Then he reached out, resting a firm hand on my shoulder.
“You don’t have to carry it alone.” That was harder to hear than any criticism because it meant something I did not often hear.
“I am not alone,” I said.
His gaze sharpened slightly.
“No?”
“Who stands with you, then?”
The question lingered longer than it should have. For a brief, dangerous second, Gina's face crossed my mind, her dark eyes and steady gaze standing out in the shadows of memory.
Soft dark eyes with a steady gaze, having a perpetual defiant look even when silent.
I shut down the thought immediately. It was irrelevant and complicated, but still somehow connected to the situation.
“My warriors,” I answered.
It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the full truth either.
He studied me quietly for a long while, like he kne
