Everything makes sense. The first time they switched wasafterthey left their house, and then again tonight. They were hiding their secret from Warrick. I was wondering why they switched tonight. And this answers my question.
“Look at her,” Warrick says, pride tinging his voice. “She is stronger than I could ever imagine.”
I follow his gaze to where Mercy is standing with a few of the recruits from Black Star. She looks nervous, like she’s trying to fit in. It is painfully obvious that sheisn’tHaven.
“Perhaps, I will have Mercy wed to Grayson Sullivan,” Warrick says. “Though your wife may not appreciate the match.”
I’m silently fuming at the mention of that loser. He doesn’t deserveeithersister. And he certainly isn’t going to put his dirty paws on Haven while she is pretending to be Mercy. I forbid it.
Warrick’s eyes sparkle at my reaction.
“Did Haven tell you that they were lovers?” he asks. “She’d sneak out every night to be with him in the barracks.”
I clench my jaw, refusing to react. He’s trying to get under my skin. And the worst part is that it is working.
“Speaking of Sullivan,” Warrick says. “Here he comes.”
Grayson strolls over to us in a gray suit. Fists tucked deep into his pocket.
“Vale, did you see?—”
I pin him with a dark look.
“Stay away from mywife,” I spit.
“I was looking for Mercy,” Grayson says. “Relax. Haven is all yours.”
It hits me then that he knows. Haven confided in him about the switch. It explains why he’s been sticking close to Mercy when, apparently, Haven and he were in a relationship.
This enrages me more than any taunt Warrick could speak. It is quite obvious that whatever is between them is still going strong, and I have been none the wiser.
I spin on my heels and begin to track down Haven. We have to discuss this Grayson issue. I don’t want him anywhere near her. Tamsin, the wedding coordinator, directs me to the first-floor bathroom, which Haven picked to hide out in.
The door is locked when I twist the knob.
“Let me in, Haven,” I say.
I expect her to refuse, but the lock switches and she steps out. Her eyes are red and swollen.
I pull her back inside and lock the door. The wallpaper is a soothing wash of green, and a wide-eyed doe watches us between the slender stalks.
“What’s wrong?” I ask softly. “Who cares about Warrick and his stupid taunts?”
“I just…I hate him so much,” she says. Her lips tremble. “Every day, I wish it were him and not her. How is it fair that he gets to live while she doesn’t?”
She speaks of her mother. The memory of her father killing her must haunt her. Haven ran up on that stage to stop her. I remember thinking she was young. Younger than me. And she didn’t deserve to lose a parent so viciously.
“You can’t let him get to you,” I say gently.
She takes a deep breath. “I know.”
It seems insensitive to bring up her and Sullivan’s relationship. So, I let it drop. For now.
I offer her my hand.
“Come on. Let me introduce you to my father. Fair warning, I don’t think he’s any better than yours.”
She places her hand in mine, steeling her shoulders.
