“A few days,” I said, the words scraping my throat.
Her mouth fell open. Hurt flared across her face—bright, raw, far worse than any physical blow.
“Days,” she whispered. “You’ve known fordays.”
“I did not want to worry you,” I said. “I wanted to solve it first. To protect you from the fear until I had something useful to offer.”
“Protect me,” she repeated, softer now, and somehow that was worse. “You don’t get to decide which truths I can handle, Cristian. You don’t get to choose my fear.”
I stepped toward her. “Nadia?—”
She flinched back before I could reach her.
Cassian watched, eyes gleaming with clinical interest.
The front door opened again.
Ezra stepped inside, holding a twelve-pack of beer, Nadia’s keys dangling from one finger. He took three confident strides, looked up, saw Cassian, and went white.
“Shit,” he breathed.
Cassian’s gaze snapped to him. His lips curled.
“What is this idiot doing here?” Cassian asked. “Are you the reason Nadia looks to be one breath away from the afterlife?”
Ezra set the beer down very carefully, then held his hands up in surrender. “No. It’s not—I’m not?—”
In a flash, Cassian had him pinned to the wall, fingers wrapped around his throat.
“Are you telling the truth?” Cassian asked, voice almost pleasant, eager for a kill.
Ezra’s pulse thundered against his grip. His hands came up in surrender. “Yes. I don’t work for them anymore. I’ve been trying to fix what they did. What I did. I’m—” He coughed. “On your side now.”
“Cassian,” I muttered in annoyance. “Let him breathe.”
Cassian did not look away from Ezra. “He helped the court build their little web. He does not get mercy because he grew a conscience five minutes ago.”
“He has been helping us,” I said. “He found the bond’s frequency. He has been trying to weaken it. He may be the reason we have any chance at all.”
Cassian scoffed—a sharp, cold sound. “You’re defending him?”
“Yes,” I said flatly. “Despite his past, he is attempting to save her life. I do not particularly like the man, but he is useful. And right now, usefulness is all that matters.”
Cassian finally tore his gaze away from Ezra and looked at me—truly looked. The disbelief on his face was nearly comical.
I gave a short, humorless laugh. “Besides, you are hardly in a position to judge betrayers, brother.”
Cassian’s face fell. Guilt and the barest glimpse of shame flashed through his eyes before it vanished beneath centuries of arrogance.
The room went very still.
Ezra swallowed audibly.
“Holy shit,” Lena muttered.
Nadia sucked in a breath beside me.
Cassian’s jaw tightened. “I did what I thought I had to do. And I’ve regretted it ever since.”
