Xander pulled back, his gaze intense. “You promise me that you’ll come back to me.”
“I promise.” I infused as much conviction as I could into my voice. “And if there’s one thing Locrians are known for, it’s keeping our word.”
He didn’t smile at my joke. “How am I supposed to be parted from you?”
“There are hundreds of thousands of innocent lives that hang in the balance, and you are the only one who can get them to safety.” I studied the lines and angles of his face, committing them to memory.
He was doing the same.
“Come on,” I finally said, taking him by the hand. He had to leave as soon as possible. When we reached the others, we told them what was happening.
“Haemon, I’m going to need you to go back with Xander,” I said.
“I won’t,” he said with a shake of his head.
“You will. You’re not well enough to fight. And I don’t want my husband traveling alone.” The second one wasn’t an actual reason, because Xander probably could have taken on the entire Carian army by himself, but I wanted my brother to feel like he needed to go.
“Your sister can take care of herself,” Xander said as he started packing a bag to take with him. “You will distract her if you stay. She’ll worry about you. She needs to know that you’re safe so she can do what she has to.”
The faith my husband had in me ... his words were like warm honey spreading through my limbs. Infusing me with strength and confidence.
Haemon nodded, but it was obvious he didn’t want to leave, either. He also packed a bag while Xander said a private goodbye to Io. She hugged him tightly.
Luna had woken up and I went over to her.
“You should go back to Troas, where it’s safe. Xander and my brother are going now.”
No.
Stubborn beast.
My brother had finished packing and I went to say goodbye. “I really will be all right.”
He shook his head. “I just got you back. I don’t want to lose you again. I love you.”
“I know and I love you, too,” I said. He pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly. He still felt so fragile, like he might float away.
“And I promise that I’ll protect your husband. I can see how much you love him.”
Was it that obvious? I pulled away to see Haemon’s smile, but I couldn’t return it.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I haven’t told him,” I whispered.
“Why not?”
“Because right now the bond only goes one way. If I tell him, that will make it stronger, won’t it? It will hurt him more if something happens to me.”
“Lia, that is not how that works. If you didn’t love him, when he said the words to you, no bond would have been created. Both people have to feel that way for it to work. I think it would hurt him more for you not to tell him.”
My mouth hung open slightly. I’d had no idea.
“Haemon! Let’s go.”
Realizing that I was running out of time to decide who was going where, I approached my sisters, and Zalira said, “Before you say a word, we’re obviously staying with you.”
Everyone nodded and I again had to fight back tears.
