Page 52 of Elven Crown

“Good.” Rebecca nodded. “As long as he’s got the all-clear to return to field ops.”

“Zida set me loose yesterday,” Titus clarified.

“Then it looks like we’re getting the old team back together for another shot at these griybreki. Everyone in the garage armory in fifteen minutes for a full briefing. Hannigan, if there’s anyone else you think would be an asset for this one, bring them too.”

The shifter nodded, making a clear effort to ignore Rowan as he turned away from the secondary armory and stomped down the hall. When no one else followed him, he let out a sharp whistle and barked, “That means move!”

The members of her old team scrambled away from the doorway to gather their things before racing out of the secondary armory, one by one, to prepare for the upcoming briefing down below.

Nyx disappeared with a burst of violet light and purple sparks, while the others had to travel on foot, but no one complained.

Rebecca watched them hurry down the hallway, giving herself a moment to sit with the overwhelming relief surrounding her now.

She’s successfully diffused the growing tension and gotten everyone’s focus back on track, without much incident at all.

No one had gotten hurt.

The other operatives in the secondary armory returned to cleaning their weapons, filling the room with a low murmur of their conversations.

Her relief soured, though, the second Rowan stepped up beside her.

His next chuckle sounded weighed down by frustration. Most likely because all his hard work had fizzled out into an anticlimactic resolution when he’d clearly been trying to start something.

She still couldn’t bring herself to look at him.

“I’m impressed,” he murmured before shaking out his hand again—the same hand Maxwell had caught and used to throw the elf across the hallway. “Shifter really packs a punch. In more ways than one.”

“He did warn you. Twice. That’s more chances than I would’ve given you.”

“Well how many chances do I get?” he asked.

Feeling far more in control of herself now, she turned to look him in the eye.

There was his stupid smirk again.

“Because you still owe me that conversation,” Rowan added. “Which is the whole reason I’m here.”

A scowl darkened Rebecca’s features before she could think of anything to say.

After the way he’d just acted, he was still on about this damn conversation he wanted?

Aware of the other operatives still in the secondary armory, Rebecca fought against the almost irresistible urge to tear him a new one before continuing to pretend she was nothing more than Shade’s commander. Who had never met RowanBlackmoon before his arrival the other night, just like everyone else.

“I don’t owe you a fucking thing,” she snapped. “Stop acting like a child and finish cleaning your weapon.”

Rowan sniggered. “Please. It would be so much easier to just arm up with the Hakalini’ir Battalion’s bows than taking apart such primitive technology. We’re not even improving it. It’s just toclean. Is this your master plan, then? Wasting everyone’s time?”

Ancestors help her.

She wasthisclose to taking everything out on him, because he wasn’t making this easy on her. Her strained patience and finicky temper didn’t appreciate it, either.

Instead, Rebecca pointed at the open door and muttered, “Shut up and get back to work.”

Then she stormed off down the hallway. Anything less than that would have only given Rowan another opportunity to defy her and push all the buttons he could get his hands on. Not just hers, either, but Maxwell’s too. And anyone else’s he could reach once he started poking around.

Right now, she was done with him.

In no way did she want Rowan to think this private conversation he wanted so badly was ever going to happen. It never would, if she had her way.

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