The crowd’s teasing collapsed in an instant.
Knees thudded to the ground, foreheads knocking against the cold stone.
Blood surged up my throat—a metallic sweetness that made me gag.
I tried to salute, but my knees gave way and I pitched forward—
“Nina!”
Vetle moved faster than anyone, twisting around to catch me into his arms.
I was freezing. Blood loss had my hands and feet trembling; I wanted to vanish into his chest, to steal a fragment of warmth.
Hadn’t he already left? For some reason, he’d come back. Thank the goddess he had. This time, Liam had truly meant to kill; one minute late and I might not have survived.
A sting climbed behind my eyes. I turned my face away, bit my lip, forced down the shaking, and let a voice as fragile as a thread in the wind slip past my teeth。
“.
