He blinked at her, but never said a word, and she remembered what Elise had said to her about him being in shock. Perhaps he didn’t truly grasp what had happened? Maybe he didn’t remember it all, didn’t recall the true horrors? Regardless of what Harry had said, she believed that kind words and love might be able to change his mind, or at least make him understand the situation better.

“We have to try again, we have to surrender,” he stammered. “We can’t hide here, they’ll find us and kill us. Surrender is our only option.”

The thought sent a shiver through Addy, but she tried to hide it. “Peter, the Nazis killed your entire regiment. Do you understand that?”

If for a second she’d thought he didn’t remember, the tears in his eyes, the anguish written all over his pain-etched face, told her she’d been wrong.

“I have to try. Please, help me to try,” he begged.

Adelaide nodded and lifted from her haunches. Elise and Harry had been silently watching, but now they were both moving closer. Harry was well patched up, and although he’d lost a lot of blood and had a hefty wound, he was at least able to move easily now.

“Pete, you really want to do this?” Harry asked. “You really want to surrender again? We tried that twice yesterday, remember? We surrendered once, and then again after they’d shot half our regiment? They put bayonets and bullets into the rest of them, too.”

Peter had fallen silent now.

“They slaughtered them all, Pete, when we were holding a goddamn white flag!” Harry choked out.

“I can’t stay here, I have to try,” Peter cried. “We have to surrender, we have to. It’s the only way! They’ll find us here and kill everyone!” He clutched at Addy’s sleeve, frightening her when he wouldn’t let her go. “Please, you have to help me!”

Harry turned then, gesturing to both of them as he stared down at Peter, his eyes as cold as ice. “Maybe locking him in the attic isn’t such a bad idea after all.”

“Harry, I want you to go up to bed and get some rest,” Elise said softly. “You must be exhausted, and we can look after Peter.”

“I’m fine,” Harry muttered, running his fingers through his hair and looking almost as crazed as Peter now, his eyes bloodshot and his skin ghostly white.

“It wasn’t a question,” Elise said. “It was an order. You need to rest if you’re going to heal.”