Talon points at me. “See? Fast learner.”
Cassian exhales through his nose, the picture of restraint. “The third rule is that if anything starts humming, vibrating, or reacting to you in any way—we leave. Immediately.”
“Define reacting,” I say.
He gives me a flat look. “Starting to break free.”
That’s… fair. And yeah, there’s a small chance that could happen. Not because I’m near them, but because Death loves his timing.
Another muffled scream cuts through the air, and my jaw tightens.
Talon notices. “So what? We’re all good? Let’s go, then.”
He claps his hands together like we’re heading out to pick apples. Cassian grabs a shirt from the back of a chair but doesn’t bother putting it on. He just slings it over his shoulder.
“Once we’re done,” Cassian says, his gaze sliding back to me, “you’ll need to decide what happens next with Mark. Don’t drag it out. If you feel something about it, dragging it will only make things worse. For him. And for you.”
He’s not judging me. He’s observing me. It’s worse.
“I know,” I murmur. “I just need, you know… More time.”
“Uh-huh.” Talon smirks. “Sure.”
“Shut up,” I say without heat.
He winks.
Cassian heads for the door. “Get your shoes. It’s a long walk.”
“Through the hospital?” I ask.
“Through its underground,” Talon corrects, almost gleeful. “The fun parts.”
Alright.
I tug on my hoodie, tying the drawstring as another wet choke echoes from down the hall.
I don’t look that way.
Mark’s suffering has become part of the landscape, like the wind turbines or the crows.
But the second my fingers brush the doorframe, something hits me. Quiet and cold.
The longer I postpone the choice, the more I start to resemble the thing I hated in my men the first time I saw them.
And maybe… I don’t hate that as much as I should.
“So… we never really talked about it,” I say as we turn away from the main hall leading toward the generator wing of the basement. “All I know is Nathaniel killed five people. What’syour…body count?”
Yeah, it sounds wrong when said out loud. But fuck it, I’m curious. And honestly, we’re way past awkward by now. We have feelings for each other, twisted as that sounds. Maybe that’s what peace looks like for someone like me? Finding comfort in shared damnation?
Talon flashes me a grin first.
“Do you mean pre-you, or pre-our world healing mission, or just… total?” he asks lightly.
“General,” I clarify, stepping over a fallen EXIT sign as the corridor slopes downward. “Full homicide résumé, please.”
Talon lets out a low laugh. “As if we keep count.”
