Cooper noticed me watching him. He grinned and waved, and I returned the gesture. Owen looked to see who the dwarf was waving at, and his eyes widened as he realized that it was me. Maybe it was my imagination, but after a moment, Owen seemed to relax, as though he’d been worried about me. He hesitated, then lifted his hand and waved at me too. Once again, I returned the gesture. We stood there, staring at each other across the room. I didn’t know whether to go over to him or stay where I was. I didn’t know if he would welcome me or turn away.

In the end, I didn’t have to decide. A hand touched my shoulder, and Bria stepped in front of me, blocking my view of Owen, perhaps for the best.

“Are you okay?” she asked. “Owen told us about the fight in the boathouse. That you were facing down Clementine and Opal alone. What happened?”

I shrugged. “Nothing much. I took out Opal easily enough. Clementine almost beat me to death, but I got her instead.”

Bria nodded, then glanced across the rotunda at Owen, who was still speaking to Cooper. “And what about Owen?”

“What about Owen?”

“You two were together an awful lot tonight. Surely, you talked about a few things.”

“You mean before or after we killed all those giants?”

She looked at me.

Finally, I sighed. “No, we didn’t really get a chance to talk about anything. There was just blood, dead giants, and a lot of awkward pauses.”

“Well, you should know that he brought Eva here into the rotunda after we secured the area. The second he knew that she and the others were safe, he helped Xavier carry Phillip outside, then immediately started to head down to the boathouse to help you,” Bria said. “He would have too if Jo-Jo hadn’t showed up and told him that you were fine and on your way back up to the museum. He still cares about you, Gin, and I know you care about him.”

“I do care about him,” I admitted. “But I don’t know that it’s enough—for either one of us.”

“What do you mean by that?”

I didn’t know how to tell her that Salina’s death was still an issue between me and Owen. That I just didn’t know if he could ever forgive me for what I’d done to the woman he’d once loved. And that his forgiveness wasn’t the only thing I wanted from Owen—that I needed his acceptance too. Of what I’d done in the past and all the bad things I’d do in the future.

“Gin?” Bria asked.

“Nothing,” I said. “It’s been a long night, and I’m not thinking straight right now.”

“Well, maybe after this is over, you and Owen can finally talk.”

“Yeah. Maybe.”