My throat tightens, the same suffocating pressure I feel every time Tiberius wraps his hand around my neck. I don’t need to check, I know there’s a bruise there.
I turn at a sharp inhale, and Dean is staring at me, horror filling his eyes.
He walks over to me, his finger brushing my chin, but then he quickly pulls back like it might hurt me.
I vaguely remember when Tiberius showed me all the ways he could kill everyone I love. He grabbed my chin, but… that’s not possible. The bruises always fade after the nightmare is over.
I look down at the blue and purple marks covering me, spreading everywhere.
How are they still here? And now that I can see them, every touch sends pain tearing through me.
“But how?” I look at Anxo. “They only last for an hour or two. I thought they healed.”
“The mind doesn’t forget, Hazel. It hides what hurts.” Anxo touches my wrist again, and the bruises vanish like they were never there.“Your Divine took the brunt of every hit. That’s why it’s so weak… why you can’t shift. When I linked my Divine with yours to create the barrier, it revealed what hides under.”
“So, the bruises… are they real or not?” Dean asks, his voice wavering.
“Sirens can trick their prey to ignore pain, make them think they’re safe,” Grace says softly, her eyes still scanning me even when there’s no hint of purple left anywhere. “I think Tiberius didn’t want you to realize how weak you were. Not until it was too late. He damaged your Divine on purpose.”
I look around, swallowing hard as I take in their faces, expressions ranging from hurt, pain, and guilt. Shame rises fast, threatening to swallow me whole, even though I never meant to hide anything.
The healer rushes in, and my chest tightens at the thought of her poking around to see what’s wrong. But before I can panic, Dean sends her away, promising we’ll come to her instead when I’m ready.
Dean pulls me into his chest, and I don’t care who’s watching. I bury my face in him, breathing him in.
“Don’t think for a second that I’m letting this go, Hazel. The healer will be seeing you tonight, and I swear to fates, I’ll lose my fucking mind if you don’t let them treat you.”
I swallow past the shame and nod. “I didn’t know.”
Dean kisses the top of my head, pulling me impossibly closer. “I’m going to kill him.”
“Count me in.” Anxo jumps in.
“I’m going to rip his fucking teeth out one by one, cut out his tongue, then feed him his own balls before I sew his mouth shut.” Nevaeh seethes, her eyes flashing gold.
“I think I like that plan.” I laugh.
Dean shakes his head. “I don’t know which one of you is crazier.”
“Not me,” Nevaeh and I say at the same time.
“Thank you for that image,” Seiji gags. “But I’m in.”
“Me too,” Jackson adds, completely unfazed by Nevaeh’s crude commentary.
When Grace turns a little green, Harvey shoots Anxo a look. “Control your little psychopath.”
“Who are you calling psycho, dumbass?” Nevaeh kicks his shin before turning to Grace with a sheepish smile, handing her a bottle of water. “Sorry, honeybunch. I forgot the little bean is making you extra human these days.”
“It’s okay.” Grace chuckles. “Even if that was… graphic, I’ll help however I can.”
“Oh, he’s gonna get what he deserves.” Harvey’s smile turns predatory.
And he called Nevaeh psycho.
I try to speak, but nothing comes out. It hits me all at once… how far they’d go for me. My throat tightens as tears build.
I turn to Dean, biting my lip, and he immediately pulls me into his chest.
