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Juriah flattened his hands on his knees. “If I had a pack of people relying on me, I wouldn’t spend a penny on myself until everyone’s needs were met.”
“How generous of you.”
“It’s not generosity to be morally good.”
I stared at him blankly for a moment. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say that.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. I guess I never knew good people or something.”
He gripped his knee hard for a second, the fabric of his jeans crumbling and creaking under his touch until he let go. And then he took my hand. “You keep asking what I am. Galanthia told you we are Elderlings, but I gather that you don’t understand that term.”
I shook my head.
“I am a creature of magnificent strength. I have wings,” he stated slowly as he gestured to his back. “I can also control life force.”
My brows furrowed.
“I can suck life out of any living being,” he offered. I nearly yanked my hand away until he rushed to add, “Though I take no pleasure in it and would never intend to do that unless it was absolutely necessary.”
Something passed over his eyes. Was it a thought? A memory? An abrupt feeling? I knew too well how it felt to survive guilt, and his expression came damn close to reflecting those exact experiences. Maybe it was the wording. He spoke in an accentuated cadence that emphasized explanations. It could have merely been a translation issue.
“The language you spoke…” I nodded toward the kitchen. “Is that Elderling language?”
“I was speaking faster than you could understand.”
I chuckled nervously. “No kidding.”
“Why would I kid about something like that?”
“It’s just an expression. It means that I can’t believe it even though I experienced it for myself.”
He squinted at me for a moment, and then he nodded. “I see. I will add that to my collection of phrases.”
“So, you can fly. You can take life force. And you can…” I swallowed hard while picking through my words carefully. But there really wasn’t a subtle way to ask. “Can you read minds?”
A concentrated frown crossed his lips. He stared off for a while, clutching my hand the whole time, squeezing me like he was trying to tell me something silently. “I can communicate with my friends mentally.”
“Oh, so that’s why you were standing in a circle like that.”
“We were communicating about the protection spells, what kind of shifts we would have for monitoring the town, and what we were going to do next.”
I looked at our entwined fingers. “And whatareyou planning to do?”
“I’m planning to protect you, Macy.”
“Why?”
The sour way that word flew from my mouth stung my tongue. Bitterness came so easily. These people were protecting me. And for what? They were just inviting a wave of crap right onto their land and people. Percy would stop at nothing to recover his losses. I couldn’t speak of the underground trafficking ring, but I also couldn’t assume they didn’t want the same thing.
All of them were looking for me right now. I could feel it.
“You really don’t have to worry, Macy,” Juriah assured me, once again proving he had power beyond my comprehension. “You’re safe with me. I’ll always protect you.”
“Butwhy?”
I plucked my hand from his. Though it felt awful to lose his touch, I didn’t want to give him any more of my energy. And I was tired of him reading me. I was tired of him justknowingthings about me.
