“Usually, I would say yes. But right now? I don’t know how to answer it.”
He crouches beside me, careful not to touch without invitation. All of his actions give me little clues that make me wonder how many people he’s killed since he’s been in the Bay.
“I think I crossed a line today,” I admit finally. “Not morally. I don’t care about that. I mean… personally.”
Silas is quiet for long enough that I know he’s listening, not calculating a response because he thinks I need to be repaired.
“I’ve killed people,” I continue. “A lot of them. But it’s been years since I killed someone because they came for something that was mine.”
“And that feels different,” he guesses, the corner of his lip twitching. “That ethical line between business and personal.”
“Yes.” I snort at his double meaning. “It’s not worse, but it is… louder? That’s the only word I’ve got for it right now.”
“You haven’t changed,” he acknowledges gently. “You showed us a part of you without asking for permission that you didn’t need to begin with.”
I glance at him. “Is that supposed to be reassuring?”
“It is to me.” He tips his head as if he’s conceding the point. “I, for one, am thrilled the problem is solved.”
“You?” I question with a bit too much sarcasm. “You’rethrilled? That’s the word you’re going with?”
“If you didn’t do it, I was going to do it. And I am not as in the know as you are when it comes to hiding bodies in the Bay. So thrilled.” He raises a brow, oozing sarcasm back at me. “Thrilled it’s done. Thrilled it’s gone. Thrilled it’s over. Not thrilled you had to step up and do it, but I am grateful for your intervention.”
I give him a small smile and sigh as I ask, “Do you think they fear me now? Or does murder make the heart grow fonder?”
Silas doesn’t answer right away, though he does match my smile like the questions are some kind of inside joke. “If they are, it’s not the kind of fear that makes people leave.”
“I’m not scared,” Jace says as he comes into the hallway.
I guess sound travels in the converted warehouse because we weren’t talking loudly.
Jace stands a few feet back, arms crossed over his chest, eyes locked on me like I might vanish if he looks away. Kieran is with him, hands in his pockets, expression unreadable in that way that means he’s already made up his mind.
“Watching you today didn’t makemerethinkyou.” Jace steps closer, crouching on my other side. “It clarified you, and it made me rethink why I let the situation last as long as it did.”
“That’s called pride,” Silas whispers to me, covering his mouth as if that will keep it between the two of us.
I roll my eyes, and Jace shoves his shoulder. Silas loses his balance, landing on his ass beside me.
“Admiration,” Kieran adds, shaking his head at the guys. “And relief.”
I frown. “Relief?”
“That if someone ever comes for you again, they won’t get another chance,” he clarifies. “We’re not saying we’re morally healthy, but if you think for a second that we’re going to flinch away because you showed us what you’re capable of… Don’t. We’re all monsters here. Maybe different types, but that doesn’t stop us from wanting to be with someone who doesn’t make us hide it.”
Jace runs a hand through his platinum hair. “We may have crossed a few lines too.”
I raise a brow at him, and he grins.
“There will be no flinching here.” Silas looks at each of us. “And no hiding.”
Jace nods. “If anything, we’re recalibrating to the new reality.”
“What new reality?” I ask.
“The one we woke up in today, the reality where we now know you’re not just someone we want to protect,” Kieran explains. “You’re someone who protects back.”
I blow out a breath, my throat tight as I let go of the stress. That feral thing inside me stops pacing the edges of its confinement, stretching languidly. And the knot I had disappears.
