They resumed an almost-forgotten routine, the one where they trained day in and day out and fell exhausted into bed in the evenings. Esme allowed Felix, James, and Demetri to train alongside the warriors. They showed potential, a fact which did not surprise Edward. He’d trained alongside them when they were all attendants, and he knew of their strength. They were all fortunate that these men had what it took to join the others on the battlefield and not make fools of themselves.
Time was running out for them, but they had some idea what to expect. When the Ironbound came over the mountain, the sentinels on watch would spot them approaching. Since they were neighbors and the leader Corin and his mate Renata used to be their friends, they had more intel about this clan than there had been on The Forsaken. They knew them to consist of twenty well-disciplined warrior men and women. Therefore, the True-Sworn had to be prepared to fight against the other clan’s might and brawn.
Edward knew they would win; there was less of a sense of foreboding as the first time they went off to war. Still, he worried about Isabella for a reason he could not name. Apprehension settled between his shoulder blades, despite the fact that she’d proven time and again her ability to take care of herself. She’d escaped The Butcher before Edward and the rest of the clan arrived, after all, and would have rescued Alise and the other women given a few more minutes. Isabella had never been seriously injured in a battle, and she could certainly kick her husband’s ass.
And yet.
With a frown marring his forehead, Edward made his way into the attendants’ quarters to find Felix. He felt a small sense of nostalgia as he looked around the space where he’d essentially grown up. He couldn't remember a time before he was an attendant; he couldn't even remember his parents, really. He and Garrett were in the care of an abbey until the citadel came looking for more boys to help out in the kitchens. He couldn't recall exactly how his parents died, but he knew they’d been ill for a long time. Edward had to take care of himself and his brother until the abbot agreed to take them in, so it had long been in his nature to care for his family members. Nothing changed within the sanctity of the cenobium. In truth, it was harder work than what he’d been asked to perform once he and Garrett came to Sandhorne Stronghold.
“Felix,” he said as he spotted the large man moving swiftly down the hall.
Felix paused and turned back to Edward. “Yes, your highness?”
“Gods, don’t call me that,” he replied with a chuckle. “I merely came to ask if you and the others felt well trained for the upcoming battle.”
“I do believe so, but I can ask the others to be certain, your highness.”
Edward glanced around. “There’s no one within earshot, so please call me Edward.”
Felix nodded, shifting the load of laundry he held in a basket. “Well, Edward, then I’ll inform you that Benjamin, Tyler, and Jens wish to fight as well.”
Edward pondered this. “I’d have to seek permission from the chieftess, Felix.”
“Aye, but she listens to you.”
“It’s more that she listens to Isabella, and my wife tends to back me up.” He hoped it wasn't jealousy he heard in the other man’s voice. They needed to work as a unit when they faced their enemy. “I am fortunate, but I do not wish to rub it in anyone’s face.”
Felix looked at his shoes. “I once thought myself to be in love with the archwarrior Tanja, but she prefers to be alone. I have no desire to rise above my station, your—Edward. If I choose a sentinel as a mate and she accepts me, I will remain an attendant.”
“You must tread carefully and not speak of your intentions to any of them, Felix.”
“Nay, I would not.”
“But one of them catches your eye?” Edward prompted.
Now Felix looked up with rosy cheeks. “Aye, the new sentinel, Gianna. She fought bravely when The Forsaken broke down the gate; I have heard the story.”
Edward heard she’d been sent to hide with the attendants due to a lack of skill, but he did not voice that thought aloud. “Good for you, Felix.”
“Alas, I must wait for her to take notice of me.”
“Perhaps you can find yourself seated near her at meal times. You can certainly strike up a conversation with her. She’s not one of the royal family.”
“You are right.” He stuck out his hand, and Edward shook it. “I will ask the others if they are comfortable with their skill level.”
“And I will ask if the younger men can join us in the fight.”
They said their farewells, and Edward followed the familiar hall to the back door of his chambers. He found Isabella napping, her hair unbound and spread around her on the pillow. The usual surge of love and protectiveness enveloped him, alongside that new and unwelcome sensation.
There was nothing needing attention until the evening meal came around, so Edward undressed and climbed into the bed with Isabella, who stirred and curled into his side when he joined her. Without hesitation, he wrapped his arm around her and breathed in her scent. There was something poignant about the warrior strength which ran through her veins, contradicting with the soft woman cuddling with him in her sleep.
He glanced down to see the drakkar necklace once again resting in the hollow of her throat. He was relieved that Rosalie had replaced the chain as promised and done so quickly. None of them wanted to know what would happen if Isabella suddenly began aging. He thought about the fact that he would eventually be older than any living human, but it was such a vast subject that he shied away from it. As long as his wife and his brother stayed alive, he could accept outliving everyone he knew.
Isabella stretched one leg over his, and he ran his fingers down her thigh. He checked to see if she’d awoken, but her eyes remained closed. It didn't mean she slept, nor did it mean he had to stop touching her. With a light touch, he dragged his fingers back up her leg until he found her satiny inner thigh. She blew out a loud breath when he circled his thumb there, and he knew she was awake.
“Don’t stop,” she said when he paused.
“Wasn't planning on it,” he replied.
“Good.” She shifted her leg higher, rubbing it against his cock.
He groaned. “That’s not a proper nap.”
“I’ve slept long enough.”
She took him in her hands, stroking up and down as he lifted his hips in time with her movements. She kissed his neck, licking at it and nibbling up to his ear, then continued to tug gently on his cock as he breathed out her name.
“Come here.”
She obeyed, sitting up and throwing her leg over his waist, sinking down on him, gasping and throwing her head back at the sensation of being filled.
“So hard.”
He reached up to her breasts, pulling on her nipples as they peaked and thrusting to meet her movements. She shuddered into an orgasm, clenching her legs around him and gripping his hands for balance.
He sat up, kissing her deeply and sweeping his tongue between her lips. She cried out into his mouth when he circled and rocked his hips.
“Too much,” she panted. “It feels too good.”
“Is there such a thing?”
Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes as she arched against him. She trembled continuously, alternately gasping and crying out. He held her head so their foreheads touched as he pressed his hips up, feeling a tightening in his sac.
“Oh gods,” she said, repeating it as he continued his movements.
When he came, he wrapped her up in his arms and buried his face in her neck, squeezing her tightly to his sweaty body.
“What in the name of everything holy was that?” he asked.
She shook her head. “The pleasure didn't stop.” She shivered. “It’s still there, even now.”
He pulled away and swept her hair off her face. “Until the sun turns black in the sky.”
She nodded and kissed him. “Until the sun turns black in the sky.”
They bathed before dinner, joining everyone at the long tables set up in the dining hall. There was an air of expectation, though Edward wondered if he were the only person who felt it. He purposely sat beside Esme in order to keep his promise to Felix.
“Mother, I hear from the fighting attendants that a few other young men wish to join us.”
Esme glanced over at Edward. “Aren’t they too young?”
“The three in question are sixteen summers.”
She shook her head. “Too young.”
He thought he would ask again at a later date, but time was running out.
The meal was nearly over when the warning sound came from outside the citadel. They heard three successive horn blasts, and it seemed as though the warriors rose as one to move rapidly in the direction of their living quarters, each of them gathering their armor in seconds.
They met in the main hall, Edward taking a second to glance at the places where the damage had recently been fixed. No blood remained on the floors, and the front door had been repaired.
“Archers to the bulwark!” Esme called out. “Defend our home, defend our way of life, and defend the sword!”
She and Carlisle went through the doors first, followed by Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, and then Edward and Isabella. The archwarriors followed them, and the rest of the defenders of the keep came last.
They saw them halfway down the mountain, a horde of men and women riding toward them with banners flying. Jasper, Tanja, and Irina went to the top of the wall while the remainder of the True-Sworn headed for the stables to mount up, then moved to the main gate.
Renee stood on the bastion, her sword pointed downward and her shield in front of her. She shouted at the approaching warriors as they drew closer.
“Do you come in peace?”
The answering call was impossible for Edward to hear.
“You do not have permission to enter this stronghold!” Renee shouted.
There came a war cry, sent up by the entirety of the Ironbound clan. Edward heard the sound of hooves tearing up the earth as they charged the gate.
“Hold!” Esme yelled to her warriors.
“Halt!” Renee shouted at the Ironbound.
Edward watched the archers raise their bows and release arrows, their synchronicity smooth and deadly.
Screams of pain came floating over the wall, but the archers didn't stop their assault. A few arrows from the Ironbound made it over the wall, and the True-Sworn raised their shields in protection.
“Hold!” Esme shouted once more.
She watched Renee for signs of what happened on the other side of the defensive wall. Renee shook her head, and Esme raised one hand.
The sound of the mountain clan hitting the wall was nearly deafening. The wooden gate shook but did not yield, and they tried again.
“It’s holding!” Renee shouted down to Esme.
“Bring us your chieftess and we’ll let you live!”
Isabella shook her head. “Bunch of crazies.”
The Ironbound shouted obscenities, but they could not make it through the gate. Unfortunately for them, it had been reinforced after The Forsaken broke it down. Though they banged on it with their battering ram, it remained whole.
“What do we do now?” Edward asked quietly.
“We wait for the chieftess to give us instruction.”
“We want to talk to the chieftess!” someone shouted.
Renee shook her head. “Nay!”
“Peace!” someone else yelled. “We want peace!”
“Shut your mouth, woman!”
Edward looked at Isabella, amused by this shouted exchange on the other side of the wall.
“Give us amnesty!” the woman screamed.
“Shut your hole!” the man bellowed.
Jasper aimed and released an arrow. He waited for the answering scream of agony to pass before asking, “Is it peace you’re after?”
“Aye!” the crowd shouted.
Jasper looked at Esme. “What say ye?”
Esme sighed. “If they lay down their weapons, we will allow them through.”
Renee said, “Our chieftess has granted mercy. Lay down your weapons, and we will permit you to enter. I warn you now; one wrong move, and I’ll gut you from crotch to throat.”
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