Grump glanced over at us, his gaze hard. “You both need to stay back.”
Darius went rigid beside me. “I’ll not leave any of my men behind.” His hand curled into a fist, knuckles whitening, as if he were already bracing for battle.
“You’re still recovering from the poison.” Grump’s tone left no room for argument. “And she—” He looked at me, and something flickered in his eyes. Something raw and unguarded. “She needs protection.”
His daughter. He meant his daughter. Me.
My chest tightened.
“I can protect myself,” I said, even as my legs trembled beneath me.
Grump ignored me. His focus stayed on Darius. “She’s barely standing. If the queen’s soldiers find this place while we’re gone—if Ari tracks her here…” He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t have to.
Darius’ jaw clenched. I could feel the war raging inside him—the need to fight, to rescue his men, battling against something else. Something that made him glance down at me.
“Stay with her,” Grump said. Not a command. A plea. “Keep my daughter safe.”
My throat tightened.
Only Tinker Bell had ever showed such care for me. And now here was a man who had never known me, who had barely accepted me—asking someone to keep me safe. Claiming me as his daughter.
And Darius, standing in front of me like a shield.
I’d watched this before. Angelo fighting for Serenity. Enzo ready to burn the world for Joy. I’d envied them—ached for something I never thought I’d have.
Now it was happening to me.
And I didn’t know what to do with it—the shock, the warmth, the sheer impossibility of being chosen.
Darius exhaled slowly. His fists uncurled. “You bring them back. All of them.”
“We will.” Grump nodded once. “You have my word.”
Rabbit never fully entered the cave. He lingered by the entrance, shifting his weight from foot to foot as if the stone itself might burn him. He kept wringing his hands or glancing at his pocket watch, pale eyes darting toward the passage behind him.
I half expected him to blurt, “I’m late. I’m late for a very important date.”
A man named Rabbit. In any other world I would’ve laughed—but even here, I couldn’t help feeling a spark of amusement.
I sat on the bed, still too weak to move. All I could do was watch as the Uncrowned moved quickly—gathering weapons, stuffing supplies into packs, trading low-voiced plans I couldn’t catch. The cavern that had felt like a refuge now buzzed with tension, everyone preparing for a fight I wasn’t allowed to join.
Grump stopped in front of me. For a moment, he just looked at me—his daughter, still a stranger, too weak to stand on her own.
“Rest,” he said gruffly. “We’ll be back before dawn.”
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
Then they were moving. Grump first, his brothers falling in behind him. Caterpillar drifted past, smoke trailing in his wake. Even Chester followed, his usual grin replaced by something sharp and focused.
One by one, they disappeared through the entrance.
Darius stood next to me, still gripping his sword. His jaw was tight. His eyes never left the passage until the last footsteps faded into silence.
We were alone.
Darius headed over to the entrance and placed his hand on the stone, staring into the darkness where the others had disappeared.
“Are you going to follow them?” I pushed myself up, refusing to be a burden, but my arms gave way and I collapsed back onto the cot. Heat flushed through me—not from effort, but from pure frustration. I wasn’t meant to sit here and do nothing.
