A Kingdom of Venom and Vows (Stars and Shadows #3)(65)

“Any sign of Gavril?” Jorah asked, and I simply shook my head.

I would deal with my coward of a brother the moment he arrived, but right now, my focus was on finding Adara. I needed to see her face, to know she was safe.

I ran through my home, and my heart sank with every door I passed. The flames had not touched every piece of the palace, but there was an immense amount of damage.

And still the tamed flames ate at it, more slowly than before but it destroyed just the same.

I stepped over ash and debris as I moved through the palace, and I spotted the queen, my mother, guiding people down the hall, her clothes covered in soot.

“Evren.” She sighed my name in relief as a child passed by her, running toward the kitchens at the back of the palace.

“Where’s Adara?” I growled, unable to keep the panic from my voice.

“She’s still in the west wing.” My mother coughed, and I could see how much the fire had affected her. “She’s making sure every last one is out.”

I didn’t wait for her to finish her sentence. I ran toward the west wing, where the flames were still licking up the walls, and I searched every room I passed until I finally saw her.

“Adara!” I called out to her, and she turned in my direction immediately.

The leathers she wore were now covered in soot, and the long braid of her hair was coated in ash. But it was the child she carried in her arms that caught my attention.

“What are you doing in here?” She moved toward me, and I noted the burns that covered part of the child’s body.

“I came to find you.” I reached out for the child to give her a break, but she held him closer to her chest.

“He needs a healer.” She moved past me, her hands coated in blood, and I followed her step for step as we headed toward the other end of the castle. “You’re okay,” she whispered to the boy, but I didn’t think he could hear her.

His little eyes were closed, but his chest still rose and fell with life.

I pressed my hand to his chest as we walked and allowed my power to flow through his small body. I could feel his burns healing and his pain easing as we passed through the halls, both of us stepping on debris from the fire. Adara didn’t stop until we reached the dining hall where most of the others were now camped.

My mother rushed toward us, and Adara reluctantly handed the child over to her.

“I’ve got him,” my mother reassured her as she took in my black marks on his skin.

I reached out for Adara’s hand. She looked up at me, but I could see the hesitation in her eyes. She didn’t want to leave them. Not these children she had grown to love in such a short time.

“Stay with them.” Stay where it’s safe. I looked to the side of the room where most of the children were huddled together, but Adara was checking the daggers at her side.

“Take him straight to a healer,” she ordered my mother before looking back up at me. “Evren used his magic, but make sure he’s okay.”

My mother nodded, and Adara looked back to me.

“How many are there?”

“Hundreds.” I looked her over, making sure there were no signs of injuries, but it was only exhaustion I saw lingering on her face. “But there are no signs of Gavril yet.”

She nodded once before heading out into the hall, not waiting for me. She didn’t stop until she had almost reached the main doors, and I caught her hand in mine to stop her.

It trembled against my hand, her body giving away her fear even when she wouldn’t admit it.

“You stay by my side,” I reminded her of the thing we had already talked about dozens of times already, and she nodded in understanding.

“Regardless of what happens, you stay.” I reached forward and wrapped my hand around the back of her neck. My fingers were met with the soot and sweat that coated her skin, but I didn’t care.

This was my wife, the woman willing to fight for my kingdom, and I had never loved anyone more.

My hands were steady against her head, even as my breath shook in my chest, and I pulled her forward until her lips met mine. She kissed me roughly, desperately, as her hands dug into my leathers and clung to me.

When she finally let go, when she pulled away, there was dread that filled my stomach. Dread and fear unlike I had ever known.

I wasn’t scared for myself, but I was fearful of ever living in this world without her. Yet, I would not cower, and I knew that she wouldn’t either.

“I love you, princess,” I whispered as I pressed my forehead to hers.

“And I love you.” Her words were soft, but they ripped through every inch of me, steeling my nerve and readying me for the battle I was about to face.

We walked out of the castle hand in hand, and it was startling to see the number of bodies that already littered the ground of my kingdom. Most of them were fae soldiers who had made the wrong decision to attack my kingdom, but not all.

I allowed myself the briefest moment to mourn the men who had fallen before I looked to the horizon. There was red smoke there, red power, and Adara’s hand tightened in mine.

“Gavril.” It was one word, one simple name, yet I could feel her palpable terror.

The dread I had been feeling moments before suddenly became nothing in comparison to the anger that now spread through my body.

“No matter what happens.” Adara squeezed my hand in hers. “We do as we said. No matter the cost.”