Resist! Ignore! But damn her, she played with fire. “I don’t want to be with someone I know. Someone I’ll see again. I want someone I can use, who uses me in turn. Easily had, easily forgotten. A relationship isn’t for me. If I were to care for you and lose you...no. I won’t suffer another loss. We will stay together as...temporary friends. You’ll keep my beast as calm as possible, and I’ll keep you healthy. No more.”

Now the flush drained away. “Message received. No nookie hooky. Got it. So. Tell me about the All War. Please,” she added, gathering the medical supplies and returning the bundle to the trunk he’d left here yesterday. “Do combatants spend their days hunting and killing each other?”

“Or setting traps. Once a month we attend an Assembly of Combatants.”

“Mandatory, I assume.”

“Yes. It forces hiders out of hiding and speeds up the war. Speaking of the assembly, the next one takes place in two and a half weeks.” Time ticked away without pause or mercy, his self-imposed deadline closing in fast. The end of the war, the end of Aveline.

The end of his life.

Not ready to die. So much left to do...things I’m desperate to do with Nola.

His hands curled into fists. Focus up. Would her sister be ready for the assembly?

The muscles in her shoulders tangled with tension, and he knew she’d wondered the same thing. Without aid, Vale would most certainly be killed in one horrific way or another. A fact Bane could use to advance his agenda.

Terrible of him? Yes. Did he care? Not a bit.

“I have an idea,” he said. “If Vale takes the Mark of Disgrace, she can exit the war without death.”

“Mark of Disgrace?”

“A symbol will be carved on her forehead, telling the other combatants to leave her be. Usually, deserters are returned to their sovereign for punishment. She’ll simply stay here.”

Nola’s shoulders rolled in. “I know her well. She’ll refuse. She’ll want to win the war to protect the world from invaders.”

“Then you can order me to guard her at the assembly. At every assembly,” he said, preparing to bargain. “However, as Aveline will soon learn, there’s a difference between what a willing warrior will do to achieve a goal versus an enslaved one. One lets your sister get hurt, while adhering to the order to keep her alive. The other ensures she emerges unscathed. Guess which is which.”

She licked her lips, and damn it to hell, he couldn’t stop himself from clocking the action with his gaze. “What do you want in exchange for your cooperation?”