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My lips tense. “I think it’s best if we part ways here. I’ve calmed you down, and you can return without hurting anyone. But it’s pretty apparent they don’t want me there.”
His brow creases as his eyes narrow. “You calmed me down?” he a
sks in a quiet, but angry tone.
Tensing, I study him, wondering if he’s already losing control. But all I see is just an angry man instead of a savage beast. Why is he mad at me?
“Yes. You were on the verge of hurting your friends. You couldn’t even speak. All you were doing was growling.”
“So you calmed me down,” he says yet again, his voice flat and devoid of any emotion.
“Yes,” I say once more, wondering why he feels the need to continue hearing it. Can he not tell he’s calmer?
“Right. Got it,” he says, that edge of anger in his tone becoming clearer as he steps back. “Thanks,” he adds curtly.
I’m confused by the hurt in his eyes, but before I can ask questions, he vanishes without another word. I try not to validate the pang of disappointment in my chest with any reaction, but I feel my lips tugging down and my body sagging.
What did I do wrong?
Drawing my knees to my body, I replay the conversation, yet nothing stands out. I hug myself, suddenly feeling stupid and lost. There’s that nagging ache in my chest now, and I hate it. I haven’t felt that ache in years. Not since I was ripped from my world and tossed in a cage, left to die or survive no matter what the cost.
Turns out the cost was my heart. I thought it was gone. But now it’s beating to a painful melody I don’t understand.
“A mortal witch?”
Slade’s sudden appearance startles me, and I squeal like a girl, which forces him to arch an eyebrow.
“How long have you been standing there?” I demand.
He can camouflage himself to blend in with any surroundings. It’s like having an invisibility cloak or something. A perk of the Gemini. It’s probably why we haven’t found his brother yet.
“Long enough to hear what you and he came up with, but not long enough to catch a show. You work well together when you’re bouncing theories off each other. I dare say you may be right, too. It’d explain most things, such as how they’d even know the ancient knowledge of the firsts.”
“Hell holds a lot of secrets, and the tortured souls that are burning for all eternity would bleed information for one ounce of reprieve,” I agree, covering myself a little better.
I hate being naked in front of people. It reminds me of the cages. Most of the time, we were forced to walk around naked, leaving us vulnerable. They wanted to strip us of everything, pride and dignity included.
Clothes suddenly appear on my body, and I breathe out in relief. “Thank you,” I say, standing as Slade nods in understanding.
“I tried calling you, but you didn’t answer, and your cell wouldn’t ping for a trace. Sorry. Got worried the Princess’s group had gotten you into trouble again.”
Sometimes I think Slade really cares.
“Last thing I need is to lose my best fighter so close to the endgame,” he adds, reminding me how I know he doesn’t truly care.
I don’t bother telling him my phone was burned to ash along with my clothes. I never felt it touching me, and I could have sworn only my hand was hit. Apparently the heat was stronger than I realized, and my clothes couldn’t endure.
I only glimpsed my sister and Dice, but their clothes were just charred. Why am I focusing on clothing right now?
“I need a new phone,” I tell him.
“Come. We need to research this better,” he tells me. “We’ll get you a phone too.”
“He knew more, but I didn’t get to ask him questions.”
His lips tense. “So I heard.”
At the risk of looking weak and pathetic, I sigh and quietly ask him, “What did I say wrong?”
