“If she’s head of security, does that give her authority over Kael?” Cami asks, saving me from having to do so. She pauses, then clarifies, “He is your leader, right?”

Keeda shakes her head. “We don’t really have an official leader. Not anymore. But given his family, everyone does look to Kael for leadership. So I guess in a way, that puts him above Arryn. But their relationship is based on mutual respect. Our survival depends on them both.”

I mull over the word “relationship,” wondering if there’s more between Kael and Arryn than I’ve yet seen. Before I can ask, he rejoins us in the cabin, his phone in hand and his face as stony as Arryn’s was when she summoned him.

“Everything okay?” I ask. I’m close enough to see that he’s in the middle of a text conversation, but before I can try to glean more, he shoots off a final message and blackens his screen. I tentatively reach out and touch his arm, and he looks up, his features clearing.

“Of course, princess,” he says, covering my hand with his before releasing me again. “Everything’s peachy.”

If he’s calling me “princess” and using words like “peachy,” then everything with Arryn must have been sorted out. At least to the point that Cami and I aren’t about to be thrown overboard.

“How long, Keeds?” Kael asks.

“Five minutes, give or take,” she replies, squinting through the glass toward the approaching city lights. “We’re going faster than the limit, but we need to be careful not to get caught by a patrol. It’s already going to be tight thanks to how long it took us to debate over Liana’s vision, and while I could get us out of trouble, we shouldn’t risk that kind of holdup.”

“Keep us going as quick as you can, but avoid any complications,” Kael agrees. To me, he gives a jerk of his chin toward the back of the yacht and says, “A moment?”

I trail after him with Cami following, but when Kael turns and notices her, he says, “Just Alyssa.”

I can’t read his tone. It sounds casual, relaxed, but there’s something brimming between the two of them that I don’t understand. Some reason why he won’t hold her gaze for any length of time. Cami, too, seems uncertain.

“I’ll be right back,” I murmur to her, and when she catches my eyes as if to make sure I’m okay, I give a quick, subtle nod. Despite his strange behavior tonight and his frustrating absence since I awoke, he’s still Kael. We had a rocky start, what with him kidnapping me and all, but we’re good now, our friendship strong—enough that I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Once we’re alone on the back deck, the frigid sea air causes goose bumps to rise on my skin, and I pull my jacket tighter around me. The yacht’s lighting is more focused toward the front, so I only have the moonlight and the glow of the nearing city to help me see Kael’s features as he leans over the railing, looking into the night.