I nodded somberly. “We were captured.”
“Truly?” Jaxus asked, appraising me again. His gaze swept over my still-healing wounds.
“Truly. I’m sure you’ll hear all about it in the debriefing.” I forced another smile, looking around for Calytrix.
She was gone.
Her absence cut me like a knife, making the panic I’d been fighting since the last attack return en masse.
Nyx was speaking, but I cut him off.
“Where’s Calytrix?”
Jaxus glanced around and then nodded towards the palace while giving me a curious look. “Her guards are escorting her to her rooms.”
The walls closed in around me, and the urge to burn the fucking palace to the ground flashed through me.
“Woah there, tiger.” Jaxus’ hand was back on my shoulder. “She is safe.”
I ground my teeth. What could I even fucking say?
Nyx’s stern gaze flicked over me. “We should let you rest.” His words were laced with another meaning.
“Right.”
As soon aswe were safe inside Nyx and Zaria’s chambers, I had all of them breathing down my neck, demanding answers. I answered them the best I could, recounting our escape and return while leaving out any mention of the rebels. It wasn’t because I didn’t think I could trust them necessarily, or most of them, but if I breathed a word of it, I would be putting Caly in more danger. I couldn’t do that.
The only one not peppering me with questions was Kiera, but she was too busy poking and prodding my injuries.
“Does this hurt?” She dug in the worst wound in my wing, pushing her finger at least half an inch inside me.
I sucked in a breath, flames licking at the corners of my lips. “Yes.”
Jaxus growled. “Keep the fire to yourself.”
“Maybe tell her to keep her fingers out of me.” I hissed.
Kiera rolled her eyes. “I had to check for internal infection and damage. I don’t know what kind of care you got.” She snapped off her gloves and stood. “The treatment seems good. I want to see you in the Healer’s Wing tomorrow.”
My gaze flicked to Nyx. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?” he repeated.
“We obviously need to discuss my place.”
Nyx’s brows rose. “I wasn’t aware you were staying long enough to have a place.”
“I don’t think I can leave now,”I admitted sullenly.
The room exploded with everyone talking at once.
I tried to reply, but there were too many voices, and I couldn’t focus on one.
Finally, Jaxus stood up. “Shut it,” he said with his booming voice.
It worked. Suddenly, all the oxygen might have left the room, and I was even more the center of attention than before.
“Out. All of you,” Jaxus continued after a long moment, and he growled when there was an objection. “I mean it. Back to your lives. Nyx and I need to talk to Faolan alone.”
