Page 17 of After the Burn

Ammo.

My hands moved automatically while my mind kept trying to go somewhere else entirely.

I felt more scared than angry, which pissed me off. No, I wasn’t making sense… when it came to Taryn, I rarely did.

Fucking brat.

She could have said something to me. I was worried, too. But like a child, she just up and left. Worse, she took Lila with her.

“You’re not going by yourself,” Ethan said from behind me, his voice rougher now, less angry and more desperate.

“Yes, I am.”

“The hell you are.” He stepped forward. “Lila’s out there, too.”

That stopped me for half a second. “I know,” I said tightly, understanding how he felt.

“No, I don’t think you do.” His voice cracked slightly. “She’s not built for this shit like Taryn is. We weren’t fortunate enough to gain the extra senses y'all did.”

I always felt a knot of guilt in my gut watching the unenhanced fight with things I found easy now.

Lila had adapted better than most people would have, but she was nowhere near Taryn’s level.

I shoved more ammunition into my pack harder than necessary. “She chose to go.”

“She chose Taryn,” Ethan snapped back immediately. “There’s a difference.”

I knew that was what pissed him off more than anything, and I didn’t blame him. Lila trusted Taryn enough to follow her into something dangerous without waking the rest of us. That showed devotion.

“Are you absolutely sure she didn’t mention anything to you?” I questioned Ethan.

He wasn’t known for his listening skills.

“Hell no! I would’ve forbidden it if she had.” He growled.

Forbidden?

The boy was a tool.

But I thought, perhaps a little hypocritically, that I would give anything to love a woman who was so easy to handle.

I paused… love… fuck no… I hated that brat.

Didn’t I?

I didn’t have time to worry about it now.

“I’m going, and I don’t give a shit what you say. You’re not my teacher anymore.” Ethan turned to head to his room to gather his things.

I bet the punk would give a shit if I punched him in the face.

I took a deep breath.

Woosah.

“You want the girls left here with nobody protecting them?” I snapped. “Because Lane can’t do it alone.”

He stopped in his tracks. “They’re not my responsibility!”