“Why didn’t you do more to stop it if you knew what was coming?” Asher asked.
Her fingers dug into her flesh. “I did the best I could; I told you not to return. Why didn’t you heed my warning? Why didn’tyoudo more to stop it?”
He flinched a little as his eyes fell to his hands before returning to her. “We assumed you were crazy.”
“That’s not my fault. If you had listened, then all your friends would still be alive.”
The truth of her words was more brutal than she’d anticipated, but there was no sugarcoating it. She was also exhausted and stressed. She’d experienced these visions for her whole life, and whenever she tried to use them to help someone, it always bit her in the ass.
She often used to feel like Cassandra of Troy, spouting her prophecies but never being believed until it all burned down around her. That was why she stopped trying to help anyone.
Once, there was a time when she tried to save people from the fate her visions bestowed on her. In return, all she got was a death sentence she barely managed to survive.
After that, she almost always kept her visions to herself as she’d vowed never to help someone with them again. Her centuries of restraint crumbled the day she saw Asher in the airport.
She’d taken it as a sign she was supposed to help him, and like all those centuries ago, her advice was wasted.
“Here you go,” Zina said as she breezed into the room. “I have cereal, no milk, and instant oatmeal.”
She set the bowls on the table in front of Asher, and Cabo strode over to untie one of his hands. Asher briefly contemplated trying to escape, but one free hand wouldn’t do him any good against them.
Besides, he was extremely curious about this woman, eager to learn more, and if they planned to kill him, he’d be dead. They could have easily washed their hands of him by leaving him behind with the Savages; instead, they’d made sure he stayed alive.
Leaning forward, he picked up the bowl of instant oatmeal. Steam still wafted from the top of it. He ignored the burning sensation against his fingertips as he set it in his lap and stirred the spoon through the soupy mix of water and oats. He was too famished to care if it was too hot.
“So now what?” he asked as Zina left the room again.
She returned a few seconds later with four mugs clasped carefully in her hands. At least some of those mugs contained blood; its coppery scent wafted on the air as she walked. She set a cup of water in front of him and gave two of the others to Cabo and Brie.
“What do you mean, now what?” Cabo asked.
“What do you intend to do with me?” Asher retorted.
“Keep you until we’re done,” Brie said. “We can’t have you causing problems.”
“Done with what?”
“Trying to save the world,” Zina said in an ominous voice that caused Brie and Cabo to roll their eyes.
Intrigued by her words, Asher inquired, “Save it from what?”
“You know what,” Brie retorted. “The Savages and demons, just like you. Playing dumb makes you less attractive.”
Asher quirked an eyebrow at this. So, they had the same mission as him, but what didtheyplan to do to stop the threat? Plus, she’d said something else that piqued his interest.
“You find me attractive?” he inquired.
Brie could have kicked herself for her words, but she refused to let him see how rattled and mortified she was by them as she took a sip of blood. She could feel Cabo’s and Zina’s gazes boring into her.
“Hardly,” she snorted, but she didn’t think she was fooling anyone.
CHAPTEREIGHT
Asher was still tryingto process this possible revelation and trying not to grin when Brie slapped her hands off her knees and rose.
“I have something I have to do,” she stated.
“I’ll take first watch with him,” Cabo said.
