Let Them Kneel (kaelani and Julian) novel Chapter 119

Chapter 119

The horizon burned with pale orange light, streaking across the sky like the soft embers of a dying fire. Julian stood near the window, arms folded loosely, eyes fixed on the sunrise as though it might offer clarity. His jaw was tense, unmoving. The shadows clung to him like a second skin, untouched by the warming hues beyond the glass.

Behind him, the door creaked open with barely a whisper.

“Shouldn’t you be getting some sleep?” Jace’s voice broke the silence – quiet, dry, familiar. “Pretty sure that’s what Lazarus suggested. Something about ‘resting before the long, suicidal trek.””

Julian didn’t move. “I’m not tired.”

Jace stepped inside, the door clicking shut behind him. “Fair enough. I figured you’d be brooding by a window somewhere.”

A long pause stretched between them before Julian added, without turning, “Shouldn’t you be with your mate?”

Jace exhaled, running a hand through his hair as he leaned against a nearby column. “We talked for a while,” he said. “Got a lot out in the open. And yeah… damn, it was really hard not to go back to her room and make her officially mine.”

A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “But it’s better this way. I need to stay focused. At least until we get through what’s ahead.”

Julian’s shoulders rose with a slow breath – the kind taken before saying something irreversible. Then he turned, finally meeting Jace’s eyes.

“No, Jace… see, this is where you and I part ways.”

He let the words hang for a beat.

“You’re not coming with me.”

Jace lets out a sharp laugh–but there’s no humor in it.

“No. You don’t get to pull that shit on me.”

He walks to the window, standing beside him.

“You really think I’d rather be warm and naked with my mate than freezing my ass off in arctic hell with you?”

He smirks.

“You bet your ass I would-”

The smirk fades.

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“But I didn’t come this far just to let you walk into hell alone.

I made you a promise, Julian. And I meant it.

Because I’m your ride–or–die.

Your brother in arms.

Your sword and shadow.”

Julian’s gaze drifted back to the horizon, voice low and sharp.

“You heard Lazarus yourself. This isn’t some walk through the damn park, Jace. It’s brutal. It’s dangerous. I’m risking my life heading to that gate–hell, we both know I may not come back. And I’ll be damned if I drag you into that kind of storm.”

Jace didn’t hesitate. Not for a second. He took a slow breath, grounding himself.

“You’re not dragging me anywhere,” he said calmly. “I’m choosing this. Choosing to have your back.”

His voice grew firmer. “We would do this for anyone we care about. If it were my mate on the line, you’d be right beside me, sword drawn, no questions asked. I know you would.”

He stepped closer, loyalty written in every line of his body.

“Now I know… I know exactly what she means to you. Since that morning I met her, I just-” he paused-

“I knew.”

Julian turned to him slowly, tension etched across his face.

“You knew she was my mate?”

Jace’s eyes softened.

“No,” he said, voice steady. “I knew she was my Luna.”

Julian looked at Jace and gave a little half smile, something tired but real tugging at the corner of his

mouth.

“You’re a pain in my ass, you know that?”

His voice was low–almost fond.

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