Rhea’s murderers. Talon thinks he killed every last one.
“Talon,” I whisper.
His head jerks slightly, like my voice reaches him through whatever he’s holding himself inside of. He doesn’t look at me. He looks at her.
“Why the hell are you a Grim Reaper?” he asks. “I—“ His jaw clenches so hard I hear it click. “I killed the ones that hurt you.”
Rhea doesn’t answer right away.
Her mouth opens. Shuts. Opens again. She looks… small, suddenly. Which I’m sure is an act. It has to be.
“I know,” she says. “I know you did.”
“You disappeared,” Talon continues. “I looked for your killers. I made them pay.”
“And I’m grateful you tried,” she breathes. “But the ones who took me weren’t the ones who killed me.”
Her throat works. She swallows, hard.
“That’s…” Another swallow. “A longer story than I can’t tell right now.”
A sepulchral silence drops.
Talon inhales halfway and holds it there. He goes so still the fine hairs on my arms rise.
My instincts scream at me to back up, to give him space, to not be the idiot who pokes a wounded animal. But the air in the room feels too tight. Somebody needs to burst this awful bubble. So I swallow my own panic and reach for the obvious question in the room.
“Who killed you then?” I ask.
My voice comes out steadier than I feel. Rhea’s expression softens even more and somehow that makes everything worse. She looks at me. Then she turns away like I’m a piece of furniture.
“The men you killed were far from innocent,” she tells Talon. “Theydidhurt me. They abducted me.”
Talon squeezes his fists.
“But after a while,” she continues, “they let me go.”
I blink.
My brain stalls out for a second, trying to make that fit.
“So who killed you then?” I repeat. “Was it someone Talon knew?”
My patience is thin as paper. I hate myself for it, but I can’t help it. Not while Talon stands there like a statue that’s about to shatter. Maybe I should be more empathetic. Handle this better. Speak gently. Give her room.
But I can’t.
“Answer Skye’s question, Rhea,” Talon says.
“Don’t feel guilty,” she says. “That is the last thing I want.”
Talon’s breath finally leaves him in a harsh rush, and it doesn’t sound like relief. It sounds like he’s been punched.
“Just…explain,“ he says.”
“I will. I promise,” she says. “I will explain everything. Just… not now.”
“Not now?” I echo.
