“Yours?” Haven and Grayson spoke as one. She sounded outraged. He sounded appalled.
My focus remained on the odious man in front of me. I encased his feet in ice. He couldn’t run. Couldn’t escape. “What happened to your face?” In addition to the black eyes, a purple bruise marred his jaw.
“I kicked him,” Haven admitted.
“Why didn’t you kill him?”
“Because he was unconscious, and I was more interested in killing all of you for leaving me downstairs with him.”
I looked over my shoulder. “You saved Grayson.”
She gave an exasperated huff, almost as if she was annoyed with herself. “I did.”
Grayson grimaced. Owing her a life debt bothered him. It would rub his sensibilities raw and slowly drive him crazy.
I barely hid my grin.
“Who’s going to clean this up?” The innkeeper fixed his gaze on Haven as if she were a scullery maid. The man was an idiot. Killing him would be doing the world a favor.
“Give me one reason I shouldn’t end you.” My fingers brushed the hilt of a knife.
He swallowed.
“Because you won’t murder an unarmed man.” Haven sounded so sure. How could she know that?
She was right. But, gods, how I wanted to. A slow, torturous death was nothing less than he deserved.
Grayson lurched across the ruined room until he stood next to me.
Seeing his thunderous expression, the innkeeper tugged at his collar. “She’s just a shield.”
“Get out of my sight!” Grayson roared as his barely contained fury shimmered in the air. Grayson had reduced Haven to her job more times than I could count. But when the innkeeper said the same thing, he was ready to commit murder.
I melted the ice at the innkeeper’s ankles, and the man scurried away like a rat about to lose its tail to a hungry cat.
The urge to hunt him down and finish him clawed at my chest. He’d sold her as casually as a baker might sell a loaf of bread. I forced myself to take a steadying breath, to push down the darkness that wanted to follow him into whatever hole he’d crawled into.
“Where are Teal and Flynn?” Grayson demanded. I couldn’t help but think he meant the question as a distraction.
It worked. I put aside fantasies of peeling the skin from the innkeeper’s worthless body. “Asleep.”
“Wake them,” Grayson directed. “We ride out as soon as possible.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?” Haven frowned and shook her head, clearly displeased with his edict.
He turned on her. “You’re questioning me?”
“You nearly died. You need to rest.”
Watching her challenge Grayson—bloody, exhausted, yet still standing her ground—I found myself lost in admiration.She’d nearly died tonight, had saved Grayson’s life, and here she was still fighting. Still refusing to back down.
“More will come.” His gaze swept over the pile of bodies.
Planting her hands on her hips, she scowled at him. “You don’t know that.” Her defiance after everything she’d been through was magnificent. She was like a warrior queen of lore, and she called to emotions I’d kept buried for years.
Grayson, who wouldn’t recognize a warrior queen even if she stood over his prone body and defended him to the death, smoothed his face into its usual haughty expression, the one that seemed to annoy her the most. “I won’t take that risk.”
“We can defend a building.” Haven wasn’t done arguing. She crossed her arms over her chest. “On the road, we’ll be five tired travelers on four tired horses.”
