I sat curled up into a ball in the balcony chair, with my arms wrapped around my knees. I watched Shade pace across the wood slats on the other side as he smoked. The cigarette burned hot close to his fingers, but he didn't seem to notice. He was too wound up.
He stayed on the far end of the balcony, putting distance between us so I wouldn't catch the smoke. The effort meant something, even if the scent still drifted faintly on the breeze. I had been the one who handed him the pack when we walked out here, searching for anything to calm him down. He'd been holding back and was about to explode.
I was honestly glad he wasn't more upset that I hadn't told him right away.
Below us, the compound buzzed with new late patrols and rotating shifts. Cy moved among them, leading the changes and o
