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I pulled my hands away.

“You and Ess went…” I trailed off. “Why would you do that?”

He frowned at me. “You had us worried sick. We were going to drag you home. Where have you been?”

I was taking backward steps without a thought. Just that old familiar warning in my head, telling me to flee. Roan’s hand reached out to snag my elbow just as my heels hit the heap of rugs, tripping me.

I got my feet under me and shook him off.

“Shit,” I said, turning away.

What the hell was I doing?

“Fen, slow down.”

“No, I have to go.” I scanned for the axe. Back by the bed. I headed for it, Goose trotting happily beside me.

“Go where?” He sounded upset.

“Just…just go. It doesn’t matter.” I bent down, wrapping my fingers around the worn, wooden handle. “I just came for this. You can get-get another, right?”

He gawked at me.

“Okay.” I tried to shuffle past him. “D-don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

But he stepped into my path, the tension in his jaw catching my focus.

“Tell me why you didn’t join the North Clan.”

“The North Clan?”

“The Godless. Why didn’t you go there?”

What could I say?

“I… I’m going to. I just haven’t yet. I wanted to be,” my words jammed up, and I paused, taking several breaths, “alone for a little while.”

He raised his voice. “Alone in the wilderness?”

“I-I found another group. For the time being.”

“That’s a lie.”

Well, that brought out the ire in me. I leveled him with a look and said, “It’s not a lie. And to hell with you, anyway. I can—can do what I want.”

He let out a sharp breath of air and raked his fingers through his rumpled hair.

“I’m not trying to control you, Fen. I just—”

He took a step toward me and tried to put his hand on my arm, his movements slow. I let him. When he saw I would not pull away, he ran his palm up and down.

“Fen.”

I met his stare.

“I’m not alone,” I said. “You don’t have to worry. Please. Just let me go.”

Several long moments passed, his eyes running over my face betraying all his troubled thoughts. Finally, he set his mouth into a grim line. He pulled his hand away and stepped aside.