Page 29

Erik’s gaze flicks to me again. This time, there’s something else in it—scrutiny. A sliver of concern that cuts deeper than the surface. He pauses, surprised. “You’re on edge, Griffin,” he says carefully.

“I mean it.”

His lips press into a line, but he doesn’t push further.

Smart, because I don’t trust myself right now. I’m not as much in control of my animal as I thought. Seeing Maya hurt has my wolf pacing inside my mind, desperate to gain control of the situation, to kill those who touched her.

Erik turns to Maya, gentler now. “Maya, it is so good to see you. We thought you were dead.”

She blinks, her shoulders stiffening.

“Jerry was sure of it. We all were,” Erik continues. “You disappeared without a trace. After Cassian took you, we searched for days—”

“And then you stopped,” Maya finishes for him, sounding flat.

Erik winces. “Leanna never did. She refused to believe it. She has had scouts combing through all three kingdoms. She has never give up on you.”

Maya lifts her chin, and I can see the hurt and the tinge of betrayal in her eyes. “Good to know someone still cared. I don’t know why I’m surprised, though. After all, I’m just a human. Disposable.”

Erik flinches, and guilt flashes across his face.

“Maya—”

“Did you throw my mother out of her cottage?” she asks, her voice brittle now.

“No.” His answer is immediate. “Of course not. I would never do that.”

Her expression softens slightly, but she doesn’t look convinced.

“She has been looked after. Healer Jerry took responsibility for her care.”

Maya inhales sharply. “Jerry’s okay?”

Erik nods. “He insisted. Said she’d be safest with him.”

Maya turns to me suddenly, her voice catching. “I need to see her.”

I nod without hesitation. “We’ll go now.”

Erik lifts a hand. “Griff—”

“I’m not leaving her,” I growl.

He studies me for a long moment, and I know that look. The slow, quiet assessment. The calculating commander of my army in my stead.

Suddenly, his expression shifts—understanding dawning in the way his lips part, in the slow narrowing of his eyes. He knows something. But he doesn’t say it. Not yet.

Instead, he waves Tomas over. “Take these three guards to the healer’s wing. And send Jerry to Helen’s cottage.”

One of the injured men catches my glare and pales instantly.

“They’ll be punished,” Erik murmurs low enough for me to hear. “You have my word.”

Good. Because the thought of that bastard’s hands on Maya makes me want to break some more of his bones.

As we all head toward the palace, the guards fall into a line, heads down and ashamed. One stumbles, tripping over his own feet in panic. They should be afraid.

I walk close to Maya, watching her limp slightly from the hit. Every breath she takes feels like it drags fire across my chest. She doesn’t speak as we move away from the tree line to the path that leads to the cottages, but I can feel her tension winding tighter with each step.