“And you still don’t want to know?” I asked again, unable to resist it.
“I know you all, now. I’veseenthe real you. I know that you wouldn’t just abandon people like that, and now knowing that other esper was Corsa? Yeah, I know the story isn’t right. If you want to tell me at some point, you can, but I don’t need to know.”
I turned my head to look at her, blinking slowly, struggling to understand how she could say that. How could she accept us so easily? She didn’t need the truth, didn’t need us to prove it to her?
I was used to people seeing the worst in us, believing the worst. Fuck knew I wasn’t some fluffy little bunny deep down, and neither were the others. We were killers through and through, and we were selfish, and we were dangerous. Others had always known that, accepted it, but Yun?
Even after her past, after all she’d suffered, she still could look at us and see anything other than that?
Part of me feared she viewed us like her tormentor, and I couldn’t have even blamed her for such a thing.
And yet she’s lying…
I knew it, deep down. That void inside of me that cravedeverythingknew it, had seen it inside her, the secrets she still held. I didn’t get it, given how much we’d found out, how much she’d told us. We knew about her trauma, her past, her powers, yet she still held something back.
Why?
As I stared at that miracle, at the one good thing in my life, the only thing that had ever satiated me, ever made me feel a little less empty, I knew that whatever it was, I’d personally pluck it from existence for her.
After all she’d given me—us—nothing would hurt her. The troubles that followed her should run, because I was a far more dangerous monster.
Chapter Forty
Carter
Last time, Ingram had paid Yun’s little friend a visit on his own. I didn’t personally like scaring guides, so it had seemed a better plan. That had been about intimidating him, though. It had been a good little light-hearted threatening between friends.
This time it was serious, as shown by all four of us sitting inside his trailer, waiting.
“He eats yogurt,” Ingram said, lip lifted in disgust.
“What kind?” Kenyon asked.
“Orange creamsicle.”
“Oh, I love that flavor! Give it here.”
Ingram tossed a small container to Kenyon, followed by a spoon from Kaidan’s kitchen. Kenyon happily opened the yogurt and took the first bite just as the door opened.
Kaidan didn’t even pause as he came in and saw us.
If I didn’t hate him so much, I might have liked him. I respected that sort of confidence. Something about a person who had absolute faith in themselves had always amused me, after all. It was the way I lived my life—or at least the way I wanted to portray.
In the same way I doubted Kaidanactuallyfelt that sure, but he put on such a good show of it that I had to respect him.
“I don’t recall inviting any of you in.”
“And I don’t recall asking,” I answered, smiling.
Kaidan let his gaze move over each of us, appearing entirely unimpressed, though when he spotted Kenyon eating his yogurt—loudly—he at least appeared annoyed. “Ingram already threatened me once. If you’re here to do it again, can we please get it over with? I’ve had a long day.”
He did appear tired, not that I gave much of a shit about his comfort.
“What’s going on with Yun?” I asked, instead of worrying about him. He could take care of himself—he wasn’t our problem.
Thatgot him to hesitate.
Which told me what I already suspected—he knew exactly what I was talking about.
