"I thought—"
He stopped, swallowed, and tried again.
"I didn't know where you were. I didn't know if you were alive. Every time we found something that looked like a way forward, it led somewhere else."
His voice grew rougher.
"I kept thinking that...I might never see you again."
Raven said nothing.
Marcus pulled back just enough to examine her face.
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
"Are you certain?"
"Yes, Father."
He studied her carefully, searching for signs of injury that might have escaped his notice.
"Did anyone harm you?"
Raven's gaze shifted briefly toward the academy entrance.
Then she looked at him again.
"Not in the way you're imagining."
Marcus's expression hardened.
"What does that mean?"
"It means I'm here."
"Raven—"
"Father."
She placed a hand against his arm.
"I'm safe."
Marcus stared at her.
He wanted to ask a hundred questions.
