As well she should.
Not just anyone could escape a trap set by the emperor's youngest Face. Had Elena not stumbled into him, this trip could very well have ended in a resounding defeat.
Graydon didn't even remember the last time that had happened.
A sharp inhalation told Graydon that Wren finally saw why he'd changed the hunt's prey.
Wren's gaze was locked on the girl as if she was the only thing that existed in the universe. He looked to be barely breathing.
For the first time since Graydon had known him, he seemed off-balance, losing some of that iron-clad control. To strangers, he would still resemble an unfathomable stone statue, but to those who knew him, his emotional state was clear.
Though moments had passed, he looked like he'd aged decades, seemingly lost and adrift—but behind it all was a thinly veiled hope. As if every wish he'd ever had was standing right in front of Graydon. If he blinked, that mirage might crumble, leaving him cold and alone again.
"Graydon?" There was a question in Wren's voice—tentative, unsure.
"Yes." Even as Graydon inclined his head, there was a warning in his expression. This wasn't the time or place for this conversation.
Wren flinched, catching Graydon’s meaning.
Sound from below forced Wren to swallow what he'd planned to say. By the time Raider appeared over the edge, Wren's expression had reverted to his normal stoicism, leaving not even a hint of the turbulence of before.
"Sperm donor, you're quite persistent," Elena teased as Raider climbed onto the roof.
Wren's gaze snapped from Elena to Raider again. "Sperm donor?"
No one answered.
Wren studied Raider for several long seconds before shooting a glance in Graydon's direction. "I submit my name to be considered as his formalseon'yer."
"I thought you’d say that."
"Then you accept?"
Graydon inclined his head. "As long as he agrees."
Wren stared at Raider with a determined expression. "I'll see that he does."
Raider ignored the exchange, instead focusing on his daughter.
"Where's your aunt?" Raider asked.
Elena tilted her head, not even the apparent innocence in her wide eyes quite able to hide her displeasure. "Is that how you greet your long-lost daughter?"
Raider froze.
Silence filled the rooftop, only disrupted as Graydon's oshota, Wren's among them, landed arranged in a circle around them.
Elena startled. "How did you do that?"
Amila grinned. "Practice, little one."
"Can you teach me?" Elena asked, channeling a little girl's excitement again.
Amila's chin dipped as she tried to restrain her amusement. "Perhaps one day."
Elena pouted.
"How is this possible?" one of Wren's oshota asked, staring at the girl like she'd seen a ghost.
