Noctisardor Bypass yuljeda

That doesn’t excuse him, Druid pointed out gently. We don’t treat others like garbage just because of our pasts. Heda, you’ve been through things a hundred times worse than any of us and you’re still full of grace toward everyone, even men like Anselm and Glaukos.

She returned the squeeze, taking a moment to reflect on the particulars of her long discussion with Etienne. There were things she couldn’t mention, but many more she could.

For starters, Anselm takes Etienne for granted. He’s not the only one—I’m guilty of it, myself—but Etienne cares for Anselm a great deal and he thinks Anselm hardly cares about him. You know, he mentioned Anselm’s past too, how he’s been hurt. But that doesn’t give him the right to hurt others, Druid repeated.

She paused to mull again, paw still clasped with her sister’s. Etienne thought Anselm felt strongly about Heda. “Perhaps ‘love’ is wrong…” he’d corrected himself, before producing, “Infatuated.” He was clearly open to sleeping with Heda—Druid grimaced a little at the mental image—but it sounded like he wasn’t very good at actual relationships.

Druid wanted to tell Heda that apparently Etienne thought he was capable of great violence if he found out the truth about his friend. Apparently he made nasty remarks about Etienne’s grandmothers. But she couldn’t tell her sister these things, without betraying the Oak. Her lips pulled into a moue of frustration.

I just know you can do better. You deserve better, she insisted, tone still gentle but growing more emphatic. She let out a blustering breath before concluding, And take it from me: just because he fathered your kids doesn’t mean you have to end up with him.