Asena POV

There wasn't much that could irritate me to the point of losing my mind. But the General of the Night Court and his voice came pretty damn close.

The sound of his chide remarks and disgruntled snorts still echoed in my ears as I laid in the tent on the outside of the city.

With the patrols slaughtered, there had to be someone guarding the barrier. Ret snored beside me, the usual drool leaking down the side of her bruised face. At least she bathed since battle.

Her usual silky ringlets were braided close to her scalp then interlaced down the column of her spine. With her hair out of her face, I could see the slightly darker area of skin near her temple. An old scar that was courtesy of me.

Ret's deep bronze colored skin glistened with imperfection except that one spot. She didn't let the healers touch that spot.

I passed a glance to the sky and noted that she had a few more minutes before her next shift.

I sighed, knowing I had let her sleep longer than I did. I passed another glance to her before exiting the tent entirely. We had taken down most of the other tents as the families had decided to collect their dead and begin the process of burying them. The mortals kept their tradition of finding a gravesite. A few of the Fae had decided to burn their dead, letting their ashes go with the wind.

I pulled my cloak tighter around my body when I felt the cold chill creep up my spine. The seasons changed quickly and the people were unprepared for the blizzard that was bound to hit soon.

I made quick work of the fire pit that sat in front of the tent as I collected dry twigs and leaves before lighting a match and watching the fire begin to take.

Jasper and Lucas had given themselves the job of clearing away the rubble of the destroyed homes and shops along with Rhysand and Feyre. It seems the Night Court was familiar with how exactly to start rebuilding.

"Care for some company?"

I would never be rid of him at this rate.

I whipped my head to the tall, broad shouldered male that seemed to be honed from the earth itself. I rolled my eyes at the General of the Night Court. His Illyrian leathers were cleaned and now glistened in the firelight. His Siphons, however, still burned a low red as if he hadn't quite replenished them yet.

He chuckled low and said, "I see you're warming up to me."

"Hardly," I grumbled from the trunk of a tree we had laid out by the fire, the top of it sanded down for us to perch on. Cassian chose the seat opposite of the fire, thrusting his hands closer to it.

He glanced around and asked softly, "Where are-?"

"Ret's asleep till her next shift. Jasper and Lucas I'm sure have crashed in a nearby tavern."

That low chuckle again, "It's been a long day."

I nodded my head and pushed my now numb fingers towards the fire. Moments of silence went by as we both enjoyed the sound of the fire popping and crackling in the dead of the night. I listened intently, for any sound near the forest. Even the animals slept, not daring to scutter across the floor at this time of night.

While I rivaled him in every way possible, Cassian's lack of conversation sat well with me. He never pushed or prodded, letting the quiet suffice.

"So," he started.

I groaned. So much for the quiet.

He ran a hand through his hair, the iridescent black waves reached almost to his collarbones. "Feyre, Amren and Az will set out for the scouting trip tomorrow. I think we should focus our efforts on training the two armies to fight together."

I nodded, trying my hardest to steer the conversation away from him. "They seemed in sync enough yesterday." Yesterday. It hadn't even been an entire day since the bloodshed. "Learning which legions fit best with each other will better suit our strategy though."

It was his turn to nod just as he stood, his knees popping with the movement. He paced back and forth slowly then drawled evenly, "Another legion will be arriving tomorrow. I'd like for you to help train them alongside Ret."

I blanched at his proposition, "They are your troops."

"Agreed, but this legion… is different. I want your take on them before I toss them into battle."

I pondered this for a moment then nodded, going as far as to stretch my wings out. They flared easily enough, even if my shoulder ached with the movement.

I took to massaging the area as Cassian spoke softer than I'd ever heard him, "The decisions you made today… that couldn't have been easy. Stepping aside, I mean."

I scoffed, "And letting an Illyrian brute take control of my army? You have no idea."

Cassian snickered at my remark and a half smile started on my face.

He shook his head and stopped pacing, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't know if I could have done it."

I shrugged my shoulders, "Drakon didn't give me much choice. Every decision I've made is… clouded. It never feels like the right decision anymore."

He stared off into the distance for a moment then blinked, like a memory had resurfaced. "It never feels like the right decision, sending people to die."

I felt my own stomach clench at the memory of how many I had sent to their death. So there was another who understood the feeling.

"Feyre says you have discourse in your own lands?"

It was his turn to scoff as he resumed his pacing, "A group of mortal queens along with some Illyrian brutes are causing a lot more than discourse in our lands."

"Yet you all still came here?"

He eyed me for a moment, narrowing those hazel eyes at me. Nothing like Azriel's. No, Azriel's were mostly golden with a beautiful green. Cassian's seemed almost blue in the firelight.

"We owe a great deal to your brother for coming to our aid when he did."

I nodded my head once then stared at the now dying fire. Cassian must have noticed it too because he crossed over to the pile of wood and began adding more kindling along with a few of the larger pieces.

"Miryam mentioned you weren't present at the battle with Hybern?" He questioned me as he shoved a few more twigs in. The fire caught quickly and roared once more. I silently thanked him as the numbness had reached my toes.

I shook my head as my wings curled closer around me, "I'm sorry that I wasn't. I heard it was one for history."

Cassian scoffed, "You can say that. Can I ask why?" I was quiet long enough that he passed me a glance. "Or should I guess?"

I motioned him with my hand to say that he could try. He made a show of propping his chin on his hand, rubbing a circle around his lips with his fingers. I pressed my lips together to keep from smiling.

"You knew if you showed up on the battlefield, Azriel would forget everything and kill you on sight."

I snapped and pointed a finger at him, "Good guess."

"I'm not surprised you'd think it was all about you."

I whipped my head towards him just as I saw the infuriating smirk lining his lips. I rolled my eyes once more before becoming serious, "If you need a few Seraphim…"

He eyed me, his face becoming more relaxed than I'd ever seen with his roughened features. He nodded, accepting my offer to fight for his people just as he fought for mine.

I listened to the sounds of Ret's snoring subside. I heard her sit up quickly then rustle around, finding her boots. She was out of the tent in a second with one boot on and her cloak around her shoulders, "Why didn't you wake me?"

She looked from me and back to Cassian, going as far as nodding her head in his direction. If there was anything Cassian had done in the last few days, it was earn the respect of my commanders.

I shrugged my shoulders, "I wasn't tired."

She huffed and mumbled under her breath. She pulled her other boot on and went to find a jacket. When she returned, she rustled her feathered wings and looked to the sky. "Care of a midnight flight?"

I stood, flaring my wings for emphasis. I turned towards Cassian and asked, "Do you mind-?"

He waved a hand at me, "I'll stand watch for a while."

I nodded my head in thanks and took to the skies, enjoying the feeling of the cold air against my wings.