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I give him a pleading, teary look, which he seems to be immune to, as he works through what this all means. I’ve said the truth, and Maison now has to come to terms with it.

He stomps toward Naomi; he doesn’t put his hands on her, but his body language causes Naomi to flinch, barely recovering enough not to fall over. “Hurting London was never part of the plan,” he spits at her. “So get out of here.”

Her lips form into a snarl. “Fine, but I’m finding Ezra with Nigel. He needs to know she’s here. I’m not giving up our food, Maison. Not for you, not even for Micah. It’s ours.”

She heaves herself through the snow and out into the woods, leaving me a crumpled mess on the ground. My chest rises and falls with a heavy breath. Every nerve in my body heats when he walks over and stands over me. My hand and hip throbs as I turn in the snow to look up at him.

His face immediately softens as I stare at him, wide-eyed, with blood rushing to my cheeks. He leans down and pulls me up and I fall into him. A shooting pain hits my side and I suck in a breath. My hand is shattered.

He rubs his hands down both arms, touching me as if he doesn’t believe I’m really here.

I revel in his touch, his heady scent.

“Are you okay, baby?” he asks. “I missed you so much.”

Baby…

I don’t think. I just wrap my arms around him, breathing in his deliciousness as tears flow out of my eyes. I let out a shaky breath. “Maison, I—”

I can’t formulate a thought. The throbbing in my bones and crushed veins are crippling. I’m with Maison… Maison, and despite the pain, it’s only relief I feel. I missed him so much, it hurts. It hurts more than anything Naomi or Nigel could do to me.

His lips find my forehead, but the kiss is short-lived. He pulls away, his eyes drawing down to my hand. “You’re hurt.” It’s not a question.

“It’s my hand, and I think Naomi got my side, too, but it’s not too bad.”

I’m noticing Nigel prefers severing a certain appendage on the human body, twisted as he is. I suppose it’s as good of a way as any to cripple someone.

He pulls up my shirt. “You’re bleeding, London. We have to get you out of here. Can you walk?”

I swallow and nod. Although I don’t think I should move, a twinge hits my hip every time I move.

Then he leans down and kisses me, and I absorb him—his scent, his tongue, his hands, all of him. Our lips grind together, and it reminds me why I fell in love with him to begin with. I close my eyes, thinking how different he feels from Micah. His softness, and warmth, and stubbornness.

Especially his stubbornness.

My mind quickly drifts to Micah, and my heart lurches. He’s still out there, and I have no idea if he is okay. I shift toward the direction Naomi disappeared to, the same break in the trees Micah ran through mere minutes earlier, and the directions he gave me to stay in this spot no matter what.

I pull off Maison and whisper, “I… I can’t leave.”

He wraps his arm around me and leans his head toward my ear. “We have to move, baby. I don’t want Nigel coming back for you right now. I need to hide you.”

“Micah’s coming back here, Maison. We have to wait for him.”

He swallows a bob in his throat, his body visibly tensing. “Micah’s not coming for you, London. I’m all you have right now.”

My heart stills, and I can’t bear to look at him. “What do you mean?” I ask him meekly.

“Ezra set a trap for him. If he went anywhere near our food, he’s not getting away. He can’t try to steal from the group and get away with it. What did he think would happen?”

I smack his chest and my lips quiver. I know my measly punch did little to hurt him, but he winces anyway. “Ezra doesn’t know how to trap… You set it, didn’t you?”

A silent, painful pause. “Ezra has him, London. We’re not going to hurt him; we just want to talk. We will wait till he’s level-headed. He’s dangerous when he’s like this. You can’t reason with him.”

I now know what Maison means about Micah. The scratches on my back attest to his imperfections, yet… Micah’s not as dangerous as the boy in my arms.

He’s never killed anyone.

I lean up and get a good look at him. “Maison, he’s not your enemy. He’s not the person you believe he is. He didn’t intend to cause you harm. In fact, he gave up everything to keep you safe.”