Epilogue
One Year Later
Dark hair heavy with water hung in long strands down Jade’s back and over her shoulders, soaking the towel wrapped around her body.
She stepped out of the bathroom in Theo’s and her private quarters on Ivanelli base, steam floating out after her.
Her goal was the closet on the opposite wall, but before she made it four steps into the room, a hand reached for her towel, attempting to pull it free.
Jade rounded on Theo and clenched the towel, pressing it firmly against her glistening brown skin. The sly smile on Theo’s lips forced one out of Jade automatically. But when he reached for the towel again, she stepped out of arms-length.
“Don’t think about doing anything with me until you’ve cleaned up,” she said with raised eyebrows. “You reek, and you’re covered in dirt.”
Theo pressed his lips together, hiding his grin, but his eyes still glimmered. “Don’t get dressed.”
Jade angled her head toward him as her mouth pulled in a half-smile. “Deal.”
Theo tugged his gray undershirt up and over his head, revealing his muscled torso.
Jade didn’t even attempt to tear her eyes away.
When he turned to enter the bathroom, he cast a glance at her over his shoulder, his eyes pointedly raking over her form.
Her eyebrows raised and lowered in a flash in response, and then Theo disappeared behind the door to the bathroom.
Jade continued to the closet, exchanging her towel for a robe and using the towel to wring out the excess water in her hair.
Their training that morning had been particularly grueling, taking place outside on one of the hottest days of late summer.
As soon as they’d returned to their quarters, Jade had demanded the first shower to wash off the sweat and grime.
Shortly after the conclusion of the Conflict of Succession and their promotions to major, Jade and Theo had disclosed their relationship to Commander Matherson.
Four months later, they had married in a small, simple ceremony on base with no fluff or frills, just how Jade wanted it.
Private quarters in the leadership barracks had been prepared for them, but even though they were married, their roles on base had continued in much the same way as they always had.
More than once, Queen Arabella had requested Jade transfer to the castle base, but Jade politely refused, at least temporarily. She wanted to take one change at a time. But after eight months of marriage and nothing pinning her down at Ivanelli, she was running out of excuses.
The truth was, Jade wasn’t entirely sure how involved she wanted to be with the royal family, at least not for a while.
Grand General Devereaux still eyed her as a potential future replacement, which would put her in the castle sooner or later.
By then, she should be in a better place to work alongside Arabella.
But Jade had done well to leave everything associated with The Claim in the past. She feared living so near the castle and working closely with the queen would bring her back to days she didn’t wish to revisit any time soon.
Not to mention, her covert investigation of Devereaux’s involvement with Nicolas was well underway, which was much easier to do when not under the grand general’s direct supervision.
She had retrieved a piece of correspondence from Arabella that the queen had previously held as blackmail against her father.
In the letter, Prince Reynauld had questioned King Mervyn how much then-Commander Devereaux had known about Artis’s abilities, given their close association. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.
Arabella’s commitment to the protection of magic-wielders did pull Jade in the direction of the castle.
She would end up there one day, she knew, working side by side with a monarch who wanted the same things she did.
Those sorcerers and sorceresses in custody had been released as soon as Arabella had taken the throne, and she retracted the law calling for their deaths.
Many people in the kingdom celebrated the change, but enough were still afraid of magic-wielders and hated to see them living freely.
They called Arabella weak, demanding her abdication and even going so far as to plan a coup.
That was where Jade’s work over the past months had lain, spying on people who disagreed with Arabella and might wish harm upon her.
Jade had successfully unveiled the preparations of a coup and brought about the arrests of those involved.
But the work wasn’t done, and there was enough unrest among the nobility, primarily with talk of revolts and plots, that Jade was plenty occupied with her assignments under Matherson. One day, she would move on toward the castle. Perhaps when she achieved her next rank of lieutenant commander.
A sharp knock at the front door carried throughout their quarters. Wrapping her robe more tightly around herself, Jade left the bedroom and padded across the living room floor.
“Yes?” she called when she was close enough to the door, hesitant to open it while only in her robe.
“Sorry to disturb you, Major Ni’ihm,” the female voice said, a sergeant from Jade’s company. “I have an urgent message for you.”
Jade opened the door a crack. “Not a problem, Sergeant. Thank you for bringing it.”
She extended her arm through the opening, catching a glimpse of the sergeant’s hazel eyes and freckled face. She handed Jade the envelope and saluted before turning to leave.
Jade strolled through the living room back to her bedroom. The letter had to be from Commander Matherson, or perhaps even Grand General Devereaux. They must have uncovered something they wanted Jade to investigate, maybe a group planning an attack on magic-wielders or a new threat to Arabella.
The shower was still running. Jade stopped near the bed and tore open the envelope, then pulled out the letter inside.
The beat of her heart faltered. Jade’s jaw fell open, a pit forming in her stomach and tugging her entire body toward the floor. She staggered backward, managing to sit on the bed.
On the letter was the symbol of three triangles over a solid line.
The symbol Nicolas had always used as her informant.
Jade’s limbs trembled as adrenaline poured through her veins. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest and in her ears, drowning out any other sound. With a shaking hand, she unfolded the letter, uncertain of what awaited her.
It was only two words.
Miss me?