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Maybe that means I’ve always been one of them.

Because, if this is true, it means I’m not fully human, right? If my parents were still alive, I could ask them about it.

As a baby, did they notice me doing strange things in my crib? Was I really even theirs?

Strange visions of them finding me at the side of the road, or on their doorstep on a stormy night, flit through my mind.

I stand in the exact spot where I fell, looking down at the slightly muddy ground. There’s no sign of what happened – no blood, no trace of Trent’s body. Lucien must have cleaned up after I fell asleep. Or had someone else do it.

The sun is higher now, bright enough that shadows are faint under the trees. I extend my hand, feeling utterly ridiculous as I try to summon darkness in the middle of a sunny morning.

Nothing happens, of course. Even when I wiggle my fingers and curl them tauntingly, towards the shadows beneath the trees the way witches do in movies.

I glance back at the mansion. I want to ask Lucien to help me understand, but I’m still reeling from the rest of his confession.

I don’t know whether it makes me feel safer or violated to think that he’s been watching me all this time. That he knew me before I’d even seen his face. That it was him behind the emails at the shop. Him who gave me the job. Him who protected me from Steven.

I’m about to turn back when movement beyond the gate catches my eye. Someone is approaching from the outside. As they draw closer, I realise it’s Kim.

He stops short when he sees me, surprise evident on his face even from this distance. “Luna?” He sounds genuinely shocked. “What are you doing out here by yourself?”

I approach the gate but maintain a cautious distance. I want to feel safe around him but, after what Lucien told me, I’m beginning to think the only person I can rely on is myself. “I needed some air.”

Kim’s eyes dart past me toward the mansion. “Does Lucien know you’re out here?”

“I told him I needed some time alone.”

Kim nods, running a hand through his already dishevelled hair. “Lucien is going to lose his mind when he finds you gone.”

“We’ve already done that,” I tell him. “I ran, he flipped out, brought me back.” I adjust my glasses, then take them off so I can pinch the bridge of my nose. We both do that, I’ve noticed; Kim and I. “Then we... talked.”

“Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” Kim chuckles, but I don’t laugh back.

“He told me about The Covenant.”

Kim’s eyes widen. He bites his lower lip, then he jangles the gate and looks up at the high walls. “Can you let me in? I feel like this is a conversation we need to have without bars in the way. And I need to talk to Lucien, too. It’s important. I tried Trent but⁠—”

“I don’t think Trent will be answering today,” I mutter before gesturing to the locked gate. “I don’t have a key or anything.”

Kim tilts his head, then rubs his hands together, grins at me, and backs up a few paces. “Only one thing for it, then.” He takes a running start and begins scaling the wall. He’s surprisingly agile for someone who looks like they should be working in an accounting firm. In seconds, he’s at the top, swinging his legs over and dropping down beside me with a soft thud.

“Nice climbing skills,” I say, impressed despite myself.

“You pick up a few things in this line of work. But it’s my going down skills you should be impressed by.” He meets my gaze for a split second before laughing and shaking his head. “Sorry, I don’t know where that came from. Sometimes I forget you belong to Lucien—” He stops talking, brushes dirt from his hands, then looks at me more carefully.

“I don’t belong to anyone.” I meet his eyes and hold his gaze for a moment.

“Still,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. “Forget I said that. Why won’t Trent be answering?” He quirks his eyebrows and grins. “Did he finally get fired?”

“Something like that.” I look back at the spot where he pinned me to the ground. “When I ran, Trent came after me.” I rub my arm. “He tried to kill me. Lucien stopped him. Permanently, if you know what I mean.”

“Shit.” Without hesitating, Kim pulls me in for a hug.

His arms feel good around me.

Safe.

Warm.