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“Then, I will help you clear your list and reclaim your name.”
With immense glee, Talon thought darkly.
He’d never been so fucking glad that he literally killed people for a living. If his unique gift and all the skills he’d amassed could help her find the vengeance she sought, he considered it well worth it.
Secret glanced back at him with a small smile that warmed his heart. That she was able to smile at all after everything she’d been through was a wonder to him. He promised himself to do whatever it took to give her reasons to do it more often. He wasn’t a man familiar with soft words and easy smiles, but he would become a fucking specialist at romance if that’s what it took to keep her happy.
“Your ability to control auras is very interesting. I have to ask, why do you force yourself to touch people before you make your kills?” she asked. “Does it help you read them better, or are you just punishing yourself by making it more personal?”
Surprised by her questions, his brows furrowed. “I have to touch someone in order for my ability to work.”
She slowly shook her head. “No, you don’t. In every memory that I saw, your ability started working as soon as your aura touched theirs. Not when you touched their skin. Physically, you were still a few inches away. Does the distance make it harder to control?”
Talon started to say that he didn’t have an aura, but he knew that wasn’t true. Of course, he did. He just couldn’t see his own the way he saw everyone else’s. It struck him just how foolish his assumption had been. His only excuse was he’d never been able to talk to anyone about his ability before. At least, not to someone who could actually see and understand what he could do.
Sure, his mother could see auras, but not the same way he could. He’d altered his siblings’ emotions in front of her several times, but she hadn’t noticed anything but the slight change in their auras’ colors. It wasn’t like he was going to kill someone in front of her just to see if she could observe it.
“Can you really see my aura?”
“I can’t right now, but in your memories, I could. You can’t see it?”
He shook his head. “My mother told me that my aura looked a little different. But I really didn’t think anything of it since I couldn’t see it myself. I guess I sort of forgot it’s there.”
“It looks like mine. Actually, it’s pretty much identical. When we met, our auras sort of merged together. At least, that’s what I saw in your memory of that moment.”
“How is that possible when I can’t see it?”
She shrugged. “I guess the memories I see aren’t just what you remember. It’s more of a replay of what really happened. I don’t know if that makes sense, but that’s the only way I can describe it.”
“I get it. What most people consider a memory can be skewed or influenced by their interpretation. What you see is an actual recollection of an event or experience.”
“That sounds about right.” She covered a yawn with one hand, then shook her head as if trying to shake off her fatigue. “Do you think—hey!”
Talon scooped her into his arms and carried her back into her bedroom. “I can feel how tired you are. We can talk about all of this more later. Right now, you need to sleep.”
He gently placed her down on the bed and brushed some hair away from her face. He started to pull away, then let out a breathless laugh when she grabbed his arm and pulled him down next to her.
“You haven’t slept since we boarded,” she accused in a sleepy mumble. “Go to sleep. I still have questions you need to answer, but that can wait until we wake up.”
Since her eyes were already closed, he let himself grin. If she thought he was going to argue about getting to sleep on the same bed as her, she was dead wrong. The fact that she now felt safe enough with him to be at her most vulnerable meant he’d done the right thing about opening his mind to her.
“There’s no rush,” he whispered. “We have nothing but time now.”
Talon waited for a response, but she had already drifted off. He wished he could reach out and touch her, but he didn’t want to risk waking her and having her reach for one of those wicked blades on her nightstand. A little scuffle might be fun, but she needed rest more than amusement at the moment.
Lifting the covers, he tucked them around her before settling back down beside her. He studied her relaxed expression, loving her more with every breath she took. He’d been attracted to her the moment he saw her, but now he understood the real power of fated mates.
Now that he’d seen the parts of her life that she kept hidden from everyone, he knew she was truly beautiful inside and out. Destiny had chosen the perfect female for him, but what he felt for her was so much more than just a predestined connection.
Secret was everything to him.
And now that he’d found her, he’d do whatever it took to keep her safe.
Chapter Six
It took threemore days for Secret to completely recover from her bout of space sickness. She and Talon had spent most of that time getting to know one another between her frequent naps. They talked and shared stories over meals, bonded over their similar experiences, amused each other with anecdotes of when they were young, and discussed plans for the future.
They’d talked through strategies of how to handle the takedown of the slavers on Beta Station 4, and how to rescue the captives being held at other locations. They had also shared memories again a few times to try to figure out exactly how his ability worked.
