“The Equinox is not as evil as the press would have you believe, Seph.”
“They are killing people!”
“And the Light Council isn’t?” His voice sharpened. “And what about what happened toyou, Seph?”
“To… me?”
“The tests. The treatments. The constant experiments. Do you think it’s right, what your father does? What he did to you?”
I looked away, throat tight.
“What if you’re wrong though? What if all those years of experiments were meant to fix this—this void inside me?”
“Do you really believe you need fixing?”
“Of course I do, Kieran! I can barely touch anyone for more than a few seconds without panicking that I’ll steal their goddamn soul! Look what happened to Ollie!”
Kieran shook his head fiercely.
“Ollie was a misogynistic bastard who preyed on girls half his size. But Seph—that wasn’tyouhurting him. That was your power reacting to protect you.”
He leaned closer, eyes bright with conviction, not madness.
“What you carry… it’s not a curse. Not to me. It’s the one thing the Council can’t control. The one thing that could turn the tide. If people saw what you could do—if everyone understood what youare—we could save people. Real people. Families who are disappearing. Kids who never come home.”
He exhaled, trembling slightly.
“Seph… you could change everything.”
I stared at him.
At the hope burning in his eyes.
At the way he looked at me like I was salvation.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
Wrong.
Something cold slid down my spine.
He didn’t see the cost.
Not yet.
Sy stepped up the path, his arm full of fresh rabbits. He stopped when he saw us sitting there, his expression sharpening into something unreadable.
“Am I interrupting?” he asked mildly—but his gaze was all blades.
I jumped to my feet, suddenly desperate to put distance between myself and Kieran.
“Let me help,” I blurted, already moving toward Sy.
He nodded but didn’t look away from Kieran.
Not even once.
