CALLUM
Valentina finds me on the roof two hours after the hunters retreat. I'm watching the Rookeries burn. Not literally. But three buildings got damaged in the fight, fires we barely contained, smoke still rising into the night sky.
"You should be resting," she says.
"Can't." I don't look at her. Keep watching the smoke. "Five people died tonight. Defending me. Defending you. How do I rest with that?"
She sits beside me. Close but not touching. We've worked together for months now but always maintained distance. Professional. Safe.
"They died defending the community," she says quietly. "Not you specifically. Not me. What we're building here."
"Semantics."
"Truth." She pulls her knees up, wraps her arms around them. "Rico broke. Gave Parliament my location. That's not his fault. Th
