Guilt made me wince.
She wagged a finger in my face. “Shame on you.”
Flynn jolted to his feet as if I needed protection. “You forget your place.”
May rolled her eyes. “My place is to take care of the woman you failed to protect. Now get out.”
Grayson pinched his lips and ignored our drama. “You’re sure there’s still a shield protecting her mind?”
“Positive.” I’d never encountered a barrier so strong.
Chapter
Fifteen
GRAYSON
The heels of our boots cracked against the stone floor as we strode toward the door that led to the guards’ side of the compound.
When my feet hit the carpet, I stopped. “Fuck.”
“What now?” Flynn asked.
May might wake the shield if I gave her a compelling reason. And I had one. I hadn’t been thinking clearly since we’d taken the shield from her home. She asked questions, demanded respect, and stirred emotions I didn’t care to examine. I’d been distracted, and it was her fault.
I scowled at a portrait in a heavy gilt frame. A guardsman stood with one hand resting on the back of a velvet chair. The other hand gripped a sword. His chin was firm and lifted. His eyes were hard blue stones. His expression was resolute. No shield had ever made him question the morality of his actions.
I’d punished shields before. I’d seen the necessity and done my duty. I’d never experienced an ounce of remorse. Not till now. Guilt’s acidic burn ate at my stomach. No matter how many times I reminded myself that the shield had invitedpunishment, a part of me rejected the idea. A punishment? Possibly. Torture? No. I shook my head, trying to shake loose the unwelcome thoughts.
Teal frowned at me. “What’s wrong, Gray?”
“I think I can get May to wake her up. I’ll meet you in our quarters.” I didn’t wait for their response before turning back toward the shields’ wing.
I paused when I reached the shield’s room, cracking the door and peeking inside.
May sat next to the bed, holding the shield’s hand. Hearing me, she shifted her gaze to the door, and a small, knowing smile touched her lips—the same smile she’d given me as a boy when I’d claimed I wasn’t hungry while eyeing the apple pie cooling on the windowsill. “Couldn’t stay away?”
“You have to wake her up. We received orders this morning. We ride for Angelfire.” If Haven died while we were gone (and without our protection, she’d definitely die), we’d lose a powerful shield. The fact that I’d spent last night pacing the halls near the infirmary was irrelevant.
“We’ve already had this discussion.” May was nothing if not stubborn. She was lucky she was a skilled healer. Without that talent, Carron would not have tolerated her intransigence.
“We leave for Angelfire in two days.”
“Safe travels.” She shrugged.
Her shrug made me clench my hands into fists. I fought for patience. “She’s going with us.”
May stood, planting her hands on her hips and scowling deeply. “Look at her.”
I glanced at the narrow cot. The beautiful woman we’d brought to the barracks was gone. The shield’s skin was sallow, her cheeks sunken, and her lips dry and chapped. Her hair, usually a golden cloud, hung listlessly.
I brutally pruned the guilt budding in my chest.
“You haven’t seen the worst of it. Her back is still a mess. She can’t travel.”
“Please, May.” I couldn’t meet her eyes, staring instead at the stone floor. When had I last begged anyone for anything? But this was important. Important enough to lift my head and meet May’s gaze. “If we ride for Angelfire without her, Carron will see her dead.”
Chapter
