His hands curl into fists on his knees, like keeping them there takes effort.
“Name five things you see,” Akasha says gently from somewhere nearby.
I fucking hate grounding exercises.I really fucking hate that they work.
“The bar,” I force out, and Knox nods once.“The lights.”My voice shakes.“Ari’s boots.Blood on Knox’s face.”My gaze drops.“The collar.”
Knox flinches.
“Four things you feel,” Akasha says.
“My sweater.The floor.My nails.”I swallow.“Fear.”
“That counts,” Ari whispers.
“Three things you hear.”
“Traffic.Cruz swearing under his breath.”A wet laugh breaks through my panic.“Knox breathing.”
His eyes soften, and I hate how much I like that.
“Two things you smell.”
“Smoke.”My gaze holds his.“Rain.”
His throat works.
“One thing you know,” Akasha says.
My eyes move to the collar, then back to Knox.I pull in a breath, a real one.
“It’s not on me.”Silence pushes down around me.
Then Ari exhales, as if she has been holding her breath for years.
Knox closes his eyes, but only for a second.When he opens them, something in him is different.Not calmer, he is never calm.But focused.Deadly.Useful.
I wipe my cheeks with the heel of my hand before anyone can notice tears, but I know everyone notices.
No one says anything.
Smart monsters.
I straighten slowly.Knox rises with me but keeps space between us.My legs wobble once, and I choose to pretend they don’t.
Aldron looks at Krishka.“Can it be destroyed?”
“Yes,” she says.“But carefully.If broken wrong, it may alert whoever made it.”
“Then break it right,” I say.
All eyes turn to me.I look at the silver collar until the shaking in my hands settles into something colder.
“They want me wearing it tomorrow night,” I say, and Knox makes a sound of protest.I lift one hand.“I am not wearing it.”His mouth snaps shut.“But they think I will be scared of it.”I step closer to the box.“They think sending this makes them powerful.”
Krishka smiles slowly.“You want to use it.”
“I want to make them think it worked.”
