Narrowed eyes, Oswin watched every move he made. She was semi-relieved to know Vita Nova was still here, but it was chased by dread to think her sister was with this individual. If he’d ever so much as harmed her sister in any way, Oswin would give him hell to pay. Even thinking it – making him guilty in her mind and judging him immediately – made her blood boil.

“That’s the thing with me,” she said with a dry smile and a lift of her chin, eyes flashing. “You didn’t give me anything but a reason to come back and make your life hell.”

Oswin hadn’t realized this was the stallion who Nova lived with, but now the little she could remember from their conversation all that time ago clicked like puzzle pieces falling perfectly together. She hadn’t realized he lived here in the Desert, but she wasn’t going to give any leeway to him thinking he knew more than her.

With anger lending to overconfidence, Oswin took a pointed step toward him, ears turned back. She spat her threats which followed. “You’re exactly the type of scum on these islands I’m going to protect everyone from and that starts with my sister. I’m going to find her, I’m going to tell her about the day you tracked me down and attacked me, and then I’m going to make sure she’s as far away from you as possible.”

The muscles of her skin felt tight, coiled, just waiting for an excuse to unwind. It was stupid, of course, but Oswin wasn’t about to stop and think things through. Clearly he’d have the upper hand once more, especially seeing as how they were on his turf and he certainly understood Salem’s elements far better than she could, but Oswin was convinced he was public enemy number one and she was the one who could teach him a lesson about it.