Whatever problems Anna has, they’re small beans compared to the complaints and worries of the refugees fleeing Weyland. ‘Ever since I was wounded by that assassin inside Midsburg,’ said Anna, ‘Owen’s treated me like I’m a porcelain heirloom. Far too valuable to put in harm’s way.’ ‘He’s just worried about you,’ said Willow. She had a feeling that almost losing Anna had awakened the prince’s true feelings for his long-term companion. And about time, too. Of course, it wasn’t just Anna’s wounds that had nearly taken the woman away from the prince. Jacob Carnehan had kidnapped Anna and used the threat of making sure Owen never saw her again to force the prince to abandon the rebels’ doomed last-ditch stand at Midsburg. Anna shook her head, angrily. ‘It’s insulting is what it is. I was the one who kept Owen alive in the sky mines, and after that, when we escaped to Weyland. Without me, Owen’s true identity would have been betrayed a dozen times over to the Vandians.’ ‘I understand all about being treated with kid gloves,’ said Willow, rubbing her heavy, relentless belly.
