Slowly, carefully, Donnally pushed himself up and twisted around to face her. An assortment of bruises was splashed across his forehead, the bridge of his nose, and his jaw, each in a different stage of healing. His lips were dry and deep shadows rested in the hollows beneath his eyes, but when he looked at her, there was no drug haze layered over his bright brown eyes. Of course not. If Tassos was running through his own supply, why would he continue to give it to his prisoners?

“What are you doing here?” Donnally’s voice was thin from disuse, his body weak from coming off Silt, but he looked alert and sharp and so much like their father from the long slope of his nose to the squared corners of his chin. Caledonia had a sudden flash of their mother running one finger down the bridge of that nose and tapping once on the tip, saying, “Tall as a mast.” For a second, it was all Caledonia could do to draw a single breath.

“I came to ask you that same question,” she said, regretting instantly that she’d moved into the position of interrogator. “But we don’t have to start there. If you don’t want to.”

“Where else would we start?” Donnally’s eyes darted between her and the door. “I guess you’re not a prisoner. Tassos wouldn’t let you near me if that was the case.” A sudden look of understanding landed on his features and a disbelieving laugh fell from his lips. “An alliance. Well, I have to hand it to you, Caledonia, you have always made bold moves.”

“There is no other way to resist Lir,” Caledonia answered defensively.

The nod of Donnally’s head was measured. The movement dislodged his curls just enough to reveal the bottom edge of his family sigil, the matching arrowhead to her own. “You can’t trust Tassos, you know.”

Caledonia ground her teeth together. She wanted to demand he tell her why he’d chosen Lir over her. She wanted to know why, after all this time, he wasn’t overjoyed to see her again. How was it so easy for him to look at her and not want to stay with her?

“And you won’t want to be here when Lir comes back,” Donnally said.

“Are you so sure he will?”

“For Silt. For me.”

“Donnally!” Caledonia couldn’t stand it anymore and dove forward, landing on her knees to pull his hands into her own. “Stop protecting him or working for him or whatever it is you’re doing. I’m here! I came back for you. You never have to go back, and no matter what Tassos says, I will get you out of this cell. You don’t have to be a Bullet anymore!”