Darius, Anne, and I all look at each other, understanding without speaking.
They’re coming for Violet.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Anne
“Are you sure he won’t get hurt?”
The words leave my mouth before I can stop them. I’ve come to Darius’s office with a folder of budget reports that I’ve splayed out on his table. Documents that need his signature, though we both know I could have sent them digitally.
But I needed an excuse to come here. Needed to ask the question that’s been burning in my mind ever since the phone call with Rick earlier today.
Darius looks up from the page he’s signing, his expression carefully neutral. “Anne—”
“He’ll be in the fight, won’t he? In the direct path of harm.” My voice cracks despite my best efforts to keep it steady. “Please, tell me he’ll be okay.”
Darius sets down the pen and leans back in his chair, studying me with those sharp alpha eyes.
“I can’t do that,” he says quietly.
The honesty feels almost cruel.
“I’m not going to go out of my way to put Kain in danger,” he continues, placing the signed documents back in the file. “Butthis is war, Anne. There are no guarantees.” He hands the folder back to me, his voice measured. “Even I could get hurt.”
I take the papers with numb fingers, my mind reeling.
“No guarantees.”
The words echo in my head as I leave his office to go make copies of the documents. My feet carry me to the elevators, moving on autopilot until I find myself in the printer room.
I feed the signed papers into the machine with my heart pounding. I need a moment. Need to breathe. To process what Darius just confirmed.
Kain could die. In two days, he could be gone, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. Nothing I can do to protect him.
The copier hums, spitting out pages, and I try to focus on the mundane task. Try not to think about worst-case scenarios.
The door opens behind me.
“Anne.”
I spin around and see David. I’m a bit surprised. Last time we crossed paths, he completely ignored me.
“Oh. Hi, David,” I say.
“Are you alright?” he asks tentatively.
Confusion furrows my brow. “What do you mean?”
He shifts his weight, looking uncomfortable. “I heard rumors about Kain being arrested. I decided to mind my business, but then, you two went missing from the office for over a week.”
“Oh.” My other thoughts halt in the face of this unexpected problem. I didn’t consider what it must have looked like to others.
David’s hand reaches out and grips my upper arm. Not hard, but firm enough to keep me in place.
“Did he hurt you?” His voice drops with genuine concern. “Is that what this is about? Because if he did something to you, if you’re in trouble—”
“What? I’m not in any trouble.” I try to pull away, but his grip tightens.
