“We’re training her. If he fucks her, things will get messy.”
“She’s new. And Flynn likes new toys. They’re untested.Untasted.” Pierce sighed, no doubt anticipating Flynn’s multiple temper tantrums. “He’ll pout.”
“Did she say anything about the accommodations?” Teal twisted his fingers, and a rose appeared in the palm of his hand. He frowned, almost as if he was bemused by the flower’s appearance. With a frown still on his face, he crushed the petals with unnecessary violence. The scent of cinnamon and roses filled the room.
“Bad day for flowers?” Flynn asked.
“Bad day for beauty,” Teal muttered. “Did she say anything?”
She’d paused as she entered the sparse dormitory, taking in the narrow cots, the one barred window, the cold stone walls, and the colder stone floor. So different from the home she’d left behind.
I’d felt a moment’s guilt. Which was ridiculous. I’d followed the rules. To the letter. Sort of. Technically I should have charged her with murder. But the power to rebound magic was too valuable to waste in a prison cell or, worse, a mage’s lab. “Not up to your standards, Shield?”
She’d stared at me with eyes as deep and dark as a thunderstorm—eyes that held no fear, only defiance—and said, “My name is Haven.” Something in my chest had tightened at her tone. I’d crushed the feeling immediately.
This one was going to be a problem. I’d known that when I took her. But I’d yet to meet a shield whose will I couldn’t break. “You’ll answer to whatever I call you.”
Fire had flashed in those charcoal depths, but she’d held her tongue. Something about her defiance reminded me of my mother in those final days—the way she’d started looking at my father like she was measuring the distance to the door.
“She didn’t complain. I told her to be ready at five.”
Flynn groaned dramatically and threw an arm overhis eyes. “In the morning? What did shields ever do to deserve such cruelty? Besides exist, I mean.”
“You do realize you get up at three thirty for patrol,” Pierce observed dryly.
“That’s different. I’m naturally gorgeous. I don’t need beauty sleep.”
Flynn was ridiculous. Haven didn’t need beauty sleep. She was the most gorgeous—I quashed that thought.
“What else did you tell her?” Teal asked, looking almost worried.
“I told her if she wasn’t ready, I’d drag her out of bed by her hair.”
“Grayson.” My name on Teal’s lips was filled with disappointment. He thought I was too harsh. If he led, our shields would be babied.
“What?” I didn’t appreciate his censure. My hands found their way behind my back, fingers interlocking in the familiar parade rest position that kept them from clenching into fists. “She needs to understand who’s in charge.” She would submit. There was no other option.
Pierce cocked a single brow. “Have you ever wondered why you crave control?”
Control kept the chaos and darkness at bay. I needed control like I needed air to breathe. The alternative was chaos, and chaos was unacceptable.
Flynn sat straighter and rubbed his hands together. “Ooh, my favorite. Let’s analyze Grayson’s compulsions.”
“Or we could discuss your need to fuck every woman you meet.”
“Only the pretty ones,” he corrected. “I let our resident bleeding heart have the ugly women.”
“Bleeding heart?” Teal glowered.
“You’re not exactly picky.” Flynn’s tone was mocking. “And you’re the one who suffers when the shields burn out and die.”
Teal’s lips thinned, and I sensed his desire to argue. He couldn’t. Flynn might be an asshole, but he was right. Teal let himself care. He had empathy for the shields. It was his biggest weakness. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t punish Flynn for speaking the truth. “We took her from her home and family. A pinch of kindness wouldn’t hurt.”
Flynn rolled his eyes. “Here comes the lecture about our moral obligations.”
“Someone has to have a conscience around here,” Teal shot back.
“That’s what we keep you for,” Pierce said mildly. “You have so much conscience that the rest of us can do as we please.”
