“Leave,” I command. “And tell anyone else who’s thinking of testing me exactly what you saw here.”
They hesitate, pride warring with survival.
Then they turn and run. I don’t chase them.
I watch until they disappear into the night.
Only then do I turn to Cassia.
She’s shaking now, adrenaline finally catching up with her. I step closer, cupping her face before she can stop me, forcing her to look at me.
“Are you hurt?”
She shakes her head. “No. I don’t think so.”
“Good,” I say, and pull her into my chest.
She clutches my coat, fingers curling tight. I can feel her breathing, uneven but steadying.
“You scared me,” she says softly.
I close my eyes.
“They were never going to win,” I tell her. “Not tonight. Not ever.”
“That wasn’t why,” she says, pulling back just enough to look at me. “You let them live.”
“Yes.”
“They’re going to come back,” she mutters, trying to force herself to understand.
I smile faintly. “Of course, they are.”
Her brow furrows. “Then why?”
“Because now they’ll be angry,” I say. “And angry people make mistakes.”
Her gaze sharpens.
“You planned that.”
“Yes.”
Understanding settles over her features, slow and heavy.
“That wasn’t mercy,” she murmurs.
“No,” I agree. “It was strategy.”
She exhales, something like awe flickering through her fear.
Somewhere deep in my chest, something tightens.
This was not a random rebellion. These were scouts.
Testers.
Someone else is watching.
