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Sethan glowers at Cole. “I’ve already told you my proposal.”

Cole stares back. “And I’ve told you, that’s not negotiable. You know it as well as I do.”

Sethan breaks his heated staring match with Cole and rakes his attention across the room to settle on me. “Then let her decide.”

I flinch, then look over my shoulder to confirm no one else is behind me, before turning back to him. “Me? Why me? What is your proposal?”

Sethan flicks his gaze up to the corner of the room. “You may leave, but we keep him.”

I turn to follow his stare, and the men and women crowding the corner scatter. My breath catches. Held between four rebels, his mouth gagged, and rope binding his feet and arms is Darian.

Blood soaks his hair and drips down, spattering onto the ground. Lacerations mar his olive skin. Dark, hollows blanket his eyes, and one of his swollen cheeks is bruised purple. When our eyes meet, I blink back in surprise. He looks…different.

Defeated.

Tired.

Worn.

He’s a shell of the raging amusement, anger, and mischief I have come to know. Horror washes over me at the thought that perhaps his injuries weren’t all inflicted by just the battle at the outpost.

If I had been out for days...

What the hell would rebels want with Darian?

“Why do you have him bound? Let him free!” I demand, whipping a heated scowl at Sethan.

Sethan scoffs, crossing his arms back over his chest. “We won’t be letting the prince of Arterias free without negotiations.”

My heart skips, the blood draining from my cheeks. I shake my head as if it’ll clear the words, and I’ll actually hear what he said. But the words sink, and I turn back to Darian, scanning his face.

“What?”I whisper. Unsure if anyone will answer me and make sense of it all.

But Darian’s eyes narrow, tilting his chin up, the corner of his mouth perks up in a sly smile.