Julian's face went through several expressions in rapid succession. Shock. Confusion. A brief flash of hope. Then calculation.
"Take Monica," he said quickly. Too quickly. "She's been a liability since the incident. Traumatized. Can barely hold her weapon anymore. But Celeste stays. She's the VHC legacy. The President's sister. She's too valuable to—"
"You want me to take the girl you used as a meat shield?"
Julian flinched.
"That's not doing me a favor, Julian. That's doing you one. Monica saw everything. Monica knows exactly what you did. Every time she looks at you, she remembers. Getting rid of her solves your problem, not mine."
"Then what—"
"No." I leaned forward, elbows on my knees. "Monica is non-negotiable. I'm taking her because she deserves better than you. She deserves a guild that won't throw her to the wolves the moment things get hard."
Julian's mouth opened and closed. No sound came out.
"And I'm taking Celeste."
