“I saw the knuckles.” He grabbed my elbow and marched me up the last steps. We ducked into an alcove at the top. “You leave here in weird clothes and come back with new bruises. You walk around looking all haunted. You’re distracted and isolating yourself. Andsuddenlywe are winning this war. Coincidence?”
“Why are you watching me so closely?”
He rubbed a hand over his face. “What are we giving for information? It better not be what I think it is.”
Insult washed over me even though his assumption was fair. “Maybe he just wants exoneration,” I hissed.
Adam lifted a skeptical brow. “Is that what you’re giving him? Exoneration?”
“This isn’t any of your business,” I said, scowling.
He leaned closer, his hand forming a gentle cup around my shoulder. “The general took advantage of you. After Tekqua, you… you don’t have to do this.”
I shot him anare-you-seriousexpression. “Who else would?”
A moment passed while we measured each other. Eventually, his shoulders slumped, and he rested his weight on the wall. “Tell me who it is.”
“No.” I mirrored his pose, staring at the opulent stairs and wrought-iron railing across the hall.
“This war might actually end thanks to him. He’s a goddamn savior, whoever he is.”
I turned toward him, scrutinizing his face. “You wouldn’t say that if you knew who he was.”
He paled, his gaze sharpening. “Are yousafe, Sophia?”
I thought of Lucas using a hairbrush to teach me knife play, giving me weapons to keep me safe, protecting me from Hunters invading his house, killing men he considered threats. I thought of his smirk, the yearning in my chest when I left him, the taste of his kiss.
I hid my expression by dropping my head. “No. I don’t think I’m safe. Everything is out of my control.”
“Can you get it back?”
Staring at the hardwood floor, I told him the truth. “I don’t want it back.”
A long silence passed. His hand touched mine, fingers gripping. “We used to be friends.”
I lifted my gaze to his, melting into brown eyes that had once carried so much humor. “All my friends die.”
Lips pressed together, he exhaled through his nose. “Well. You’re going to need someone when shit hits the fan. I’m here when you’re ready.”
A couple of days later,I sat on a couch beside Devon while we waited for Isaac to return from a mission. At some point, I sensed his gaze boring into me. “Something’s going on with you.”
I shrugged, eyes glued to the book in my lap. “It isn’t anything I want to talk about.”
“If it’s about Tekqua?—”
“It isn’t.” I closed my eyes. “I’m just—I’m tired of this, Dev. I want to be somewhere else.”
He blew out a long breath.
“Isaac’s been busy lately,” I said.
Dev waved his hand toward the covered window. “He’s preparing for some huge rescue mission. They always send him on the most dangerous missions. Meanwhile, I get sent to find canned corn.”
Chuckling, I threw my book onto the table between us. “It’s because he’s so good. And besides, we still need food. Your job is important too.”
“Yeah, his gives me palpitations, though.”
I studied the small grin that graced his lips. “You really love him, don’t you?”
