Rydian glanced at his aunt and, almost as if he’d spoken aloud, Amanti rose. Her hand brushed my arm. “We’ll give you space.” She tipped her chin, and Keres fell into step with her. Thorne was already out the door. Daegel followed. In their wake, the latch clicked, the house settled, and then it was just the two of us.
Rydian stayed on the far side of the sofa as if distance might keep this from getting worse. He looked steady, but the bruise along his cheekbone had darkened to plum. I hated that I noticed. Hated that I cared enough to ask. But I needed a distraction from the things he’d told me. About the gods. The gates. Me.
Eventually, the silence stretched too long. “It’s none of my business?—”
“Callan hit me.”
I blinked. “Did you deserve it?”
“He thought so,” he said dryly.
“Did you… hit him back?” I asked tentatively.
His humor vanished. “No.”
“Why not?”
“We’d both lost enough.” His eyes flicked to the hearth. “And he’s your past. Punching him back wouldn’t change that.”
“And your hip?” I asked.
He frowned.
“You’re limping,” I added. “Did Callan injure it?”
“Koraz’s last gift,” he said quietly. I opened my mouth to ask more, but he waved me off. “It’s healing. Slow enough, but it’ll be fine.”
We stood in silence for a beat.
“He hit you because of me.”
“He hit me because of himself. His insecurity, his own pain. But yes, he was upset about losing you.” His voice gentled as he added, “And losing our father.”
I flinched at the reminder of Duron. “There’s a bounty on my head.”
“Yes.”
“He wants me dead.”
“He’ll cool off.”
I shook my head. “How can you say that? I killed his father.”
“The man was a bastard.” His voice twisted until it was nothing but sharp edges. “He deserved so much worse than that. Callan knows it. He’ll come around.”
“He gave Callan a black eye,” I said. “The night those Obsidians broke into the castle. As punishment.”
Rydian nodded. “Did worse than that, but the healers managed to put him back together again.”
I blinked, startled to know it had been worse.
“Why did he leave the bruise on his eye?” I asked and then knew the answer immediately. “He wanted me to see it.”
Rydian remained silent, but I watched the muscle in his jaw tense.
I looked down, thumbs worrying the frayed edge of mytunic. A dozen things crowded my throat. None of them were safe to say.
“I grew up believing the Midnight Court was full of monsters and nightmares,” I said.
