“I sent her, yes,” Indira said. Her voice sank lower still, even as her shoulders raised. “Her and Will both. And...I hoped that she would be a useful assistant to you. I hoped-”
“Don’t lie to me again,” Owl snapped. “Olivia was here to get inside my defenses. Sent by you.”
“I didn’t tell her to do what she did.” Indira’s voice cracked out, suddenly-fervent. “I never…” Her eyes flicked up, hard-set and intense. “I did not put her up to that, Librarian. I’ve...She told me what she did, and it was not my intention.”
“But-”
“Did I want her to help strengthen our alliance?” Indira said, jerking her chin to the side. “Yes. Of course. And I told you as much, Librarian.”
“Then why-”
“And if that alliance came in the form of you seeking comfort in her arms?” Indira’s lips twitched, flickering into a crooked smile. “I would have been happy. For you, for her, and for us. Nothing would have brought me more joy.”
Owl stopped, his next retort fading away. She was...she was just so honest about it all. So up front. He’d spent a lot of time alone over the years, but he’d worked hard to learn how to read people, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t see a lie in her. “Just like that?” he said at last. “That’s your reply? That it wasn’t you, but you’d have been okay with it if it happened?”
She pulled her hands free at last, spreading them wide. “Comfort is never a bad thing, Librarian,” she said quietly. “And I believe that you’re more in need of an ally than most.”
He stared at her a moment longer. Her words spun around and around in his head, the perfect accompaniment to the confusion that seethed higher with every second. He was supposed to be angry. She was supposed to be the villain—only, when she came in claiming everything outright...It took the wind out of his sails as surely as if someone had reached over and slapped him.
“I’m not a slab of meat,” he said at last, each word icy. “You know where the door is. See yourself out.”
Twisting hard, he spun on his heel and stalked back toward-
“It would be a pity to see things end here,” Indira said.
Owl stopped. His jaw pulsed, aching to grind his teeth together. He half-turned back, glancing over his shoulder at her. “I agree,” he said. “But that was your choice. Don’t get mad at me when-”
“I told you before,” Indira said. “When I sent Olivia to you, I was hopeful that it would be the start of something...more. Something meaningful.”
His temper simmered higher. “So you were-”
“I am not referring to your intimate life,” Indira said. “I would not presume to interfere with you as a person, with your life beyond these walls. And yet…”
She stopped, cocking her head to one side. A strand of ebon hair slipped free, dropping across one eye. “I believe that we have much we can offer each other,” she said softly. “Let’s not let Olivia’s brash decision ruin that, hmm?”
Owl stared at her, but she didn’t move, didn’t so much as blink. That confidence of hers was back, stronger than ever.
She’s plotting again, his thoughts whispered. Send her away. Don’t listen to her. She’s played one trick already. The second time, you can’t say you didn’t expect it.
That was the logical side of him thinking. But the rest of him slowed, pausing in its rampant charge.
She was already here.
He might as well hear her out. He could kick her through the front door just as soon as she was done—and then he’d know what she was planning. What she was up to.
And so Owl sat back on his heels, digging his fingers so tightly into his coat that it hurt. “Fine,” he said, biting back the words to keep from snapping. “What are you talking about? Spit it out.”
Indira smiled, just a little. A light returned to her eyes, whatever reservations still lingered on her face. She lifted her chin, holding his gaze steadily.
“I have a proposal for you,” she said.
Owl stared.
Indira stared back, cool and collected.
“Excuse me?” he said at last. “You have-”
“A proposal,” she said. “Yes. If you would hear me out.”
He shouldn’t. He should walk away right then and there. Her guild wasn’t trustworthy, and neither was she. If she was hanging around because she wanted something else, then that was all he needed to know. Get out, he should say.
But she was here.
“Go on,” was what he said instead, refusing to move even a single inch. “I’m not sure why you think I need anything from you, but-”
“Your situation is unfair,” Indira said. He stopped. She smiled thinly, and again, the weariness of her seemed more obvious than ever. “It’s true. I said it before. What happened to you was unforgivable.”
“And it’s my issue to deal with, so-”
“We want to help you.”
Again, Owl stopped. She seemed just as confident as before, just as determined, but what she was saying...it didn’t make any sense. “Excuse me?” he managed.
Indira shook her head. “You couldn’t have chosen this life properly. It’s impossible. You were too young, and-”
“I know all that already.” Owl snapped. “Indira, what are you talking about?”
For the first time, her perfectly-composed mask wavered. She took a ragged sigh, squeezing her hands together more tightly. “I believe that we can help each other,” she said. “You deserve a choice. An option.” She smiled grimly. “A way out.”
His eyes narrowed. “And you think that you can help me?”
“Maybe,” Indira said, sliding forward as though drawn in. “I don’t- We can’t know until we try. But...my fellows want to know more about Alexandria. We’d need to learn more regardless if we’re to help you. And when it’s done?” Her smile turned crooked. “If we’re able to free you...we could find her a home. A host who
