ravaged hearts

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN,

RAVAGED HEARTS | CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  THE TWINS LEFT first, and then the three late coming agents. Io stayed, so did Louis, as with Rhys and Constanza.

  They had something else to discuss.

  "So," Rhys murmured, "about the prince."

  "He's not top priority. Yet. But he can't be allowed to go free either. Too risky. We need to get him into custody," Io announced.

  "He couldn't have gone that far," Constanza supplied. "We keep one eye out for him through all this as well. But he's nowhere as important as the Falcons."

  "He doesn't think I'll go after him," Io said. "That's one advantage we have on our side. He wouldn't be expecting it, he thinks I'll let him go free."

  "But you won't."

  "If you let him go, something like this will happen again. He's too important. I'll hurl him back to Sai, they'll put him under house arrest and it saves us a damned lot of trouble."

  Rhys gave a little smile. "You have this all figured out. And you know what? For once it might actually go with your plan. Rare for that to happen, eh?"

  "I'm someone used to improvisation," Io admitted. "But this one... this isn't just any mission to me. This is personal."

  Constanza snapped her fingers. "You saying any personal mission you take ten thousand times more seriously? Not the work ethic to go with, Mi."

  "Oh, shut it," Io huffed. Louis snorted, shaking his head as he stood.

  "We should track him still. For now, at least, especially since we need to wait for the reinforcements to arrive again before launching any kind of attack on the Falcons. Two of us on the prince, two of us watching the base?"

  They all exchanged looks."Sounds good."

  Io said, "Put me on my father. As I said, it's personal. And I know him best among all of us."

  Constanza began, "I'll go–"

  Rhys interjected. "Louis, you go with Io. Wiccai with human, Saian with Meliquean. You and me too, Constanza. A bit of diversity." She gave a mysterious little smile that Io was usually unable to decipher. But from her experience it usually meant that not all was what it seemed. In this case, though?

  The bitch was trying to give them a chance to be alone, for them to talk, because Rhys wasn't blind and either Asteria or Danna must have let slip something in the past seven years. Goddamnit. Constanza looked a bit indignant at the suggestion, probably having reached the same conclusion. Louis gave Rhys a weak smile.

  Io rubbed her forehead. "Alright."

  "You don't sound pleased with the arrangement." Rhys' brow creased. "Everything alright?"

  Io shrugged, faking a face of nonchalance. "Perfectly fine. Just a tad bit tired, that's all."

  "Huh." The sound was soft but the meaning behind it was clear. Doubt. And a sense of knowing. Sometimes, she really wanted to punch Rhysa Jiang in the face. Now most especially, Io decided, clenching her fists before releasing them and sucking in a breath.

  Noticing her sudden state of fluster, Rhys smirked.

  Bitch. She retaliated by slanting Rhys her deadest, coldest glare, to which Rhys simply tilted her head.

  Constanza stood and excused herself.

  Louis stayed, because he was an idiot and didn't realise that it was his last chance of leaving this encounter alive and unscathed. Because when Rhysa Jiang and Iolanthe Mi started a battle like this, someone was going to get caught up in the crossfire.