It made the rage worse. The way Kellan acted so casual while terrorizing the person he loved.
“Such an entrance,” Kellan said after he spotted him.
“Says the hood ornament calling condescendingly into the distance.”
“Well that was hardly my choice. If you had both kept your end of our bargain then I wouldn’t have needed to track you down.”
“And how did you do that, exactly?”
Kellan smiled, eyes moving behind him as Teddy raced to join them. “I think that’s between myself and Damir.”
“Leave him alone. I’m warning you now,” Wren said.
“A threat?” He smirked, eyes sparkling. “How dreadfully amusing.”
“I mean it, you pretentious asshole. You can pretend you’re all high and mighty and we work for you, but at the end of the day you’re a faceless, useless cog in a machine that only works because of people likeus. You’d be nothing if we didn’t exist. I remember the other instructors didn’t evenlikeyou.” He pulled a sympathetic pout. “How sad that they’d rather pass up a fellow caster and think better of a cursebreaker like Teddy. I think you’ve forgotten that you came to him begging for information, not the other way around.”
Wren was surprised at the way Kellan’s face changed, losing all traces of affability and settling into lines of malice and rage. Wren actually took a step back on instinct, having the sudden realization that he was dealing with a much deadlier beast than he’d anticipated.
A hand shot out and grabbed Wren’s wrist before he could pull it back, the fingers squeezing tightly as Kellan loomed over him. “I don’t appreciate being spoken to that way. It’s very rude.”
Wren tried to tug his wrist back to no avail.
“You may be the engine in the machine, but engines need control and order so they don’t run wild. You were born to be the custodian of the world, Wujia. Bred to clean up our messes. We give you purpose. We give you family. And we can take it away whenever we want to.”
Wren flamed with the words meant to humiliate him and make him feel lesser. The righteous anger threatened to consume him even as the sneaking, inbuilt humiliation tried to slither in and take hold.
Kellan seemed to watch it grow with glee, watering the roots of it.
“So you should remember your place and not get into the dangerous territory of thinking too highly of yourself. It’s notgood for your continued health and well-being, or that of those around you.”
Wren swallowed hard. “Are you threatening me now?”
“A simple warning. At the end of this case you’re going to go back to Slatehollow and never contact him again.” Kellan spoke slowly and carefully.
“Sure,” Wren said.
Kellan smirked, letting go of him abruptly as his personality seemed to flip back like it had never changed at all.
“And once I’m back home I’m gonna have a nice long chat with my brother-in-law. He just so happens to be Gwen’s long-lost nephew, who she’s quite fond of,” Wren said. “I’ll tell him all about how dedicated you are. How…on top of the team here you are. I’m sure he’ll happily relay that to his auntie at their weekly lunches.”
“Watch your mouth,” Kellan said, shoving Wren’s shoulder.
Wren stumbled back and bumped into Teddy’s chest who crashed into him from behind, breathless. Wren could feel his heart racing under his chest as he tried to get in front of him.
“Damir. How nice of you to join us,” Kellan said.
“Don’t touch him.”
Kellan put a hand to his own chest. “You act as if I’m a monster. I was just trading a few words with dear Wren. Catching up on old times.”
Teddy looked at Wren, trying to read on his face what had happened.
Wren shook his head minutely, trying to assuage his worries. They couldn’t show weakness.
Teddy pressed his lips flat before turning back to Kellan. “What are you doing here?”
“He asks me,” Kellan mocked. “What were you doing here with another cursebreaker in a dark alley on the wrong side of town? You know how assumptions could be made.”
