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Broken Play

Page 44

by Amber Kuhlman

“Atlas—”

“It’s fine,” he snaps, but he’s looking atme, not the injury.

My pulse stutters.

Kael’s voice cuts in, low and dark.“If he’s hurt, fix it.”

“I’m trying,” I say.

But my hands are trembling.

I try to hide it—curling my fingers, adjusting my grip, repositioning—but it’s useless.Finn sees everything.His pacing stops.

“Wren?”he asks softly.

I shake my head.“I’m fine.”

“You’re shaking again,” he whispers.

My throat tightens.“It’s cold,” I say again, because I don’t know what other excuse to use.

“It’s not cold,” Atlas mutters.

“Wren.”Finn steps closer.“Talk to us.Please.We know you don’t want to, but maybe we can help.”

I swallow hard and try to breathe through the rising pressure.“I’m working.”

Kael shifts his weight, jaw ticking.“We’re not trying to overwhelm you.”

“You are,” I whisper before I can stop myself.

Silence snaps through the room like a whip.

Finn’s eyes widen.

Atlas straightens.

Kael goes stone still.

Shit.

I back up, bumping into the counter behind me.

Kael takes a step forward automatically—like he’s trying to fix it, fixme—but the second he does, something inside my chest clenches painfully.

I flinch.

Barely.

But I do.

Kael freezes mid-step.

Finn’s breath leaves him in a quiet curse.

Atlas’s eyes sharpen like he’s watching the most important moment of his life.

“Wren,” Kael says carefully, the way someone approaches a skittish animal.“We’re not here to scare you.”