Chapter 160: First Battle

Rain lashed against Lucian's face, stinging like a thousand tiny needles. He ignored it, the icy spray the least of his worries. The good ol' Sea Serpent rocked with the waves, the storm above mirroring the turmoil in his gut. Two hundred ships, crewed by the kingdom's toughest dudes, cut through the churning water, headed north to squelch some rebellion. Lucian, perched at the helm, stared out at the horizon, a frown etched between his brows. Jane's voice echoed in his mind,her warmth a memory that sent a jolt through him even now. Every gust of wind seemed to carry the faint scent of her lavender perfume. He sighed, a ragged puff lost in the howl of the wind. His grip tightened on his sword hilt, the cold metal a poor substitute for Jane's touch. He'd promised he'd be back, but the dangers ahead stretched as vast as the storm-tossed ocean. Would he see her again? Would he get to hold the kid they might have made, the little one who already filled him with a fierce protectiveness he