“I’m ordering you to answer, squad leader.” Xaden doesn’t even spare me a glance. Dain swallows, his eyes slamming shut. “No. I wouldn’t have.” My heart hits the ground. I’ve always known deep down that Dain valued rule and order more than relationships, more than me, but to have it so cruelly displayed cuts deeper than Tynan’s sword. Xaden scoffs. Dain immediately jerks his head toward mine. “It would have killed me to watch something happen to you, Vi, but the rules—” “It’s all right,” I force out, touching his shoulder, but it isn’t.
