"Still can deceive," he reminded me. "I also don't trust you, Keir."
"Why not?" I asked. "What the fuck have I done to you to make you thinkI'mthe enemy?"
The kid stormed towards me until only Wilder kept us apart. "You took Rain from me," he growled. "You are taking her from my sister! She crawled in bed withyou, not her, after the Hunt."
"Because Aspen told her to," I said gently. "She also slept. I made sure she was out before I even climbed in bed."
"Bullshit," Torian growled, looking at Wilder. "What am I missing?"
"That he's my friend," Wilder said calmly. "He's Aspen's friend too, Tor. He also isn't taking Rain from her - or you."
"I just..." Torian sighed and turned, pacing back towards his room. "I don't want you here, Keir."
"Hawke deserves to be back in his own room," I called after him.
And that made Torian stop hard. "Wilder?"
"Hawke's going to help you every time you need it," Wilder told Torian. "He's your best friend, and the thing the two of you have is important, so don't take it for granted. He will jump every time you need it, because you did for him. I also haven't seen a lot of him lately."
Torian's head dropped down to his chest, he sighed again, then nodded. "Ok." For a moment, I thought that was all I was going to get, but the guy turned slowly, his eyes finding Wilder. "You should've said something."
Wilder barked out a laugh. "Shit, Tor. I know how this goes as well as you do. The point here is that Keir is willing to help. He doesn't have a damned clue what he's helping with, but because he's my friend, Hawke's friend, and Rain's, he's still here."
"And the problem is he's here," Torian countered. "I'm just over there, and I made a vow."
"We all did," Wilder assured him. "So get one from Keir."
"It would take a lot to get me to make a promise like that," I warned. "Just to convince me to move in here - which was Liam's idea, so you know - I'm getting the use of aneltamblade."
"What?" Torian asked, his head jerking like he hadn't expected that. "Why? What the fuck do you need a sword for?"
"The Hunt."
"Keir," Wilder said, reaching over to clasp my shoulder. "Be kind to him. Torian may be a self-absorbed asshole, but he's also right more times than not. I can't tell you more, but believe me when I say that. He's not taking the easy optionbecausehe's doing what's right."
"What the fuck does that mean?" I asked.
Wilder opened his mouth, paused, then groaned. "Fuck."
"You're too close to your words," Torian said with a little smirk. "Sucks, huh?"
"And I was damned careful about my promise!" Wilder muttered.
"Same," Torian agreed. "But Ms. Rhodes has been doing this a long time. She has centuries of experience making deals. She got what she needed, and now we're caught in the middle."
"I still think she's right," Wilder said. "I just dislike that I can't tell Keir - because I would. So would Aspen."
"She wouldn't," Torian countered.
"She would," Wilder assured him. "She would tell Rain, and once that happened, she'd tell him so Rain isn't caught in the middle. Tor, she would."
"Ok," Torian relented. "I won't fight this."
"Which isn't the same as being happy about it," I pointed out, "but I'm not thrilled either. I went from keeping an eye on a damned would-be rapist to this? And just when I was getting used to having a whole suite to myself?" I shook my head, making it clear this wasn't any nicer for me.
"For aneltamsword, huh?" Torian asked.
"For Silver Oaks," I corrected. "Liam's right, you're cracking, and with the rumors about you? One more mistake might be all it takes for Ms. Rhodes to be forced to kick you out. Then where would Aspen be?"
