to the Court of Midnight had yet to return. We could not expect their assistance in this war—if they were even alive.
There was no proof to lend to my gut instinct. No solid evidence. Nothing tangible that I could use to pinpoint why I had the thought that it—the Court of Midnight—was no more. Only something deep inside of me said that it was true. Something horrible had happened to my home Court. And worse, a part of me did not mourn them. My guilt for that seeped into my soul and reminded me that no matter how I gave myself over to my friends—to my new family—I wouldn't ever have their light.
Once all of my smaller weapons—daggers and the like—were attached to my body, my hand fell to my sword. Nothing prepared me more than the task of lifting this weapon. The weight of it never felt light, but today I lifted it and turned it against the light pouring in from my chambers above, letting the sun glint over its shimmering surface. In the surface of the blade was a reflection of a familiar and welcome face. I turned and met Cress's look. Her eyes fell on the sword in my grasp.
"You're preparing," she said.
It was not a question, but I answered it nonetheless. "I am."
Her lips pressed together. "I'm going with you."
My head began to shake, but before I could open my mouth and utter an argument, she was storming towards me. "Don't tell me no, Orion," she ordered. "I'm going. I've already talked to Roan and I'll be riding with him."
"It's not safe on the battlefield and you are not a soldier," I said.
"My best friend is going out there," she replied. "Nellie's human and she's going."
"She needs to be in the castle when the King is killed," I argued. "We have gone over this. The plan does not work without her presence."
"Which I understand." Her small, heart shaped face tipped up and those bright shining blue eyes met mine. "But I'm going to be there whether you like it or not."
I frowned, feeling the tingle of anxiety creep up my spine. My powers didn't just feed off of others’ negative emotions. It fed off my own, and presently, the thought of Cress in the middle of a bloody battlefield with no way to defend herself made me swell and smoke began to lift from my form and curl around me. "I don't."
Cress laid a gentle hand on my chest and as if she had some will to dissipate the disturbing possibilities running through my mind, I felt my whole self soften. My shoulders came down and I moved closer, running a hand along her side as I tugged her to my chest.
"I'll be fine," she said, looking up at me.
I recalled thinking, the first time I met her, that females were such curious creatures and that she was no different. How wrong I had been. She was by far the most infuriating and contrary female I had ever come across.
"I would go into the depths of the Divine for you," I whispered. "Do not cross that threshold."
"I won't." Her promise was soft on her lips, and it was far too enticing for me to turn away. My head dipped and my mouth captured hers. A soft sigh escaped her as she burrowed closer to me. Her little hands wrapped around my body as I pushed my quickly hardening cock against her belly. The things I wanted to do to her. I wanted to pin her to my bed and make her scream as I licked her sweet little pussy. Then, when she would push my head away, claiming it was too much, that she had reached her peak too many times—I would merely grab her hands and hold them in mine as I devoured her core even more. Until she was so languid with pleasure and tender from all that I had done, she would never think of putting herself in harm's way again.
"Cress..." I said her name as our lips parted. Dark lashes fluttered against her skin. Despite the lightness of her hair, they were a stark contrast to her pale face. Those and the dark brows above her eyes. A wonder … a curiosity ... I reached up and pushed a lock of her curls back.
Groffet had come up with the notion that she was of the Crimson Fae bloodline, but I had a suspicion he was only partially right. And if it