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“I ran,” Linh admitted, no longer able to stomach another spoonful. “I’m sorry. I know I promised to wait, but I couldn’t take it.”

“Linh,” Tahlia stated, cupping her cheek to make her lift her head. Her usual hard features softened exponentially as she brushed her thumb down the side of Linh’s face. “Please don’t apologise. We don’t care how you got here, only that you got away and you’re safe. We’ve been so worried and sorry for everything, and we were not far from enacting a plan to rescue you.”

“David, Michael, and Sasha were going to sneak out and scout the camp to gather more information on how best to infiltrate it. We wanted as little bloodshed as possible, although we were all happy to kill every one of them.”

Her people were talking about becoming killers... it was a depressing thought. They had once been so compassionate, only killing for survival, rather than in vengeance.

“Now you don’t have to,” Linh cut in, trying to give them a smile. “I’m hoping Nathair will help us. The Duskwalker, I mean. That’s his name.”

“Has he agreed to it?” Her father asked, tightening his folded arms. “The idea of trusting a... Duskwalker doesn’t sit well with me. I also won’t allow you to sacrifice yourself just for our sake. You’ve already done that once. If that’s your reasoning, you can forget it – immediately.”

“That’s not–” A bash on the door cut her off.

“You’ve had your ten minutes,” a guard shouted from the other side of it.

Kai stood and headed towards the door. Glenda bowed her head and stepped back to give him room to swing the door open. He came face to face with a sneering tall brute of a man.

“Listen here, you gigantic ogre,” her father snapped up at his bearded face. “I will do what I want in my own village, and if that’s visit my daughter in hospital, then you will shut up and let me and my family do so.”

His dark-blond brows narrowed. “You agreed–”

“Yes, and Bragg agreed to take care of my daughter, and I found her half dead in the arms of a fucking monster. So, do kindly piss off.” He slammed the door in the bandit’s face, only to shove his back against it. His grin was of a man who was hopped up on adrenaline. “I think I made matters worse, no?”

Her mother shook her head before slapping her face in her hand in disbelief. Her sister, May, stood and prepared herself for what was likely to come next.

Linh slipped to the side of the bed and stood on shaky legs. She limped towards the door being bumped and shoved againstwith heavy slams. Her father was doing well to keep it shut, but he was sure to falter.

“You really do know how to cause trouble,” Linh stated, and waved for him to move.

How did such an immature man become the mayor of our people?He’d always been like this. Stern when needed, reckless when he shouldn’t be, and immature to make sure everyone fell in love with his goofy charm.

He shook his head, only to swallow when Linh glared at him. He rolled his eyes, stepped forward, then moved to the side, away from the direction of the door swinging open.

The bandit, with his fist raised in preparation, halted when he found Linh in front of him. He wouldn’t dare touch Bragg’sproperty, not if he valued his life. Her face was her shield.

“I spent most of my time eating,” she explained, widening her eyes up at him in appeal. “I’ve missed my family and would really appreciate just a few more minutes.”

“A few more minutes to come up with a scheme, no doubt,” he sneered, lowering his fist as his lips disappeared when he pursed them.

His words only deepened her worries. She already figured they wouldn’t just let her walk out of this room. Now she feared what they would do to her when she was able to, orwherethey would take her.

“I think you’re forgetting who is really in charge here. What can we do?” she asked, raising her arms to gesture to herself. “Or are you that afraid of a sick woman and her family? Should I tell Bragg you couldn’t even hold your wits while I was eating my first proper meal in a month?”

His blue eyes darted up to her sister cowering behind her mother, only to yank on the door to find her father behind it.

“Give me shit like that again, and I’ll break the rest of your fingers.”

Her father threw up his hands in surrender. “She gets her brains from her mother, and not me, obviously.”

The bandit snorted a mild laugh. “Can say that again.” His expression gentled, kind of, as he brought his gaze back to Linh. “You have five more minutes, and that’s it.”

She narrowed her eyes into a defiant glare. “That’s not a lot of time.”

He shrugged and lifted his chin nonchalantly. “Better make each one count then.”

He backed up and slammed the door shut.

Linh turned to her family and had no idea how she was supposed to tell them everything in such a short period of time.