Flynn looked crestfallen. “We risked everything to save you.”
She scoffed, and the expression on her lovely face spoke volumes. If we hadn’t stolen her from her home, we wouldn’t be in this fix.
“Why do you want to go to Talin?” My breath fogged as I spoke, the words visible in the icy air. “To be with him?”
“The better question is why I’d ever want to go back to Legacia?”
“Your grandmother is there,” Grayson replied.
“Is that a threat?” Sparks flew from her narrowed eyes.
I held up my hands. “Grayson was just making an observation.”
“Well, my mother is in Talin.”
Grayson frowned. “I thought your mother was a shield, killed at the front.”
“Yes, she was a shield. No, she didn’t die.”
Who knew Haven was so gullible? “If this man told you your mother is alive, he’s lying. Rymarians kill shields.”
“Do you honestly believe that?” The should-be-dead stranger, who still held Haven, shook his head. “We liberate shields. Offer them a chance at a normal life. It’s the Legacians who burn through their powers and leave them for dead.”
“What have we here?” A man even bigger than Grayson swaggered into the clearing. His gaze touched each of us before landing on Haven. Only then did his overconfident expression falter. He looked almost worried.
Haven gave him a tiny nod, and he visibly relaxed.
“Welcome to the party, Z.” The man who held Haven grinned. “Haven’s friends are trying to convince her to return to Legacia.”
“I was just explaining that I’m going to Talin,” she told him.
His lips quirked as if he found us mildly amusing. “And they’re having difficulty grasping that?”
Haven smiled at him. It was a secret smile. One shared between two people with a history. “They are.”
A fresh wave of jealousy sank its sharp claws into my gut. I, too, had a history with Haven, and she didn’t smile at me like that.
The giant rubbed the back of his neck, and his hand came away bloody.
“Are you all right?” Her obvious concern grated on me.
“I’m fine. Just a scratch. Also, I heal fast.”
“Right.” She drew out the word. Obviously, she knew something I didn’t. “We’ll talk later.”
He gave a brief nod, then addressed us all. “You’re the other four? I expected better.”
“What do you mean, the other four?” Pierce’s expression was cold enough to freeze an ocean in the summer.
The giant grinned before shifting his gaze back to Haven. “They don’t know?”
She shook her head. “No, and I didn’t plan on telling them.”
He shook his head. “Fate doesn’t work that way.”
She huffed. “Fate and I have issues.”
His grin returned. “After looking at these four, I can’t say I blame you.”
