“Yes.” I said, halting the commotion behind the couch.
“Skyes,” Zephyr hissed.
“I do,” I said, ignoring him. “Why?”
“I think you killed my son.”
I felt as if the floor fell out from under me.
Around me, Wyatt and Zephyr began shouting at Vince while Rafe watched.
My stomach dropped as if I was actually falling.
Aiden turned on the couch, taking my clammy hands, warming them with his affinity. He didn’t speak, but he exaggerated his breathing, puffing out his chest and then relaxing. After a few seconds of realizing I couldn’t fucking breathe, I shakily copied him. He nodded encouragingly, giving me a soft smile and tucking some hair behind my ear.
“Skye,just squish him, I’ve had enough of this shit.” Zephyr snapped at the same moment Rafe’s teacup began to rattle on the coffee table.
My affinity perked up as the clanking coffee table grew louder, and then the entire ground seemed to rumble around us.
My heart rate spiked again. Earthquakes in this region were incredibly rare, but they could happen at any time. Every atoll was a dormant volcano. One could reignite at any moment, and that was–
“Wyatt, knock it off.” Rafe hissed. “You’ll set off a fucking volcano.”
The rumbling dwindled, but didn’t completely stop.
“I can’t–” Wyatt cut off abruptly, and his hazel eyes darted around the room, finally resting on me.
“You can’t what, Wyatt?” Zephyr asked darkly. “Control it?”
Wyatt worked his jaw, and Vince chuckled, drawing everyone’s attention. He looked away from them, fixing his gaze on me again.
“I’m sorry I upset you.”
Aiden squeezed my hand.
I cleared my throat. “Who was your son?”
“His son died in the massacre,” Rafe said slowly.
Vince nodded while he sighed. “I hadn’t spoken to him in months. He’d joined the Pilgrims right after turning eighteen. I couldn’t get through to my son.”
His son was in the cult?!Zephyr practically screeched into my mind. I winced and Aiden squeezed my hand before shooting my brother a glare.
“Why were you at the massacre?” Wyatt asked sharply. “You’re not from the islands.”
Vince swallowed thickly, still only looking at me as he spoke. “I started working with the Pilgrims in an attempt to get through to him.”
“Fucking hell,” Aiden muttered beside me as Wyatt and Zephyr raised their voices again.
I cringed, then snapped, “Shut the fuck up!”
The room fell dead silent, and I rolled my neck.
“And?” I snapped at Vince, unable to hide my annoyance any longer. My brother and Wyatt were pissing me the hell off.
“They were looking for someone,” Vince said, and my stomach dropped again. “I told them before, but my affinity has evolved over time. I can sense affinities over long distances. My son knew this, and when I tried getting back into contact with him, he encouraged me to join up so I could be of use to the cause.”
“There’s that mysteriouscauseagain,” Rafe said to Wyatt.
