“I wish to speak with you privately,” he told her gravely.

She glanced, half-panicked, at Serina, who nodded.

“Of course,” Nomi said. She clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking as she led him to her old bedroom. She couldn’t think of anywhere else that would give them privacy.

Ria wasn’t there; all of Asa’s Graces were gathered in a dining room, away from any possible danger. The bedroom was dark and cool. A breeze from the open window drew Nomi’s gaze to the golden line along the horizon. Almost dawn.

Nomi switched on the light. Very carefully, methodically, Malachi placed his helmet on the bed, and then removed his armored gloves, one after the other. Those he placed on the coverlet as well. Finally, he turned to her.

“I went to my father’s rooms first,” he said, the rough slide of his voice sending tiny lightning bolts through Nomi’s chest. “I was afraid I’d find you injured, or dead… but no one was there.”

He cleared his throat.

“I killed him, Malachi,” Nomi said before he went further. Before he was forced to ask. She swallowed back the impulse to apologize. She was sorry for the pain that revelation might cause him, sorry that he might never look at her the same way again, but she couldn’t be sorry for killing Asa. “His body is in the front entryway. But you came through the tunnel, didn’t you?”

Malachi raised his hand and let his fingers brush, feather-light, across her bruised throat. “He did this.”

She nodded.

Emotions flitted across his face too quickly for her to identify.

“I would have happily carried that burden for you,” he said softly. “He and I… There were things I would have said to him.”

“Are you upset not to have the chance?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I’m upset that he hurt you. Only that.”

“Those troops… massing at the gates,” she said. She still couldn’t read his face. Was he relieved? Was there more bad news to come? “Are they yours?”

He inclined his head. “As soon as you left, I went back to Porto Rosa. Dante had gotten my message. He was waiting.” He glanced briefly out the window, where the first golden streaks of dawn climbed the sill. “He’d taken his force into hiding.… The orders he received from Asa were ones he couldn’t bring himself to carry out. Rounding up women, punishing anyone who tried to publicly mourn my father… He’d been assessing his options, had even considered attempting a coup maybe. He was happy to hear from me.” A small wry smile touched his mouth and was gone.

He reached out for her, his fingers sliding against hers. But she took a step back, out of reach.