“I could’ve given you a hand so you didn’t almost get yourself killed.”
Her jaw ticks, and she stares at me for a long moment before jerking her head towards the cavern wall. “Right.” Her Mark shines brighter, and her fingers curl into fists at her sides. “Because suddenly, I’m supposed to trust that you have my best interests in mind.”
Her sharp tone has my stomach knotting, and my brows furrow. “Yes, because I’m trying to help you.”
“For now.” She grits her teeth. “But what happens when you decide to hunt me again?”
“I won’t.” The words slip from my lips before I can think about them, but I know them to be true. I can’t hunt her anymore. Not now that I know what truly happens to the Given.
“It’s hard for me to believe you,Hunter.” She spits the last word, and her eyes flash.
Anger roils in my veins, and I clench my jaw so hard, my teeth grind. “I’m trying to help you, Birdie.”
Can’t she see that? Why does she think I pushed Chaos so hard all night?
“Don’t call me that,” she snaps, her brilliant swirl flaring. “You haven’t earned the right.”
And I had the day she saved me in the woods? There is a disconnect here, but this doesn’t seem like the right moment to point that out. We’re both tired, and the past few days have been incredibly long.
“We’re on the same side now,” I say as patiently as I can manage, which isn’t all that much. “We have been since Saltwater.” Since I learned the truth of the Given and was prepared to lose everything over it. Twice now, I’ve given everything up for Wren. “That’s why I helped you and your sisters. Why I called for Maia.”
“Maia.” Sharp violet eyes meet mine, and she scowls. “Who is she anyway? Your girlfriend? Or your wife?” Her voice sharpens on the last word.
Wait. Is this . . . Is Wren jealous?
“You think I’m with Maia?” I clarify. “Romantically?”
She crosses her arms. “Aren’t you? Why else would she be so nice to you? Why else would she help you?”
On one hand, it delights me that Wren is jealous. On the other, her Mark is flaring, and I’ve seen that happen enough times to know that what comes next isn’t good.
“That’s not how it is between us,” I say quietly but firmly. “Maia is my best friend’s sister. That’sall.”
A beat passes as my words settle between us, and Wren blinks. “Really?”
Her Mark dims, and I exhale. “Yes. I’ve known her since she was a child.”
“So you’re not . . . involved?”
“No. We never have been. She’s basically my sister.” Maia and Theon have been far more like siblings to me than my own half brother ever has been.
“Oh. Okay.” A heartbeat passes, and the fire in Wren’s eyes flickers, then goes out. “My sisters will be all right with her, right?”
“Absolutely. I would never have left them otherwise.” I may be a Hunter, but I’m not cruel enough to leave young girls alone to fend for themselves. Only a monster would do such a thing.
Another long moment goes by before Wren’s bottom lip wobbles, and she seems to deflate. When she speaks again, her voice is soft, heartbreakingly so. “All right. That’s... that’s good. My sisters are safe, and I’m... I’m... here.”
She waves a hand around us, and oh, gods. Are those tears lining her eyes? Yes. Those are definitely tears, and now, they’re streaking down her face.
Burning suns, my chest aches at the sight.
“Wren—”
She steps away from me, shaking her head. “No, Gabriel. I’m alone, and my family is goneagain.” Her eyes meet mine, and the pain in them has my heart seizing. “They’re gone, and once more I’m on the run. Sore. Shaken. And with... with you.”
My mouth parts, and I say her name again.
“You werehuntingme, Gabriel,” she says softly. “I was your prey. And that... that makes all this”—she gestures between us, as if that’s supposed to mean something—“so suns-damned difficult, I don’t even know where to begin.”
