"One of my dad’s men," I lie smoothly. She wasn’t afraid of my marks, but if she finds out about a giant water dragon? She might actually lose her mind.
"You wish,"Myko grumbles, but I ignore him.
"That bastard," Pedro mutters, staring at his phone. "He’s still in the room? Why hasn’t he left yet?"
"That’s Tatiana. That’s why she takes VIPs—they never want to leave." Roran shrugs.
I turn fully to look at her. My shirt swallows her, and I think I just found my new favorite shirt—her favorite shirt.
The faint scars on her legs are barely visible under those skin-like tights, and suddenly, I’m jealous of cheap polyester.
Pedro glares at me with judgment. "At leastshedid her job and stuck to the plan."
I roll my eyes.
"Let’s go." He slams his door after he leaves the car, leaving only the two of us.
I glance back at Roran—she’s still holding my phone. When she leans forward to set it on my lap, I jerk back.
No contact. Not now. She messes with my control too much.
The scent ofmeon her body tightens something in my chest.
"Don’t worry," she says softly, "I grew up surrounded by secrets and violence. I already promised I won’t interfere with what you..." she gestures at me vaguely, "...do. I won’t ask questions."
I never even asked her to keep quiet. I usuallyerasethe people who see too much.
But Roran’s staying. This probably won’t be the last time she sees me like this.
I just nod.
We step out and head toward my father’s car. He’s leaning against the door, talking to Pedro and Mariano.
Bay, Chris, Kayla, and Onyx stand nearby—Onyx clinging to Bay like a terrified shadow.
She hates the surface. Hates noise, cars, people. She’s scanning the alley like it’s a battlefield. And yet she bonded withMorvakar—a chaos-born beast who follows no god. Guess they really do bond with their opposites.
Makes me wonder what my aunt was like before bonding with Myko. They’re too alike now to separate them.
The other men stay inside their cars ahead, waiting for instructions.
"I feel like your dad wants to choke me dead," Roran mutters, stepping close, whispering in my ear. "He brought all these people here because of me."
I step away instantly, pulse jumping. Few marks on my hand start glowing again, so I shove it into my pocket.
"Oh shit. Sorry. I won’t get close again," she stammers, stepping back.
And in that moment, I’ve never hated who—and what—I am more than I do now. My fingers twitch around the pendant of Sur-El in my pocket.
"He’s not mad at you. He’s mad at me. I barged into the VIP room after he warned me not to." And here I find myself explaining again.
"Oh," she says, looking everywhere but at me.
Yeah.Oh.
That about sums it up. “Now we wait.”
Roran
