we will do. After all, this is what she’s been training for.
We’re heading to the breach, but first we stop at the schoolhouse.
Wren seems to breathe more easily when she sees her sisters sitting against the wall next to Maia and Theon.
Skyler is there as well, as are a few other guards, keeping watch.
The air is thick, thrumming with the same tension reflected in my bond with Mist.
Theon stands when he sees us, striding towards us with his hand on his sword. When he learns we’re heading for the breach, he declares he’s coming along.
“Just like old times, eh, Gabe?” Theon asks, his eyes sparkling.
There’s little Theon enjoys more than getting his hands dirty. His father always hated that his son enjoyed training with the soldiers, calling it an act that was beneath him, which only made Theon do it more.
I brush my fingers over my own sword. “Something like that.” Except this time, I have a lot more to fight for.
Not long after we leave the schoolhouse, Mist joins our small party. She runs alongside us, silver eyes brimming with worry.
Our connection writhes in my chest, and I can feel her concern.
I nod, because what else can I do? The feeling of unease that has been plaguing me worsens as we race through the woods towards the sounds of battle.
The first thing I notice is the shift in the air. Every step is heavier as though we’re wading through mud.
The next thing that catches my attention is the sky—or rather, the fact that I can see it clearly without any obstacles. I’d grown so used to the constant shimmer that it feels like a trick to my senses. But it’s a brilliant, cloudless blue, the suns shining as brightly as Wren’s Mark.
And then my gaze lowers, and my blood chills. My steps slow, and every part of me screams that this is dangerous. I wonder if, perhaps, it isn’t too late to get Wren away from this. She would be upset by the sudden change of plans, but maybe that would be better.
Because this . . .
This isn’t just some attack, and the breach hasn’t been caused by a few stray Enforcers.
Fear skitters down my spine, chilling me to my bones. The raven caws, flying off Wren’s shoulder into the sky, but I don’t follow where it goes.
“Stay by my side, Birdie,” I tell Wren, but I don’t look at her. I can’t. My eyes are glued to the broken net up ahead . . . and on the scene unfolding behind it.
Soldiers line the other side of the barrier, spread as far as my eyes can see. Even though the rebels are fighting them, trying to keep them away from the breach, they are vastly outnumbered.
But that’s not the worst of it.
Not by far.
Because standing behind the soldiers, dressed ready for battle, is the crown prince. And on his right, looking every bit as imposing as ever, stands our father.
The king.