CHAPTER 37
G aetan held Nicole close, tugging her tight against him. Her warm, sweet scent burrowed into his senses, and his inner beast growled. She was safe and that was all that mattered to the beast, but they weren’t out of trouble, not by a long shot.
He wrapped his arm around Nicole’s waist, drawing her to his side so he could face Mauree. “As I promised, I’ve never lied to you, Mauree.”
Mauree blinked. “Are you out of your ever-loving mind? You sacrificed your entire species by giving me the blue sunstone to save this one,” her gaze raked over Nicole, “female?”
“I don’t expect you to understand, yet I think, deep down, you understand all too well. You don’t have to do this. You have a choice.” His words wound around his heart, the truth hitting home harder than he’d expected. Nicole had shown him that life and love were about choices. You were responsible for your own decisions, not anyone else’s. A weight lifted from his shoulders. He’d given Nicole an option to live or die. She’d chosen to live and had grown to love him in the process.
“What are you talking about?” Mauree clutched the blue sunstone to her chest. “With the sacred sunstone, I have the power to control the elements, such as you, Nikki. I could kill you in a heartbeat.”
Gaetan stepped in front of Nicole, blocking her from Mauree’s view. “But, you haven’t. Why is that, Mauree?”
“It’s not time yet, that’s all.” A smile crossed her face, but lines formed around her eyes.
She has regret.
A pang bloomed in Gaetan’s chest. The line for empathy on the back of his hand burned, darkening. Maybe, just maybe, he could convince Mauree to change her mind. “This hasn’t been easy for you. If anyone understands what it’s like to live your life with regrets, it’s me.”
“What do you know of regret?” she spat and glared at him.
“More than you might think. I’ve come to realize it’s never too late to make amends and change your life. All it takes is one small step to start you on the path and that begins with forgiveness.”
Nicole squeezed his palm, encouraging him.
He returned the affection then took a step forward. “I forgive you, Mauree. You still have time to change your life. Trust me.”
A pained expression tightened Mauree’s features. She peered at the rock in her palm and shook her head. “How can you forgive me? I’ve done terrible, terrible things and have gone way too far down this road to ever come back.”
“If I can forgive myself for making so many mistakes, then you can forgive yourself, too.” He’d thrown away his medication after hiding his guilt and pain behind the small pills for longer than he cared to admit. Nicole had helped him realize he wasn’t responsible for others’ choices, only his own. The sense of freedom still swelled his chest. The need to convince Mauree she could do the same itched in his veins.
She met his gaze. Her eye, rimmed red with unshed tears, studied him. “All I ever wanted was to be queen…to be respected and obeyed.”
Empathy for her swelled inside along with his desire to aid her. His line for benevolence warmed, darkening on his skin. Pulling on his patience, he held out his hand, as if she were a scared animal. “Give me the sunstone, Mauree. Let me help you.”
If he could touch her, he could give her some of his calming influence, help her ease away from the brink.
She blinked several times, but couldn’t stop the tear as it slid down her cheek. With shaky fingers, she lifted her hand toward him.
Hope soared in Gaetan’s chest. He opened his palm.
“Aiyeeee!” The war cry boomed across the field.
Gaetan’s muscles tightened.
Swords raised, warriors closed the distance, pushing back the Gossum and Ursus. Kaelyn and Saar led the charge, along with Demir and Aramie. Out of the melee, a familiar figure appeared. With broad shoulders and short blond hair, he swung his blade with a grace and experience few possessed. The warrior’s identity was clear.
Gaetan’s heart skipped a beat before beating double time. “Noeh… How can this be?”
Gossum and Ursus surged from their hiding spots along the tree line, approaching at a fast clip. As the groups merged, the clashing of swords and battle cries echoed into the night.
Mauree tugged the blue sunstone to her chest. “No, it can’t be Noeh, I killed him.” She shook from her rage, her features tightening into a grimace. “Kill them! Kill them! Kill them all!”
Kaelyn bolted toward a Gossum, her feet pounding over the meadow’s tall grass. Wet from the evening dew, the blades slapped against her pant legs. She gripped the handle of her mace and swung the spiked ball over her head. The weapon hummed from the air displacement, the sound familiar and comforting.
At her side, Saar let out a bellow of rage.
They closed the distance, and the Gossum’s dark eyes reflected the moonlight, eerie and chilling. Close enough to hear the creature’s small cries of excitement, she swung her mace. The ball connected with its skull, crushing the bone in one fell swoop. She yanked her weapon free. The creature slid to the grass and turned into a pile of sludge.
Kaelyn’s attention drew to Roan’s Rock. Her nemesis, Mauree, stood before Gaetan and Nikki, a sneer on her face. Kaelyn’s pulse rose as her muscles tensed. Prepared to battle her enemy, she—
“Kaelyn!”
Her gaze tracked toward the sound of her name.
Jacinth sprinted toward her, his mace twirling in the air.
She dodged as a spiked tip whipped past her nose. A low growl erupted from her. “Jacinth! Stop!”
He blinked, but continued his advance. “Why do you fight with them?”
Sidestepping his every move, she kept out of reach. “When I became Saar’s mate, I chose to fight for Alora. You can fight for her, too.”
He circled her, his assessing gaze searching for her weakness. “Not possible. We fight for Zedron now, we are his characters.”
The desire to battle Mauree and kill the evil bitch coiled in Kaelyn’s gut, but here was her chance to recruit one of her tribe and turn the tide in this war. Pulling on her love for her people, she concentrated on her tribe mate. “You can claim ‘free will’ and choose which side to fight on. Renounce your allegiance to Zedron.”
Jacinth’s brow furrowed, but his pace didn’t slow. “I don’t believe you.”
“Aren’t I living proof?” She stopped, planting her boots in the soft soil.
He flinched, holding his position. The whir of his mace beat at the wind.
She straightened her shoulders and raised her chin. “You were always a loyal warrior to my parents. Will you remain so to me?”
A tremor started in his jaw. The speed of the mace increased.
She held his gaze. “Join me, Jacinth. I know you want to. Claim your right to ‘free will.’ Put down your weapon.”
He studied her for several long seconds, his features etched with torment. A loud scream emerged from his lips. “I…choose…Alora…through my own…free will.” He brought the mace down. The ball sank into the moist dirt at Kaelyn’s feet.
“My queen.” He kneeled.
Kaelyn inhaled, hope soaring inside. She gripped his arm, hauling him to his feet. “Good job, Jacinth. Your first order, help me convince the others before it’s too late.”
He nodded. “As you command.”