I could have easily dwelled on my exchange with Kyron. Coming clean about who I am was not something I thought I'd have to do. I always pictured Micah dragging me home before it ever came to this, and I didn't expect Kyron to let me stay when he found out. And yet, General LeFur has surprised me again.

He isn't the only one who has reacted in a way I didn't expect; my best friend has kept secrets from me since we arrived here. Not one deep, dark secret remains between us. We've always been brutally honest with one another. Leif has tarnished what we've spent years building, and now it's time for him to feel my wrath.

I stomp my way through the officer's quarters, heading for the second floor and the last room down the corridor. With two firm pounds to the door, I turn the knob. "Leif Stone, I swear to the Statera I'm going to beat your ass," I bark, stepping inside.

"What the fuck, Elle?"

I scream and turn around, but it's too late. Seared in my brain is the image of Leif with his bare ass in the air and his head between Wel's tan thighs.

The steel bed creaks and blankets rustle as Leif says, "You could have knocked."

"I did!" I peek over my shoulder and release a grateful sigh.

The two men now sit at the head of the bed. Wel has the sheet pulled to his chin, and Leif rests the corner of the same fabric over the evidence of his excitement at sharing a bed with the drill sergeant. My best friend folds his arms over his chest and glares at me.

"Don't give me that look; you brought this on yourself," I say, sinking into the winged-back chair across from him.

"Pray tell, why do I deserve you barging in while I'm in the middle of a long, overdue intimate moment?"

"Maybe I should just go," Wel says, slipping a leg out for under the sheet.

"No," Leif says, curling his fingers around Wel's toned bicep.

I gift Wel with a tight smile. "That won't be necessary, Drill Sergeant. I'm sure anything I say won't come as a surprise."

Leif rubs the stubble on his jaw and looks at the breakfast table across the room like it's the most interesting thing he's ever seen. The rotten sneak knows exactly why I'm here. His lover, however, fidgets like he's waiting for me to order his head on a platter.

"I know you and Leif are betrothed, and it isn't right for me...for us to be...I thought you didn't mind..."

I burst into laughter, doubling over in the chair. It takes a couple of tries, but I finally calm myself to say, "By all means, do what you like with Leif. I've never seen him so happy before. That's not why I'm upset."

Leif shoots me a death glare and mumbles, "She knows the king swore me to secrecy."

"You should have said something to me," I say, smacking my hands on my thighs.

"If we were at home, I would have. The moment we entered this camp, it forced me to shift my loyalty. I tried to do what I could for you without defying orders. It wasn't just the wrath of Micah I feared, but I promised to follow the direction of my superior officers. It put me in a shitty position."

I push a rogue strand of hair from my forehead and sigh. He isn't telling me anything I don't already know. It's his unwavering loyalty to this army and to our king which helps shield our people from harm. Leif is dedicated to giving them a semblance of peace in a land which truly does not know it.

"I just wish there was a way you could have warned me," I say.

He bends his knee and props his arm on top. "Me too, but you were the first one out of the two of us to keep a secret. I had no idea you were going to follow me here."

Leif is so strategic, even in making his point during an argument. It is infuriating, and it's also why he is good at what he does. If it were not for him, the Stigian would have slaughtered the three regiments last night. And that alone is a reason for me to let his deceit slide.

"So, when are you heading back to the capital?"

I lift a brow and struggle to push the atrocious acts that took place last night. The bruises and cuts on my body work together to keep the memories fresh—the blood on my blade, the fear my comrades would not leave the battlefield, the smell of burnt flesh. I hated every minute of the fight, but my efforts came with a reward.

"I'm not leaving. I came into my gift on the battlefield, and Kyron has asked me to stay."

Wel sits up, letting the sheet fall away from his chest and whispers, "Bless the Statera, the rumors are true."

"What rumors?" Leif asks.

"They say Elle wielded Kyron's power. She took out half of the Stigian warriors all by herself, but Kyron didn't fare as well. I heard his heart had stopped beating because he was so drained."

Leif eyes me up and down, and his jaw goes slack. I run my hands up and down my arms, wanting to hide the damage done to my body. He's seen me through scrapes and dings, but nothing compared to this.

He sits up straight and clenches his sheet to his groin. "Are you all right? You need to have someone look you over."

I place my hand out to stop him. "I'm fine. I spent the night at the hospital. Everything is superficial. And surprise, it turns out I'm a Cantor."

"That's impossible," Leif replies, rubbing his forehead as if the thought of my gift is too much to comprehend. "Micah is going to want you to return home once he learns your power is no longer dormant."

My stomach turns in a nervous roll as I consider what Micah already knows. For over a month, he has been privy to my every movement. All this time I believed I outwitted him, but he played me. Nothing I've done here has been of my own accord; the king was in control the entire time.

"Who has been reporting to Micah about my condition, and what kind of information are they giving him?" I ask.

"Just Kyron and me. We let him know you are safe and occasionally share one of your more amusing moments."

Of course, not even my failures have gone unnoted. I wonder if they shared all my follies with my family. Perhaps they read the updates to Rowan and Sloane as they scrub the place floors. The sly way Micah went about this shouldn't surprise me; he has a hand in all things happening in our kingdom. But this is my choice, my family, my life.

My ire takes hold, and I come to the quick conclusion that I'd like to play Micha's game.

"I'm asking you not to tell Micah about my gift." I say, standing and pacing the room. "This is mine information to give him, and I'll do it when I'm ready. Besides, it could help us save my father, and Kyron has offered to train me."

Wel runs his hand down his face and says, "Is he out of his mind? He could end up in a cell for years if he withholds information from the king."

"He's right, Elle," Leif says, squeezing Wel's thigh.

Leif will always have me and our promise to the Statera to wed to protect him, but Kyron...

The last thing I want to do is get Kyron in trouble. This is his home, his family, and if Micah takes him away because of me, I don't know how I'll live with myself. Micah is fair with the judgments he hands out, and he would extend his grace to the general. But the sentence for going against a direct order could devastate the general in ways which can't be rectified.

I run my fingers over my lips and wrack my brain for the answer. "You and Kyron have only been asked to report on my physical well-being. And there's not an order to send me home, just one to make me want to go home, correct?"

Leif squints, tilts his head to the side, and slowly says, "Yes."

"So, if Kyron is given an order that doesn't defy the king by someone above him, he would have to follow it. Correct?"

"He would."

My footsteps quicken. "I'm technically above the station of the general, am I not?"

"You are." Leif smiles, knowing I'm going to bend the rules. We have always found ways around the expectations set for us both; even if it got us in trouble, it was fun while lasted.

With my hands clenched behind my back, I stop walking and turn to face the bed. "So, I could order Wel to stop forcing me to climb the wall."

"That you can, Your Grace," Wel answers with a grin.

I've conquered one hurdle I've got around, now to protect Kyron while I learn about my gift. If I train hard and work to come up with a rescue plan, I could be on my way to saving my father in the coming weeks. My purpose for being here is finally within reach.

"So that's it, you're just going to order Kyron to keep quiet about your gift and train you," Leif rolls his eyes, "even though he has already offered?"

I turn toward the door to hide my smile and shake my head. "Oh no, I wasn't talking about Kyron. Captain Stone, I'm going to need you to streak down to the pigpen and roll in the mud. Consider it retribution for deceiving your future queen."

Bare feet hit the wooden floor behind me. "You're not serious, Elle."

I wiggle my fingers over my shoulder. "I'll see you down there in five."