Chapter 71 Allies In Darkness

• The war council convened in the ruins of what had once been the castle's great hall. Broken stone and twisted metal provided an appropriately apocalyptic backdrop for the most unlikely alliance in the history of both kingdoms. I sat at the head of a makeshift table constructed from shield and sword, flanked by men who had been trying to kill each other just days before.
• Prince Aldric bore fresh scars from our escape, a jagged line across his left cheek that would mark him for life. Despite everything—the lies, the political machinations, the blood between our families—he had stayed to fight beside me when the demons broke free. That meant something, though I wasn't yet sure what.
• Kael stood behind my chair, a position that spoke of both protection and possession. His hand rested on the pommel of his sword, ready to draw at the first sign of treachery from our new allies. The revelation of his true parentage had changed nothing between us; if anything, it had made our bond stronger. He was mine, and I was his, regardless of bloodlines or political complications.