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Note to self: keep extra deodorant and conditioner in their rooms for times like this.
“Okay... and then what?” Sam rotated his hand in an “out with it” gesture.
“Um, are we just going to gloss over the fact that I’m a literal murderer?” I was flabbergasted by their lack of reaction. How were they not freaking the fuck out right now?
“Fury, we know you well enough by now to know that if you killed someone, there was a good reason for it. So what happened?” Remy’s gaze was gentle, but it only made me feel worse. They were so ready to write off the fact that I had killed people, so sure I was in the right just because they cared about me.
And so I told them. I told them about the younger man being beaten, I told them about the four of them threatening me, and I told them how I hadn’t meant to do it, but it hadn’t stopped me from claiming those lives.
“Well, it’s a good thing you killed them. Saves me the trouble of having to go find them and do it myself.” Sam, my happy-go-lucky, always smiling joker, was deadly serious. That ferocity that dwelled deep within him rose to the surface. I didn’t see it frequently, but it was just as ominous as Varon on his scariest day.
“You were protecting yourself. Who knows what they would’ve done to you? You were outnumbered, and if not for your ability, you might be gone.” Darrio reached forward and placed a hand on my knee. “I’m glad you did it. If you’re ever in another situation like that, you’d better do it again.”
“But they had lives, families, and now no one will ever know what happened to them.”
“You have a life, Fury, and a family. You have us. And they would’ve tried to take you from us.” Remy’s golden eyes glinted with suppressed anger, but there was something else there, too. “Yes, you need to learn control, but your ability protected you when you needed it. So control or not, I’m proud of you.”
“We all are.” Some of the rage on Sam’s face was under control, but I could still tell he was angry beneath his smile.
“You have the necklace on again. That should help. And Remy is going to work with you more. Sam and I are going to try to make sure you aren’t put in a position where you would need to use your power again.”
“Which means keeping certain people away from you. Namely, Illyria and Xanaya.”
“And Heath.” Darrio’s addition to Sam’s list made all of them scowl.
“You won’t always be able to make sure that someone can’t upset me.”
“No, but having anchors around you can help keep you from flying off the handle. Combine our presence with the necklace, and you should be able to maintain your grip on your ability long enough to get away from the situation.” Remy made sense, but I still didn’t feel secure enough to believe I’d be able to hold back.
“I don’t know what to say.” My voice wobbled a bit as I looked around at each of them.
“You don’t have to say anything. We love you. This is what we do.” Sam smiled, and Darrio and Remy nodded in agreement with him. I didn’t mention the fact that Remy had never actually told me he loved me. This didn’t seem like the time to get hung up on technicalities.
“I love you, too.”
As full as my heart was sitting there with the three of them offering their help and protection should I need it, there was a piece of our puzzle missing.
“Where did Varon go?”
“He was gone by the time we got back here.” Sam was frowning again, which raised my hackles. Something felt wrong, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
“Where’d he go, Sam? You know more than you’re telling.”
“I don’t, Puff, I swear. He said he was going to fix everything, that he should have done it before now, but I have no idea where he went.”
What was he going to fix? Now that we knew who my parents were, there was no re-bottling that genie. Perhaps he planned to try to convince the administration that it was completely normal that I could give and take life.
My pulse raced. He might actually be able to do it, and now that our animosity was well and truly resolved, maybe he wanted to help.
I couldn’t dwell on the possibility, not until I knew for sure.
“What happened with the two of you?” I asked Remy and Darrio.
“Illyria was acting strangely, and I was wondering if she was going to meet Day again. I didn’t want to leave too soon and miss finding out. She didn’t go to the forest, though, she went to the Dead Zone. Just as I gave up and was heading back to you, I saw who she’d gone to meet up with.” Darrio raked a hand through his hair and let out a ragged breath. I was about to demand he tell me when he said, “It was Heath Connor.”
I’d never before experienced my blood boiling in the same moment that it ran cold. They were clearly up to something, especially since Illyria had been a fucking ghost since that night in the woods. I hadn’t even seen her around Xanaya in the halls, so she was making one hell of an effort to keep out of sight.
Smart girl.
