“Never knew.”
“Most don’t bother to find out, either.” She took another drink.
Hadrian heard the sad resignation in her voice. “Again, I relate. My entire race was eradicated for no other reason than mistrust and prejudice.” Which burned all the more, given how much his race had contributed to the others.
His people were the ones who’d created the first space program that united their universe. All the main tech that was the backbone and science the others depended on wouldn’t have ever existed but for the Trisani people.
Instead of thanking them, they’d annihilated them all, then rewritten history to take credit for all the innovations and discoveries the Trisani had made.
And that fury simmered deep inside him as perpetual hunger. A consuming hatred that had never stopped to think about other races that had also been hunted and hated.
That they, too, had been given a raw deal by fate and others.
Jayne snorted. “One fucking royal nut job went after every Fyreblood and Winged species and purged us. Believe me, I get it. To this day, if we’re found, we can be executed. Neither Eve nor I will ever step foot in Andarion territory.”
That he fully understood. And he hated the degree to which he related. No one should feel their pain.
He gestured toward her back with his glass. “That is really incredible, though.”
“Not as good as being able to read someone’s thoughts.”
“That’s true, but it’s not as great as you think.”
“How so?”
“Gives me a lot of migraines. And sometimes nosebleeds. While it can save my life, it can also ruin it. Nothing like having someone smile and pretend to be friendly while they’re calling you names in their head that you can hear.”
Screwing her face up, she visually cringed. “I’m so grateful I have no idea what my sister really thinks of me. I have enough damage from what she says. I can only imagine how much worse it would be if I actually heard the unfiltered shit she pulls back from speaking.”
“Yeah. No privacy.”
“No betrayal.”
He laughed bitterly at that. “You’d think that. Sadly, the truth is different. We still get sucker punched from time to time. People don’t always think their treachery before they pull it, especially when they know you can hear their thoughts.”
Wow. That was something she’d have never dreamed could happen to them. And it chilled her to the bone to think that people could be so vicious.
Not like you don’t know that.
True. Whenever she thought nothing could shock her more, some asshole came out and sunk to an even lower level of dirtbag.
He inclined his head to her shoulder. “Does that hurt?”
“What?”
“Your wings when they come out. Do you feel it?”
“I do. The skin tingles before the wings appear. It’s like having a limb fall asleep, then there’s a pulling through it. But it’s not really painful. Just itchy.”
He took a second to consider that. “I had no idea your breed existed.”
“You’re not alone. Most non-Andarions know nothing about us. But that genetic defect is what cost most of my family their lives. So, I understand what you’re feeling about being persecuted. And betrayed. A lot of Andarions turned us in and curried the favor the royal house by helping to purge us out of their society.”
He held his glass up. “Here’s to righteous anger.”
“Here. Here.” She clanked her glass against his. “May it continue to warm my blackened soul at night.”
“Does it?”
