“Nothing.” I didn’t hide my irritation. Haven was staying with me. He couldn’t have her.
“Our parents,” she told him.
He whistled air through his teeth. “The murder?”
“Murder?” Haven twisted her head to look at me. “You left that part out.”
“We’re all entitled to our secrets.”
Her eyes widened. “Do you really believe that?”
I met her gaze. “I do.”
She gave a brief nod, then the stiffness in her shoulders eased slightly. That tiny softening felt like an enormous victory.
“What are your secrets, Haven?” Flynn, annoying as a horsefly, still rode next to us.
“Mine to keep.”
“I’ll trade you. A secret for a secret.”
“I’m not interested in your secrets.”
He pouted. “What do I have that you want?”
“Everything is a transaction with you.”
“You want something for free?”
“I don’t want anything from you.”
The wind rustled through the trees, and somewhere in the distance, a bird called out—lonely sounds in the vast emptiness between the settled lands and the foothills.
“Not even your freedom?” Flynn asked.
“Don’t offer what you can’t give.” There was a sadness in her tone that pierced my heart. Was that what she wanted? Her freedom?
The painful twist in my chest was unfamiliar. Unwelcome. I’d spent years building walls to keep emotions at bay, yet somehow this strong, intelligent, vexing woman had found a crack in my defenses. The rational thing would be to rebuild the wall, to distance myself before this … whatever this was … went any further.
But I wasn’t sure I could do that. She’d burrowed too deep. Without even trying. If I had the power to free her, would I? She’d bewitched me, and I wasn’t ready to watch her walk away.
Chapter
Twenty-Five
GRAYSON
Despite the afternoon sunshine, there was a bite in the air. The higher we climbed, the cooler the temperature. And this was just the foothills. In a few days, when we reached the mountains, the cold would steal the breath from our lungs.
Had anyone packed a cloak for the shield? I glanced behind me, making sure the confounding woman was still behaving.
She was. She rode in front of Pierce. And he had his arms wrapped around her as if she was the most precious thing in the world. He’d lost his fucking mind. My friend, my brother, the man who barely acknowledged women, was staring at the one in his saddle with hearts in his eyes. If she asked, he’d fetch the stars from the night sky and give them to her.
His infatuation would destroy our quad—or worse, get them both killed.
“Pierce,” I barked. “Your horse looks tired. Give the shield to Flynn.”
I could feel the weight of their scowls. Especially hers.
