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“That’s all right. Just know I’m ready to listen, whenever you’re ready.”
“Thank you.” Grayson’s gaze dipped, coming to rest on her necklaces. His pebble, and Tyrell’s black queen. His finger traced over the wooden piece. “Tyrell gave this to you.”
Mia couldn’t discern the emotions in his soft words, but she knew he didn’t understand. She didn’t know if she’d be able to explain, but this quiet moment seemed like the place to try. She touched the Strategem queen, her finger hovering near Grayson’s. “He made it, years ago.”
Grayson frowned. “He did?”
“Yes. He learned to carve when he was a boy. He made a whole Strategem set, and he’d play with it in his room, alone. Until Iris found out and burned it all. Everything but this piece, because Tyrell hid it in his fist.” She met his gaze. “Wearing it reminds me there was a piece of him that she never managed to destroy. There’s a part of him no one could break.” She bit the inside of her cheek. “Tyrell told me that you used to play cards together in secret.”
His brow furrowed. “We did, for a while. When we were very young.”
“I’m sorry you were forced to become rivals. Enemies. It’s so horribly wrong. And I know you have reasons to hate him, but there’s goodness in him. That was the Tyrell who became my friend.”
Grayson sighed. “Mia, you don’t know him like I do. You never saw the relish on his face when he hurt someone. Heenjoyedtheir pain.”
Her stomach twisted. “He had to protect himself. I think he did so by embracing what your parents wanted him to be, and that’s what you saw.”
Grayson shook his head. “I’m grateful he protected you, but I can’t ever trust him as you do.”
She fingered the black queen, and then the smooth pebble. “He only sees you as the Black Hand,” she said, her voice soft. “But you’re so much more than that. Why can’t he be more, too?”
He didn’t say anything. Mia hadn’t really expected him to; the hatred between these two brothers ran deep.
She let it go for now, and gave him a small smile. “Once we’re out of Ryden, you’ll be free. You won’t have to be the Black Hand anymore. You can be whoever you want to be.”
And she would no longer have to be his weakness.
Instead of looking excited—or even relieved—Grayson merely nodded once.
For some reason, her heartbeat quickened. “Have you wondered what things will be like for us in Mortise?” she asked.
“No. I haven’t given it much thought.”
Her heart still beat a little too fast, but she forced a smile. “That’s all right. We’ll be together—that’s all that matters.”
He studied her face, his eyes strangely somber. “Mia, I’d like you to promise me something.”
“Anything.” Fates, her heart was pounding, and she still wasn’t sure why she felt this sense of trepidation.
Grayson’s tongue darted out, wetting his lips. It was the only sign of his nerves, since his voice and expression remained smooth. “If you ever doubt yourself, or blame yourself, or feel trapped or afraid . . . promise you’ll tell me. I don’t want you to torture yourself about things that aren’t your fault.”
She wasn’t sure what she’d expected him to say, but it wasn’t that. “I . . . I will. I promise. But only if you promise the same.”
His lips pressed into a line, but he nodded.
As the storm continued to rage outside, Mia settled against Grayson and finally felt peace.
Chapter 31
Grayson
“It’sbeginningtoscab,”Tobin said, even as the physician leaned in for a closer look at Grayson’s jaw. “That’s a good sign of healing.”
“He hasn’t been feverish since he woke three days ago,” Mia said quickly. She sat beside Grayson on the bed, holding his hand. He didn’t actually know if it was for his benefit, or for hers. Mia had always craved physical contact, and he’d stopped resisting her years ago. Besides, after what they’d shared during the storm last night, he was feeling a stronger than usual desire to keep her close.
The physician was only a handful of years older than Grayson—maybe in his late twenties. He had a long, narrow face, an intense gaze, and a somewhat brusque manner. This was Grayson’s first time meeting the man who had been caring for him since their arrival in Edgewood, since he’d been unconscious the other times Tobin had visited.
The man straightened, his attention still riveted on Grayson’s newest scar.
