Brit glared at him. “I’m fertile, not dying, Joe.” She punched his shoulder. “Help me, or find yourself single really fast.”
“What if you’re already pregnant?” Joe asked.
Brit let out a suffering sigh and pulled the big man away from us. “Joe, I love you, but there’s a step in between we’ve not done. Andwon’tdo if you treat me any differently than you did before.”
I didn’t hear Joe’s response, but Brit promptly hit him on the shoulder before kissing him on the cheek.
My lover’s voice drifted to me. ‘We need a few days to take care of our family first. Calm yourself. Cayden can’t hurt her as long as Rowan’s at her side.’
I forced myself to breathe—the same advice I gave others.
“And what about me?” Erick asked, batting his long eyelashes innocently between my enforcers.
I jerked, having forgotten the traitor was still here. Xan was right. I needed to compose myself. Rowan would stick to her like a burr. That had to be enough.
Xan didn’t turn to Erick. “You can either go home.” Xan paused, knowing full well Erick’s failed attempt to breach the Architect's family would not go over well with his family. “Or you can stay here and dedicate yourself to my family. The next few weeks will be challenging, and I could use an advisor of your caliber on my side.”
Erick’s gaze darkened, which helped cut through my anger. Cayden might have me between a rock and a hard place, but my lover had deftly maneuvered Erick into a worse one. Either crawl home a failure, or stand here as the Architect’s ally.
My logistics officer stepped to my lover’s side. Lark’s lanky, middle-aged frame looked more suited to ledgers than war, yam-colored hair streaked with white falling loose from his bun. A crossbow hung at his hip.
“Lark, thank you for coming so quickly,” Xan said. “This is Erick. He may or may not be assisting you with your task today. If he chooses not to, let him go and then report back to me. Otherwise, listen to his guidance as long as his hands are busy.”
“Yes, Architect.” Lark inclined his head.
“And what are we doing today?” Erick asked casually.
“Lark here is exceptionally organized. He manages our logistics, including the supplies for our family.” Xan gestured to the bits of Professor Holiday and his monster now strewn alongthe ground. “We find ourselves with an influx of valuable raw materials.”
Erick narrowed his eyes as if trying to figure out my lover's game. After a tense few heartbeats, he nodded curtly and turned his attention to Lark.
My gaze drifted back to Quinn. The dragon slowed its flight and approached her, clearly waiting for her arms to open. Reluctantly, she brought it to her chest, where it snuggled in, making Quinn chuckle uncomfortably.
Rowan met my lover’s gaze, then squared his shoulders and drew Quinn away from us.
I hated it.
‘Me too.But we’re in no position to do more.’
I clenched my jaw, fury burning low as Cayden and Rowan led Quinn away.
Chapter 10
Quinn
Caydensaggedagainstme,nothing but a shell as we stumbled toward the dorms. Rowan, despite his powerful strides and stiff, unwavering posture, stumbled. The little dragon zoomed in circles around us. I wished any of us had even a fraction of its energy. Physically, I was the strongest left standing. Inside, I wasn’t sure if I was exhausted… or still screaming.
I’d lived lifetimes in the last few weeks. Since Horax took me—no, since the damn train.
I’d had one day before the Mixer. One chance to reach for Xan and fix us.
Instead, Horax stole me. The Prophet broke me. Alex ripped through my mind.
The future kept tossing me like a leaf in a storm.
Where was the Quinn who lived for herself?
After a few steps, I couldn’t help myself. I looked back over my shoulder. Xan looked like a walking corpse. A network of white veins protruded from the deep bruising under his eyes. The wrinkles in his brow didn’t match the strange longing in his eyes. Next to him, Ezra was his opposite. Raw rage burned into me, sharp enough to kill.
