“And what exactly did he say about these ‘other Grims’?” Nathaniel presses.
“That they’re predators,” I say, my voice tightening despite myself. “That if I look weak, they’ll push.”
Talon snorts. “That’s not much of a warning. That’s just life.”
I give him a look.How profound.
He grins and shrugs.
“You should’ve told us earlier,” Cassian mutters.
“There was no time or place.”
“There’s always time and place for these things, Skye,” he disagrees. “Doesn’t matter what’s happening—sky’s falling, we have to run or fight—you tell us those things. We’re in this together now. As your teammates, we need to know what’s going on.”
“I agree with Cassian,” Nathaniel says. “Next time, just shout whatever, even if Talon’s throwing a tantrum.”
I glance at Talon. He nods.
“I appreciate you prioritizing my mood, Little Grim, but your safety’s the priority for me.”
That earns him brief looks from Nathaniel and Cassian. But they share the sentiment, because both nod too—all three of them on the same page.
I guess I should’ve just spilled everything from the start. I blame not doing so on Pain, who’d already been trying to mess with my head, making me doubt if I could trust them.
I knew I could, though.
“Noted,” I breathe.
“Alright,” Cassian sighs. “Can you summon him right now?”
“Summon who?” I echo, momentarily losing the thread.
“Your raven,” he clarifies. “If he knows something, we need to know it too.”
A short, humorless laugh escapes me. “Yeah, believe me… he made it clear he doesn’t want to see me much.”
“Force him, then,” Cassian says.
“I… can’t,” I admit, meeting his eyes. “He’s stronger than me. The last time he came when I called was because he pitied me, not because I had any leverage.”
“So he’s autonomous from you?” Nathaniel asks.
“‘Auxiliary’ was the word he used.”
“Is he controlling your power completely?” he presses.
“I—” My throat clicks. “It seemed like it.”
That earns me another long, silent moment—until Talon’s eyes widen like a thought just climbed up his spine.
He snaps his fingers.
“Wait. Hold up.”
His gaze cuts to me, sharp and bright. “Did you get a power-up from me fucking your brains out?”
That’s… My cheeks flare at the wording.
