“I…I didn’t know, Lucian. I didn’t know.” Would a man deny so much to diminish grief? Yes. Oh, yes. And looking at it that way changed Lucian’s actions into something Aiden understood. But he was too tired and couldn’t quite get his brain to think past his heart even though he sensed something was off-key about the conversation. Still, he said hesitantly, “She would have left Brightwood anyway. She couldn’t have a decent life there.”

“She would have had us instead of those paltry humans,” Lucian said fiercely, regrets giving way to anger as he faced Aiden again. “We would have dealt with the villagers, and they wouldn’t have dared slight her.”

“You didn’t do that while you were her lover. She wouldn’t have any reason to think you’d do it when you were no longer lovers.”

“We would have been lovers. The Fae would have been her companions. She would have wanted for nothing.”

Except love, Aiden thought bleakly. Except respect and loyalty. But was that true? Had he misunderstood the depth of Lucian’s feelings for Ari? “You wouldn’t have been faithful to her, Lucian. You know that.”

“Faithful.” Lucian spat out the word. “That’s a human word. I cared for her. But if what I offered wasn’t enough to convince her to stay, I would have let her go with that fool. Despite the problems it would have caused for my Clan, despite my own feelings, despite everything, I would have let her go.” His voice broke. He put his hands over his face.

Aiden couldn’t stand seeing a man who had once been a friend and was still kin break under a year’s guilt and grief.

“Lucian…” He stepped forward, rested a hand on Lucian’s arm. “Do you mean that? You really would have let her go?”

Lucian lowered his hands away from his face, and said wearily, “If it had been Lyrra, wouldn’t you rather know she was living somewhere without you than to have died under the Black Coats’ hands?”

“She survived.” Aiden tried to stop the words, tried to think it through, but he couldn’t think anymore, could only feel. “She got away from the Black Coats.”

He watched all emotion drain from Lucian’s face.

“Morag lied to me?” Lucian said in a queer voice.

“No,” Aiden said quickly. “No. She told you Ari was gone, and that was true.”

“She knew what I’d think. What Dianna and I both thought.” Lucian stared at Aiden. “You knew, didn’t you? You knew Ari wasn’t dead.”

Aiden shook his head. “I suspected. I hoped. But I didn’t know for sure.”

Lucian took a step to the side. “You knew. All this time, you knew.”

“I didn’t know.”

“Then how can you be certain now?” Lucian demanded. “Just because she got away from the Black Coats doesn’t mean she survived.”