Chapter Three
DAKATH
A formal declaration of war.
I couldn’t remember the last time our empire engaged in a true war—sure, minor civil disputes between lands happened every once in a while—but a war? Malakai’s ship sailed into our waters, flying its flag proud and high, as if antagonizing us. Forcing us into action.
If war was what he wanted, war was what he would get.
As we stood around the strategy room—occupied by the three of us and the three other advisors who knew the Empress’s true identity—a singular thought consumed my mind. There was one thing I didn’t fully understand. Why had Malakai sent only one ship? Why such a small show of force?
I had to assume there would be more on the way.
And that meant one thing: we had to prepare, which was something Elijah was leading the assembled group toward.
His sense of controlled calm was back, evident in the way he spoke to the Empress and the others in the room, not requiring any help to command attention.
The skill was similar to Kolvar’s ability to make others feel comfortable in his presence without even trying.
I had my strong points, but I wasn’t good at group gatherings where people felt obligated to talk over one another to suggest ideas.
Instead, I watched the room quietly and paid attention to every expression that crossed the other advisors’ faces, quietly ensuring everyone was on board with the plan moving forward.
A war wouldn’t be successful if there was disagreement on how to handle it at the key level, and my part to play in all of this was ensuring that didn’t occur.
Outside of military strategy, my thoughts were on Ky.
My beautiful Kyella.
I’d realized long ago that our group of three worked well together, not only because we were friends, but because we balanced one another out in all things.
That balance allowed us to protect Kyella, which is what I strongly felt we should be doing right now.
Especially in the face of her tormentor’s ship sitting just outside of our city’s harbor.
The thought of her being in fear, or reliving the memories of her years trapped in his castle, absolutely devastated me. I wanted to hold her through it all. I needed to feel her warmth and know that she was safe. I just…
I needed her, plain and simple.
Since the start of the meeting, something had tugged at the back of my consciousness, continuously bringing Kyella’s image forward.
For once, I didn’t think it was simply because she was the woman I was damn near obsessed with.
No, it was a different sensation, something itching at the back of my consciousness that left me feeling anxious over her well-being.
We should have brought her with us.
I looked toward the door as my jaw tightened, considering the idea of leaving the meeting to go find her. In theory, I knew she was safe—the security surrounding the castle was the best the empire had to offer, and I knew Tristan would protect her as he would his own family.
Something about the situation left my stomach feeling uneasy, though.
Malakai was a bastard, but I couldn’t deny that he had a talent for taking people off guard.
My childhood years spent in his empire proved that over and over again.
I didn’t trust that he wouldn’t try to pull some shit while we were distracted by his single ship sailing into our waters.
I needed to check on Kyella. The urge had crawled under my skin, becoming undeniable. I wasn’t sure if I could last another minute in this meeting, let alone wait until we were finished talking. These meetings could take hours, and when it came to our woman, I was far from a patient man.
“She’s fine,” Kolvar said, practically reading my mind. I turned, brows furrowing as I saw the worry etched into his features, despite his reassurance. “She’s probably already at Tristan’s room, checking in on the three of them. Immediately after this meeting, we can go there.”
I nodded in understanding. I knew he was right, though it didn’t make me any less uneasy.
Elijah glanced at both of us as another advisor explained an idea to him, but he didn’t offer any reaction.
From his rigid posture and the tightness of his jaw, I had a feeling he was still on edge from the ship’s arrival and was simply trying to mask his emotions for the sake of this meeting.
In the years that we’d known each other, I had never seen Elijah lose it like he had only an hour or two ago.
Not only was it unexpected, but it also showcased how much Kyella had gotten under his skin.
Hell, she had gotten under all our skin, worming her way into our hearts.
She was a constant drumbeat in my head, and I found myself considering her thoughts and feelings at all times, often wondering, “How could this affect Ky?” or “Would Ky like this?”
Before meeting her, the idea of having someone outside of my two chosen brothers so integrated in my life was unappealing, frustrating, and maybe even annoying.
Never before had I wanted a woman to be part of my daily existence.
I had never wanted to share every moment with, or wake up next to, the same individual every damn day.
In fact, I might have even claimed I thrived in solitude.
Now, though? I wanted her to be part of my life as much as possible.
I wasn’t sure what I needed to do to ensure that she would be, but I would do it.
I had no intention of ever letting Kyella go.
I had come to terms with just how important she was to me, how much I craved her, how fundamental she’d become to my life…
Hell, how much I needed her. I hoped she realized what was going on in turn.
I hoped she understood that we had claimed her and would never let her go—no matter the danger that left us facing.
Kyella was ours.
Suddenly, the main door of the room slammed open, thudding loudly as it smacked into the wall behind it and drawing my thoughts to the present.
“They’ve taken Kyella.”
The words bounced off the walls, echoing Tristan’s voice through the room. My entire body went stock still. My heart momentarily stuttered, horror and adrenaline slamming through me. Shocked silence fell over the room, and I slowly turned to look at the man in question.
What did he say?
It couldn’t be what I thought.
That was impossible.
No one had taken Kyella. I had just seen her. I had just touched her. Kissed her. I had ensured she was safe.
But hadn’t I felt that something was off? Hadn’t I been worried about this exact shit? I blinked, trying to process not only what he was saying, but also my reaction to it as well as the information I needed from him. The most important being where she’d been taken to.
Taking a moment, I looked Tristan over, searching for any sign of a lie on his face or in his body language.
But he looked out of breath and almost sickly pale, one hand braced on the door he’d slammed open with the other clutching at his pectoral just below a wound that bled profusely.
Fuck. His wife was attempting to stop the bleeding, working on wrapping it up, but it seemed to be a work in progress since he hadn’t stopped to let her fix him up completely.
Their daughter trembled and clung to her mother’s skirt, staring up at her father with so much worry it made my chest squeeze uncomfortably. My analysis of his state occurred in less than a heartbeat, but it felt like much longer as I tried to prolong the reality of what he was saying.
“What did you say?” I demanded, somehow the first to pull out of our collective trance.
“Someone attacked her. I heard her scream and walked out into the hall only to be hit with a dagger. He dragged her away. He took her—”
“Where? Where did he fucking take her?” Elijah was suddenly in front of him, grabbing his collar. Tristan paled even further at the rage reflecting in Elijah’s expression.
I went to step forward, mostly to pull Elijah away from him. I wanted the answer as much as him, but Tristan was injured, shaking as blood ran down his front. Kolvar shook his head from where he stood next to me, suggesting I don’t disrupt, as he watched the situation unfold in silence.
Silence was rare for the man, and I’d known him long enough now to know that he was holding something back until he received more information.
“I don’t know. I was knocked out when I fell to the floor after having a dagger embedded in my fucking shoulder,” Tristan bit out as Elijah dropped his collar and stepped back, nearly shaking with a fury that coated his expression.
A boiling sense of rage grew underneath my skin making it hard to focus, let alone listen to what anyone was saying. It felt as if I was hearing every other word through a wind tunnel, so I clenched my fists, desperate to gain any level of grounding.
“How long was he out?” I asked Bailey as she looked away from her husband’s injury momentarily.
She quickly turned her attention back to it, wrapping it in a skilled way that led me to believe this wasn’t his first injury.
Recurring injuries wouldn’t surprise me, knowing he’d lived under Malakai’s rule in the past.
“Twenty minutes, perhaps,” she said after a moment. “I tried screaming out for someone, but no one came.”
That didn’t surprise me. People were either preparing for the possible attack, or they were here in the strategy meeting. There wouldn’t have been anyone around—was that why they had been so confident in their bold action?
“They took her down the stairs,” Rina spoke up in a soft, shaking voice as she stared at the floor. “We tried to call for people—”
“This is not your fault,” Myrin said with a gentle shake of her head toward the little girl. “You did everything you should have.”