I falter. Ellis is a Command healer who I only recently found out is working undercover for the Uprising. He healed the scar tissue on my left hip and upper thigh, which for years had hidden the red mark beneath it, the mark that broadcasts to everyone that I’m more powerful than I’ve let on.
“Um. Yes,” I finally admit. “I do.”
Adrienne shakes her head at me. “Care to explain why you made the decision to ask Ellis to heal your scars? A bloodmark is never something to advertise.”
The rebuke stings, even though I’m well aware of what a stupid move that was. Truth be told, I wasn’t thinking. Simple as that. I removed my scars to show Cross that I was willing to be completelyopen and vulnerable with him. That he could trust me. But the impulsive decision also undid all the layers of protective scar tissue that Uncle Jim attempted to bury my bloodmark under when he burned my flesh.
On the bright side, I suppose it doesn’t matter anymore. I won’t be running any undercover missions within the Command anytime soon. I’m at the Dagger now, surrounded by people like me. People who won’t shoot me on sight for bearing a bloodmark.
“I was tired of hiding,” I lie, feigning confidence I’m not feeling at the moment. “It made me sick pretending to be one of them, the Primes in Silver Block. I didn’t belong there, and I guess I needed to remind myself of that.”
“You’re saying you were going to desert the Command?” Teriq asks skeptically.
I nod.
“And to hell with our recruitment?” Gray sounds amused.
“Hey, I lost my only ally after you died,” I counter. “And with Jayde Valence watching me like a hawk, it was only a matter of time before I was compromised.”
“You neglected to mention how powerful you were when we recruited you,” Adrienne says in a dry voice.
I shrug. “I promised Jim I’d never reveal it.”
“Fuckin’ Julian,” she mutters. “That man has been nothing but a headache from the day I met him.”
“I was a child when the mark appeared. He didn’t want anyone using me as a pawn.”
“Is that why he took you in?” Gray asks. “He saw the mark and wanted to protect you?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
Fiona gives a slight frown. “Our records indicate that Julian found you on the side of the road when you were eight?”
Relief flutters through me. Good. Uncle Jim never revealed my background to these people. They don’t know that I was five, not eight, when he took me in, which means they don’t know about our time in the Blacklands.
And most important, they don’t know about my parents.
My traitor parents.
Fuck. How am I supposed to navigate this storm I’ve found myself in? I feel like I’m swimming against an ocean current. If I lose focus for even a second, I’ll drown in all the secrets I’m trying to keep track of.
“Yes, I was eight,” I say, repeating the lie. “We don’t know where I came from, but Jim suspected my family was killed by the Command while I managed to run away. And he’s the one who burned my bloodmark off.”
Teriq pulls out a tablet, swiping his finger across the screen. As his brow furrows in concentration, a sense of familiarity washes over me. I feel like I know him from somewhere, but I can’t place where.
“We keep a file on nearly every Mod on the Continent,” he says, scanning the screen. “Ash reported your abilities as mind reading and telepathy.”
Fiona speaks again, her tone growing icier by the second. “We’ve never known anyone with a bloodmark to manifest less than three abilities. Are those the only two you possess?”
“I have more than two,” I confess after a beat of hesitation.
Intrigue dances across their faces.
“Like I said before, we’ll require full disclosure,” Adrienne says. “Which is confidential, by the way. Only the Authority has access to personnel files. Your abilities remain private unless you choose to share with other people. But we can deal with that in the morning.”
I nod, relieved they’re not going to make me do anything now. “What are the other conditions?”
“Once your abilities are disclosed, you’ll have to commit to mandatory training.”
