The assassin vaulted over the mattress with fluid grace.
But I was already moving—retreating toward the doors to the balcony, both dagger and poker held ready.
“Haven?”
I gave the man framed in the bedroom doorway a fraction of a second’s attention. “A little help?”
Grayson rushed into the room, shouting something I couldn’t hear over the clash of steel. The assassin half turned toward this new threat, and I drove my foot into the attacker’s gut.
He stumbled backward, crashing through the balcony doors.
Lunging for me, the assassin grasped my towel and dragged me toward him. Close enough to smell the sourness on his breath. Close enough to see the flatness in his eyes.
I jabbed the dagger deep into his chest as a sharp gust of Grayson’s wind blew him backward.
My towel came loose, and the assassin’s arms cartwheeled as he tried to regain his balance.
He fell, hitting the snow-covered roof below us with a sickening thud. His body bounced, rolled, and vanished into the dark courtyard below.
Adrenaline still coursing through me, I grabbed the railing, half afraid the killer would levitate and try again.
“He’s gone.” Grayson was staring at me with his mouth hanging open. Then he shifted his gaze, focusing on the night sky as if his life depended on it.
“Are you hurt?” His hands were shaking slightly, and he clenched them into fists as if to hide the tremors. “You could have died.”
A frigid breeze swirled around us, and I realized I was naked. With an unbecoming squeal, I raced inside to the bed,desperately grabbing the extra blanket from its foot. I wrapped the soft wool around my cold body. “I’m fine.”
Grayson stepped inside, trying and failing to secure the broken door—almost as if he worried I might be cold. Then he crossed to the fireplace, adding another log. He ran a hand through his hair. “Dammit, Haven, when I heard the fighting—” He cut himself off. “You’re not safe here. We shouldn’t have come.”
“I was safe in Legacia?” We both knew that wasn’t true.
He flinched. “You’re still angry. If I’d known you were theirs?—”
Theirs. Not his. I ignored the pang in my chest. “That shouldn’t matter.” Frustration bled into my voice. “You shouldn’t have stood by and let Drake assault or whip anyone. You shouldn’t have let Carron throw anyone in the pit.”
“I didn’t have a choice!”
I screamed. I couldn’t help it. In my defense, I’d had a long day, and he was one of the most annoying men on the planet. “How in this godsdamned world can a smart man be so stupid?”
Grayson’s shoulders stiffened, and his chin lifted. I’d pushed him too far. “Mind your place.”
“My place? Subservient to a man?” I lifted my chin. “I think not.”
“Haven?” Remy had joined us, a sword in his hand and a question written clear on his handsome face. “What happened here?”
“Assassin.” Telling him someone had tried to kill me was less complicated than explaining the tangled mess between me and Grayson.
Remy’s cheeks paled.
“I stabbed him, and Grayson blew him off the balcony. There may be a bit of a mess in the courtyard.”
“Are you all right? Did he hurt you?” Remy sheathed his sword, strode across the room, and gathered me into his arms. His gaze searched my face and then my body.
I managed a small smile as I leaned into him. “Not a scratch.”
Remy closed his eyes for a moment, his arms tightening around me. “Thank the gods.” His voice was barely a whisper.
“So much for keeping her safe.” Grayson scoffed. Loudly. “How did he get in?”
