She stopped, whipping around to face me, features soft. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “Maybe you have a similar power. But you aren’t anything like him, Thor.”
I flinched at the name, the one given to me by Watcher. I’d loathed it the moment he’d given it to me and wished I could shed it.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “You don’t like the name. That’s okay. We can find you a new one—one that’s better, that you actually like.”
Could it be that easy? To find another, one no longer tied to Watcher or the cages?
“Yes,” she said quietly, smiling up at me. “It can be.”
“Who are you talking to?” the only other female here asked, appearing down the darkened hall. She frowned as she took in our joined hands, eyes darkening. “Is everything okay?”
“Actually, we were coming to find you and the others,” Ivy said, keeping hold of my hand as the female vampire came to a halt in front of us. “He can hear my thoughts. At least when we touch.”
The vampire’s nostrils flared, eyes finding mine. “Is that so?”
Her name is Maeve,Ivy whispered into my mind.Not vampire.
I am sorry, I replied, looking down at her.
“What is he saying?” the vampire—Maeve—asked, crossing her arms.
“He’s apologising for calling youthe vampire,” Ivy replied, smiling. “I think he might have mind mage abilities.”
Maeve eyed me for a moment before shaking her head. “Dante was experimenting with the shifters. We weren’t able to figure out what exactly he’d been doing other than playing with lifespans, but it is possible this is something he did.”
Ivy stiffened, eyes darting to mine. “That would make sense, I guess,” she murmured. “Are you sure?”
“I would need to contact the holding facility in the human world to see if they’ve learned anything from those we captured,” Maeve replied, glancing at me warily. “This does mean we have an entirely new source of information, though.”
“Maeve,” Ivy snapped. “I don’t think he can give us that much. He was in a cage.”
The soldiers spoke freely around us, never knowing that wecould understand,I told her, squeezing her fingers gently.I know more than they ever realised.
Ivy sighed, chewing her bottom lip as she looked between me and Maeve. “He said the soldiers liked to talk freely around him. That they revealed a lot, not realising he could always understand them,” she said quietly. Her pounding heart picked up speed, like she was afraid. Though of what, I couldn’t be sure.
The vampire nodded once. “Later, we can go through what you know. You may not realise it now, but you likely learned a lot.”
I bowed my head.I know I did,I said to Ivy.They simply never cared.
My beast enjoyedthe physical contact holding her allowed. For us to communicate, we had to be touching, unlike howhegot into my head. Ivy believed that maybe one day, I would be able toprojectmy thoughts into others’ minds likehedid, but that would take time and practice.
But for entirely selfish reasons, I didn’t want to. I liked having her small hand in mine. The way her fingers lightly traced my scars brought me a comfort I didn’t expect and yet liked.
“I could rattle off names for you,” she offered, looking up from the scars on my hand, eyes bright. “I’m good at that. Or well, I used to be.” Her free hand went to her stomach, where two soft heartbeats raced. “I don’t know about that, anymore. But I used to have these baby books and websites saved with all sorts of ideas. Granted, I looked for girl names more. But there are lots of boy names out there you might like.”
I cocked my head, taking in the slight flush darkening her cheeks.You could give me any name, and I would be happy with that.
She pressed her lips together. “You deserve to choose your own name,” she muttered, “not have someone else pick one foryou. Don’t worry, we have time to figure it out. Anyway, you might hear one and really connect with it—youshouldconnect with it.”
It’s nice that you care, I told her. No one ever actually cared. Thor was given to me by Watcher when I was taken from the room with the other children and moved into the prisons. It was then he made me enter my first battle in the Pit, and he could use the name for what he wanted.
A warrior. An executioner. Something that would draw blood better than any weapon and was just as expendable.
Her eyes softened as she cupped my hands between hers, trapping my fingers in her warmth. The touch had shivers racing down my spine and electricity prickling my skin.
“You are going to find out here, there are going to be so many people who care about you,” she said quietly, lips pulling in a small smile. “And I do care, if that matters. Probably more than I should.”
Before she could pull her hand from mine, I took it and entwined our fingers. Somehow, she still fit perfectly.Why would that bother me?
