A thickness gathered in my throat. Sometimes I was so hindered by how I’d left Lara—without the blessing or praise of my people for a sacrifice I’d made to protect them—I forgot I still had support.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

He smiled, but it was sad. He looked below at the massive army. “No need to thank me, my queen. I will always fight for you.”

I knew Killian had never lost his loyalty to me as his queen, but this was different. Of anyone in my circle, he was my friend, and he had shown that time and time again.

I took his hand and held it. My action surprised him, and he met my gaze.

“I am grateful you are with me,” I said. My eyes blurred and I took a breath to keep from crying. “I do not want to exist in this life without you, Killian. You and Nadia…you are my only family.” I paused and then met his gaze. “I’d like you to consider becoming one of my noblesse.”

He studied me, eyes searching, trying to figure out exactly what I meant.

“Are you asking me to become a vampire?”

“I am,” I said. “I’ll change you myself.”

Killian pulled his hand from mine, and my heart fell.

“He changed you?”

I could sense his confusion and even his hurt. He felt betrayed.

“You don’t…look different.”

“I am tired of being weak, Killian.”

“You are not weak,” he said, angry. “Just because you are not invincible does not mean you are weak.”

I smiled at him. “In this world, I am, and I am tired of being the one targeted for that weakness. At least now, it will be harder for them to kill me. I’d like it to be the same for you.”

He was quiet, though as fiercely as he had reacted, I did not feel the distance I had expected. I knew he struggled over whether my change affected his loyalty to me.

“Think on it,” I said. “You will be my first.”

***

We marched out.

Adrian and I rode side by side, flanked by Daroc, Solaris, Killian, and Gavriel.

Miha and Isac lingered near as my assigned guards, minus Sorin, and I could feel their collective sense of betrayal and confusion.

Behind us, the villagers of Cel Ceredi had gathered, and I wondered if they thought we were abandoning them as they watched us depart in the night.

If they had loyalty to Solaris, I thought, at least he is at our side.

As we continued, I found myself craning my neck, searching the sky for any sign of Sorin. Daroc was doing it too, but trying to be far more subtle.

“He is not here,” said Adrian, and when I looked at him, he was staring straight ahead.

“How do you know?” I asked.

“Sorin isn’t stupid. He knows if he is found, he will die.”