“About?” He crosses his arms, suspicious but watching.
“Roman.” I shake my head, lips curving down into something delicate and sad. “His health,”
“What?” He cuts in, grabbing my arm and dragging me into the nearest room. “He told you?”
I nod, like it hurts to even think about it. “Of course. He knows I’m here for him, Miles.” I yank my arm free. “You’re the one who doesn’t trust me… over some kid.”
He stares at me. I hold his gaze.
“I was in the room when Roman was being treated.” I air-quotethe word“treated,”and his eyes narrow.
“No one can know that.” He leans in, whispering fast. “You know that, right?”
“Of course,” I say quickly, glancing around. “We shouldn’t be talking about this here. Let’s go outside. The BloodHawks are long gone.”
He’s still unsure, but I press forward.
“Listen, I want what you want, stability. Safety. That only happens if the men keep following Roman. If they find out he’s weak…” I wave my hands, showing the chaos we’d face.
He nods slowly, finally whispering, “I know.”
“Coming?” he asks as he starts to walk.
I smile and follow. Too easy.
“We are going to check the traps,” he tells the guards. “Sean’s in charge while I’m gone.”
They nod as we head out. We walk in silence, the woods closing around us. I drift closer to him, just enough to guide him subtly, changing his direction without touching. He moves to avoid me. I belong to Roman, and no one wants to cross that line.
“Will Sean’s blood keep Roman steady?” I ask. “He wouldn’t talk about it, you know how he is. Always so… invincible.”
Miles sighs. “I don’t know. For now, yeah. Sean has one of those blood types that works for everyone. Roman’s blood is… weird. Rare. We were lucky to find Sean.”
I nod.Interesting.
“It started last year. He got tired all the time. Pale. Sick. When we heard there was a doctor in a nearby community, we raided it. Sean didn’t know what was wrong, but his blood worked. It kept Roman strong enough to lead.”
He shrugs.
“Sean’s a damn good doctor,” I add, nudging him slightly to the left again. “We need to keep him alive.”
Because Sean could save Roman… or be the key to ending him. Either way, I’m not lying. He needs to survive.
For now.
“If Roman goes…” Miles hesitates. “I don’t know if I can keep the mercenaries out of the base. They’re stron—”
I stop walking.
He doesn’t.
He takes one step too far and the ground beneath him shifts—a soft click, barely audible—then snaps.
A spring-loaded spike swings up from the brush, fast and brutal, impaling him clean through the side.
His scream tears through the trees, raw and feral, and blood sprays the dirt like spilled ink. My ears ring with the sound of it.
He screams so loud my ears ring.
