There was a padlock on the balcony doors when I returned to my chambers.

Obviously, that wasn’t to stop someone from taking me. It wasn’t necessary with the charm.

Part of me couldn’t be all that mad about seeing it there. I smirked as I stared at it. Did he think I couldn’t pick a lock? The lock wasn’t the only new addition to the room, though. It took an ungodly amount of time for me to see the book lying on the table by the doors, and I thought it was the one Orphine had been reading.

I ate my supper, once more alone. Fresh water came quickly after that, and I cleaned up as I had before. The wound on my side hadn’t reopened, and as I gently prodded the skin, I thought it looked like a cut that was several days old instead of merely hours.

Makes you wonder how else the Primal embers may be protecting you.

I was beginning to wonder that myself.

More tired than I wanted to acknowledge, I dragged on a heavy forest green robe that I hadn’t worn yet, not even bothering with a nightgown. I went to the chaise and picked up the book. The writing was faint but legible, and yet the words still blurred as I stared at the page. I couldn’t focus. As the hour grew late, Nyktos’s plan occupied my thoughts. If and when Hanan would send more warriors, the questions I had about this army I didn’t know existed, and the fact that I couldn’t believe I’d spoken about Tavius or my life in Lasania. I didn’t like to think about those last two things, let alone speak about them. It made me feel itchy in my skin.

Rising, I went to the table and picked up the bottle of wine brought in with supper. It was sweet, and I took one long swallow, then another as I tried to distract myself with the book. That was a failure because the wine sure hadn’t helped the process. It had me staring at Nyktos’s door more and more, considering really foolish things.

I shrugged off the robe, letting it lay where it fell. I didn’t bother putting on a stitch of clothing, too warm from the crackling flames in the fireplace and the wine. I then put myself to bed before the wine goaded me into doing something reckless.

Like going to that damn door.

I smirked, imagining Nyktos’s reaction if I walked into his chamber, naked as the day I was born. He would…

What would he do?

My smirk faded as I turned my head, looking at the door. My thoughts found their way in there. In my mind, I saw his massive bed. Was he there? Resting? Or was he unable to sleep, too? Was he thinking of dark events that had taken place over the last several days? Or was he thinking about us on his bed?

I closed my eyes at the sharp pulse of desire. Shifting onto my back, I searched for something else to dwell on, but my mind betrayed me. It took me right back into his bedchamber, showing us on the bed, me on my knees, and Nyktos’s large body caging mine as he had on the Rise. There was nothing between our sweat-slick bodies, and every stroke of his was deep. It was a pleasure that had bordered on punishing. The fierceness of how he moved was far too easy to recall. It didn’t even seem like a memory, not when I could feel him even now, between my thighs and inside me. I closed my eyes, biting down on my lip as the need returned.

I kicked at the blanket twisted around my legs in frustration. Gods, why was I doing this to myself?

Carefully rolling onto my side again, I stared at the door once more. For a reckless moment, I entertained the idea of going to that door, finding it unlocked and entering his bedchamber. There was no smirk on my face now as I wondered if I would find Nyktos sleeping in his bed. Would he welcome me? Want me? Without regret? The breath I took was reedy as I imagined him curving his body around mine, touching me. Eyes drifting shut, I squeezed my thighs together, pressing my balled hand to my chest. My skin felt hot as I forced my fingers wide. My fingertips grazed the now-barely-there indentations left behind from Nyktos’s bite, sending an illicit thrill through me. The ache deep inside me throbbed as I drew a finger over a hardened nipple. My hips rocked—

There was a sound, quiet and too quick for me to make out. My eyes flew open, sweeping past the door to the drapes drawn across the balcony

door. I saw nothing but shadows and night, but the chamber…it felt different. The darkness seemed charged. Had I turned off the lamp? Had it even been on when I lay down? I couldn’t remember thanks to the whiskey and the wine. But the chamber was empty except for me and my need, which felt as if it had become its own entity, filling the space even beyond the bed. I closed my eyes again, willing myself to sleep, but in the quiet, all I could think about was Nyktos’s mouth closing on my throat, my breast.

Open for me.

I shivered at the memory of his heated demand, easing onto my back. I kicked at the blanket again, welcoming the cooler air as it washed over my bare skin. It did nothing to ease the fire. The charged air only seemed to enflame it. My other hand fell to my stomach, pressing against my bare skin. The tips of my breasts tingled under my fingers as I moved restlessly, pressing my rear into the mattress. The dampness gathering between my thighs only increased.

My pulse thrummed as I slid my hand down as I had when I answered his demand. I hesitated, not from shame or inexperience—I’d pleasured myself before, obviously. But I didn’t let my mind wander to how I’d learned to do so—those memories were not welcome here—I hesitated because there would be no faceless, nameless visage in my mind like the times before. The lines and planes would be clear, as would the name. If I touched myself, it would be Nyktos’s fingers I imagined inside me. There would be no denying that.

Show me…

I let my thighs fall open to the cool air and the darkness of the room. I slid my hand farther down as I went back to the memory of us. I was in his bed, and Nyktos’s mouth was on my breast. But it wasn’t my fingers that I rode as I eased one through the slippery wetness. It was his cock. I moaned, kicking my head back against the pillow as I began working my finger in and out, pressing the heel of my palm against the ultra-sensitive piece of flesh. The feel of him, stretching and filling me, was branded on my skin, too easy to recall. I eased another finger inside—

My eyes flew open as my heart pounded. There was no sound. Nothing I could hear over my panting, but there was that…shift in the chamber again. An awareness.

A knowledge that I wasn’t alone.

My heart lurched as I looked down, past the fingers on my breast and between my legs, past my bent knees. I scanned the space at the foot of the bed, the unlit fireplace by the balcony doors, the shadowy chaise before it

—

The unlit fire?

Air stalling in my lungs, my gaze swung back to the chaise and the thick mass of shadows there. My heart continued to skip. That cluster of shadows didn’t seem normal. They weren’t as opaque as what the Cimmerian had conjured, and I could see the muted glow of flames behind them now, but the shadows seemed to churn. I dragged in a breath. The scent of citrus and fresh air surrounded me.

The scent of Nyktos.

My body flashed cold and then hot as my lips parted. It had to be my imagination or the wine. He couldn’t be in here, but as I stared at the shadows, I was reminded of when I’d first seen him in the Shadow Temple and he’d been cloaked in endless night. The shadows seemed to have stilled.

Could he…could he be in here? Watching me?

The sharp twist of pleasure curling deep inside me was downright sinful. As was the flush of heat and wetness. My desire-laden thoughts raced. Nyktos…he could sense extreme emotion, and what I was feeling was pretty extreme. Could he even sense my need if he were in another chamber?

And had he come to me?

That wanton curl of pleasure coiled even deeper, tighter. If he was here, watching…

My breath caught. Eyes drifting halfway closed, I dragged my teeth over my lower lip as I moved my fingers at my breast and inside me. The answering swirl of pleasure was echoed in those shadows at the foot of the bed. My hips lifted, following the slow rhythm. Those shadows seemed to solidify. Thicken. Pulse. My blood did the same. The feeling of awareness increased. Tiny bumps spread across my exposed flesh.

I could feel his stare.

Like all the times before, when I knew he was looking at me. His stare was always a caress, and it was then, too, heavy against my breasts, my belly, and the fingers between my legs. And I knew…I knew he was there.

Either that or I’d really drunk far too much wine. Both were equally possible, but I chose to believe the former.

That Nyktos had snuck into my chamber, cloaked in the shadows, and was even now watching me.

The shadows throbbed, appearing to expand and darken at the foot of the bed. My back arched as tension spun.

Air grazed the bottom of my foot, icy and yet burning, and it was real. It…it wasn’t my imagination.

Oh, gods, I jerked my hand away, my fingers glossy and damp against my belly. I went completely still as I watched a misty tendril of night slip over the bed. I didn’t close my legs. I did nothing but wait…and want. And I knew I shouldn’t want such a thing, but oh, gods, I did.

I gasped as that wisp of dark air kissed my calf, and another licked my inner thigh. I held my breath, my pulse pounding as my hands fell to the bed. I grasped the sheet beneath me, my chest rising and falling sharply. Seconds stretched out for an eternity, then I dragged my feet over the bed, responding to some unknown instinct and opening myself farther for him. The icy yet hot shadow brushed against my core.

I gasped, crying out. The heels of my feet dug into the bed as I began to shake. The sensation—the pressure, the fullness—was intense. Primitive. Otherworldly. I could barely see the tendrils of night, but I felt them. The cool burn was all I could feel. I moaned, twisting and grinding. My hips lifted off the bed, and the icy-hot air flowed over the curve of my rear. The tension unfurled with shocking force. I cried out, climaxing as my wide eyes fixed on the thick mass of throbbing shadows. Trembling, I collapsed into the soft mattress as the wisps of night slowly slipped away from the bed.

Small aftershocks rocked me as I rolled onto my side and then my belly, and…waited. A charge of energy went through the chamber. The breath I took caught at that touch again, an icy-hot kiss against the back of my thighs, the curve of my ass. My heart kicked against my ribs. The sensation faded, but the presence was still there. Closer than before.

“Nyktos?” I whispered.

There was no answer in the charged silence, but I waited until my eyes grew too tired to keep open, and as I drifted off, I felt the bed shift beside me.

I felt Nyktos.

“Did you sleep well?” Nektas asked.

I nearly choked on the juice I sipped, my gaze immediately darting to my bed. What had happened last night now felt like a sinful, fever dream, but no part of me doubted that Nyktos had been in my chamber. That he’d watched me. Touched me. Lay in bed beside me. Heat crept into my face as I dragged my gaze from the bed.

Nektas watched me curiously.

I cleared my throat, fiddling with the loose sleeve of my gown. It was a rose gold one. The gown was without much flourish, but the sleeves, which loosened at the elbow and fluttered to just above the wrist, gave it a delicate feel. The bodice would’ve been considered modest if that area actually fit. I feared that the seams would burst at any second, but I’d liked that the gown had been cut with two slits on each side of the skirt, ending just below the mid-thigh. It made for easy access to the dagger I sheathed there.

And I sort of felt…pretty in it. It wasn’t all that often that I wore one that was so soft and not completely see-through like the godsforsaken wedding gown. If I didn’t come up with a better plan, stopping the coronation was highly unlikely, so I really hoped the gown for that was somewhat…decent.

“I slept well,” I managed.

“Good.” Nektas sat on the couch. He’d brought my breakfast this morning, and unlike everyone else, he stayed. Though he hadn’t said much until now, it was nice to have company. “I remember when Ash went through the Culling. He slept terribly—worse than he normally does.”

“Is that common?”

“For some. But I think for those who already don’t sleep all that well, the Culling worsens it.”

So had he been awake, lying in his bed? Nibbling on the last of the bread, I eyed the door to his chambers, and my stomach gave another tumble. What would Nyktos say when he saw me?

Better yet, what would I say?

Because I knew what last night had meant. What hadn’t changed. Nyktos still wanted me. It wasn’t just a bodily need he couldn’t control. I already knew that.

But I didn’t know what I would do with that information. I knew what I should do. Forget about it. Ignore it. Nyktos wanted me in a carnal sense. Sex wasn’t affection or acceptance. It meant nothing but a complication to an already messy situation. But I wanted him—his touch, the feel of him against my skin and inside me, coming undone. I wanted that. Not because I had to. Not for any other reason than it was what I wanted.

But everything that only sex offered was temporary, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted more. I wasn’t even sure what more was. Companionship? Trust? Comfort? That all sounded like more, but I didn’t know. And I didn’t even know why I wanted more when my life could be whittled down to months instead of years if Nyktos’s plans didn’t work. It would make sense if I wanted right now. And why couldn’t I want that? Have that?

“You finished eating?” Nektas asked.

Blinking, I glanced down at my nearly empty plate and nodded. “And are you done deep-thinking while you stare at a door?” My lips pursed. “Yes.”

Nektas rose with a half-grin. “I need to go check on my daughter.” He stopped, glancing over his shoulder at me. “You coming?”

I held myself still, even though I wanted to leap from the chair because I was…well, I didn’t want to be an interloper. Feeling entirely unsure of what I was doing, I lifted a shoulder. “I guess?”

“Then let’s go.” Nektas opened the doors. “She’s likely no longer napping and seconds away from crawling out of a window, like her new friend.”

I sighed.

Nektas hadn’t been entirely incorrect. Jadis had been awake, and she was trying to reach the handle on the door that led to the balcony. She rushed her father, chirping and yipping and then greeted me with the same enthusiasm. From there, she took her father’s hand and led us out of the chamber. Once in the hall, she let out a series of excited chirps as she jumped higher, fluttering her wings until she was able to hover for a few seconds.

“That means she’s happy that you’re joining us on her adventure,” Nektas exclaimed.

I smiled, relieved. “As am I.”

Her adventure took us to the main floor and the hall opposite Nyktos’s offices, into some kind of receiving chamber outfitted with formal, stiff- backed chairs and a narrow table. I wondered if meetings or card games were held at that table as Jadis inspected each piece of furniture with an admirable sense of curiosity.

When Nektas left to retrieve a pitcher of water and glasses, I was petrified that something terrible would befall Jadis while he was gone. She kept trying to scale the legs of the desk for some unknown reason, and I’d never been more grateful to see him return.

He wasn’t alone.

A purplish-black-scaled draken only a few feet tall was with Nektas.

Reaver chirped a greeting as he started toward me. He didn’t make it very far. Jadis all but tackled him, wrapping her slender arms around his stomach, trapping one of his wings between them.

I watched them, awed. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to seeing the draken in this form. And to think they could grow to the size of Jadis’s father?

Nektas joined me at the table while his daughter became solely focused on playing with Reaver.

Which meant chasing him around the room like a little dirt devil.

“In case you’re wondering,” Nektas said, pouring water into one of the wide cups, “they are always like this.”

I grinned, thinking that Reaver probably wasn’t running as fast as he could.

“I didn’t get a chance to ask what you thought of Ash’s plan,” Nektas said as the two made another wide, wild run around the table. “The whole removing the embers part.”

“I’m…tentatively hopeful.” Tucking a strand of hair back behind my ear, I glanced over at him. “Do you think it will work?”

“I cannot know that.”

I frowned. “That’s not exactly reassuring.”

“It’s not meant to be.” Nektas caught his daughter’s arm as they made yet another run around the table. He held her still until she took several hasty gulps of water, and then he let her go.

She immediately went back to chasing Reaver.

“Delfai will have answers for us.” Nektas placed the glass back on the table. “But Ash seeks to do what has only been done once before. There’s no telling what is or isn’t possible.”

I hated not knowing and having to wait to find out. “I wish we could go now. I mean, how dangerous can the Vale be?”

“It’s not the Vale that’s dangerous. It’s the road to the Vale,” he explained. “We will need to travel to the Pillars of Asphodel to enter the Vale. Anything can happen between here and the Pillars, and as you should know by now, gods can enter the Shadowlands at will. So can Primals. There are no rules preventing me from burning a god to a crispy stick if I see fit.”

I wrinkled my nose at his choice of words.

“The same cannot be said for Primals. I cannot fight one. Neither can the gods who serve in Ash’s Court unless they attack Ash.” Nektas paused. “Or his Consort.”

“Oh.” I glanced out the lone window in the chamber. The gray sky beyond was a muted, lifeless color broken only by the faint twinkle of stars. Too bad the charm couldn’t prevent others from attacking me. “If Nyktos had said that, it would’ve made more sense.”

“He hadn’t?”

I shot him a look. His expression was so bland, the sky had to be envious. “No.”

He gave me a faint smile as his gaze flicked to the door. “One second.”

I turned to see Rhain through the narrow gap. Nektas joined him in the hall, and I watched them, curious about what they could be discussing.

And I really should’ve been watching the young draken.

Jadis let out a shrill screech, stopping my heart. My head whipped to where…Reaver had apparently flown to the top of an empty cabinet and was perched there, safely out of Jadis’s reach.

Something she wasn’t remotely happy about.

She jumped and flapped her wings, only managing to get a couple of inches into the air for a few seconds. Her cries were pitiful.

“Reaver,” I called, pushing away from the table. “Why don’t you come down?”

He shook his diamond-shaped head. And, honestly, I couldn’t really blame him.

“She just wants to play.”

Reaver shook his head again, and Jadis gave up on flying, opting to

crawl up the cabinet, causing the entire thing to wobble.

“Oh, my gods.” I rushed over, grabbing her as she made it about a foot. “You can’t do that.”

The moment I put her down, she raced right back to the cabinet. We repeated this series of events several more times before a full-blown, baby draken temper tantrum happened.

With wide eyes and mouth hanging open, I watched her throw herself onto her belly, wailing as she pounded her little taloned fists and clawed feet against the floor, scratching the shadowstone. I froze, having no idea how to calm a mortal child, let alone a draken one.

I glanced desperately at the door, seeing that Rhain and Nektas had moved out of view. “Are you kidding me?” I whispered, turning back to Jadis.

She flopped onto her back, going so still that I feared she’d knocked herself out. I started toward her when Reaver made a rough, huffing noise that sounded very much like a laugh.

That didn’t help matters.

The draken was back on her feet in a flash, crimson eyes narrowed as she bleated and yipped at Reaver. He made no move to come back down, and I had no idea what Nektas was doing in that damn hall. I turned to find out. Just a second—one second had passed—and I smelled smoke.

I whirled, gasping as flames crawled across the leg of one of the chairs Jadis was crouched in front of. “Oh, my gods!”

Jadis jumped excitedly, eyes alit by the flames. I quickly grabbed the pitcher, dousing the fire. Heart pounding, I stepped back—

Nektas walked into the chamber then, coming to an abrupt stop. “I leave the room for two minutes…”

“That was not two minutes,” I panted. “That was two years.”

Jadis tucked her wings back and close to her body then took off, scurrying under a different chair.

Nektas looked up at Reaver, who let out a disgruntled-sounding chirp before gliding down to the floor, where he eyed Jadis. I kind of felt bad for her while her father coaxed her out from under it.

“Someone obviously didn’t spend nap time napping,” Nektas stated. “Time to do just that.”

I trotted after them, feeling as if I’d narrowly survived a war. The embers in my chest suddenly warmed as we neared Nyktos’s offices. My stomach immediately started flipping and flopping around like Jadis had in the middle of her fit as Nektas slowed, stopping in the alcove.

“You need anything?” Nektas called as I hung back. Jadis immediately started to struggle to get down.

“No,” came the response that shouldn’t have made my face feel like it was on fire but did. “You can let her down.”

“You spoil her,” Nektas muttered, but he let his daughter go, and she took off, disappearing into the office. There was a rough laugh from inside, and Reaver followed at a much more sedate pace. Nektas halted at the entrance, glancing back at me. He raised his brows.

I peeled myself away from one of the shadowstone pillars and came forward, willing my heart to slow.

Nyktos was behind his desk, and the little draken was plastered to the loose, white shirt he wore. She was either hugging…or strangling him. I couldn’t be exactly sure which.

“What have you two been up to?” Nyktos asked, glancing to where Reaver was already perched on the corner of his desk.

Reaver gave a couple of low grunts, but Jadis was chirping and yipping rapidly. She leaned back in Nyktos’s arms, turning her head to Reaver. She hissed at him, and I couldn’t help but grin.

“Maybe Reaver will play with you if you don’t chase him so much,” Nyktos responded.

My brows shot up. I’d forgotten that Nyktos could understand them. “By the way, she set one of the chairs on fire,” Nektas announced. His

daughter immediately planted her head in Nyktos’s chest. “So, it’s time for a nap.”

Nyktos’s brows rose as Jadis gave a pitiful, muffled whimper. “It’s okay. I’m not mad.” He rubbed her back between her wings. “We have plenty of chairs.”

“It is not okay.” Nektas came around the desk, extricating Jadis from the Primal’s arms. His daughter all but threw herself over his shoulder, hanging limply as Reaver eyed her warily. “No matter how many chairs there are.”

Nyktos grinned, brushing a strand of hair back behind his ear as he

finally looked past the draken to where I hovered near the empty bookcases.

me.

All I could think about was that icy-hot feeling against my skin, inside

Nothing could be gained from Nyktos’s expression. I had no idea what

he was thinking as his gaze drifted over my features and then lower. The line of his jaw tightened. “Remind me,” he said to Nektas, “to check in with Erlina to see when she will be done with her clothing.”

Frowning, I glanced down and saw that the bodice had slipped a little, either because it wasn’t fitted properly or from trying to keep Jadis from injuring herself and burning down the palace. Either way, it wasn’t like my breasts had actually fallen out. Yet. My eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong with the gown, Your Highness?”

“Everything.”

I inhaled sharply, no longer feeling all that pretty in the gown.

Nektas’s brow pinched with confusion as he glanced at me. “I see nothing wrong with it.”

“Of course, you wouldn’t,” Nyktos muttered, leaning back in his chair. “I find it to be many things,” Nektas offered, “none of which are

wrong. I could list them for you…”

“Not necessary,” Nyktos bit out. He dropped his hand to the desk, and his fingers began tapping beside the tome I’d seen him with the day before.

The nape of my neck burned. “If I’d known you were going to insult the gown that doesn’t even belong to me, I would’ve chosen to visit what’s left of the entombed gods instead.”

Nyktos’s eyes flashed to me, narrowing.

“I believe she’s saying she’d prefer their company over yours,” Nektas added helpfully.

“Thank you for the unnecessary explanation,” Nyktos drawled. The Primal sent him a look of warning before focusing on me. Some of the tension eased from his jaw. A moment passed. “I didn’t mean to insult your gown. I…apologize if…” He drew in a breath as I stared at him. “If that was rude of me.”

“If?” I questioned.

“Okay, it was rude,” he amended. “There’s nothing wrong with your gown,” he muttered. “You look lovely in it.”

My brows shot up as I saw Nektas rub at his mouth, attempting to hide his grin. My annoyance with both of them flared. Nyktos had sounded as if

he were speaking of a barrat in a gown, and Nektas had definitely failed at hiding his smile.

“I need to get Jadis to sleep,” Nektas said, and the Primal nodded.

Reaver launched off Nyktos’s desk as Nektas headed for the door.

I started to follow them but stopped. Nektas didn’t need me being a distraction while he tried to get his daughter to sleep. I remained behind as they left the office, even though I suspected that Nyktos likely would have preferred I hadn’t.

As the doors closed behind Nektas, I slowly turned to the Primal. He was still leaning back in his chair, fingers tapping slowly on his desk as he eyed me. “How are you feeling this morning?”

“Good.” I felt that damn warmth hitting my face again. “You?”

He lifted the hand from the arm of his chair, resting those fingers against his jaw and chin. “Perfect.”

Silence ticked by. “Did you sleep well last night?”

Nyktos went completely still. I don’t think he even breathed. “Like a babe.”

I stared at him. “You sure about that?”

“Yes.” Wisps of eather appeared in his eyes as disbelief crept in.

Was he really going to act as if he hadn’t been in my bedchamber the night before, watching me? Touching me?

“It appears you’ve had a rather eventful morning,” he said.

He was totally going to act like last night hadn’t happened. I tamped down my frustration. “That is one way of putting it.”

“Hopefully, for the sake of furniture everywhere, Reaver no longer shelters in places Jadis cannot yet reach.”

“I think that will be unlikely.”

“Probably. We went through this when Reaver was her age. I’m quite confident we lost at least two chambers’ worth of items to his temper tantrums.”

I had a hard time picturing Reaver having a tantrum in either form. “What…what happened to Reaver’s parents?” I asked, realizing that all I knew was that they were no longer alive.

“They died defending the Shadowlands. Before he was old enough to even shift into mortal form,” he answered, and several beats of silence followed. “Kolis grew annoyed when I didn’t answer his summons

immediately. He sent several of his draken and, after that, I learned that I could only delay answering his summons for so long.”

My chest squeezed. “My…my sister? Ezra? She believes you can’t hate someone you’ve never met. She’s wrong. I’ve never met Kolis, and I hate him.”

Nyktos was quiet for a moment. “I don’t think you have to know someone to feel a certain way toward them. I don’t even think you have to truly know someone to miss them.”

“Really?”

“I miss many I barely know. The experiences never shared. The history never made.” His fingers stilled on the desk. “The memories never created.” “The past that’s never mourned.” I thought of the mother I’d never been

close to. The father I hadn’t met. The friends I’d never made. His heart. That thought was like a kick to the chest—both the realization that I wanted his affection, something I desperately couldn’t acknowledge, and that it would never belong to me. “And the future that’s never anticipated.”

“Then you understand.”

“I…I think so.” I blinked back the sudden wetness in my eyes, thinking about the guards who had fallen yesterday. “I’m sorry about those who were lost yesterday. I don’t think I said that.”

Nyktos nodded. “As am I.”

I curled my fingers around the edges of my sleeves. In the silence, I remembered what Saion had said on the Rise. “The Cimmerian? The one called Dorcan. He mentioned you had an army.”

“I do,” he said.

“Is that something all Primals have?” He shook his head.

My mind started racing. “How many do you have?”

“The army is substantial.” His gaze hadn’t left me. Not once since Nektas had left with the younglings. “They’re stationed at the Shadowlands’ borders.”

“Why didn’t they give aid when the dakkais attacked?” “They would have if needed.”

The attack had been rather large. To me, that should’ve warranted the involvement of his army. And the only reason I could think that he wouldn’t send for them would be because he’d rather not risk losing any soldiers. Perhaps because he believed he needed all of them.

Which could mean…

My heart turned over heavily. “What would you have done about Kolis if the embers of life hadn’t been placed in my bloodline?” I asked. “Based on what you said in the throne room, it’s clear you haven’t simply accepted this way of life. To live under someone who slaughters without reason and commits the gods only know how many atrocities.”

Nyktos was quiet.

I held his stare. “Are you planning to go to war with Kolis?”