How much had he heard?Did he know who they were?
“You were supposed to stay put,” Gus told him, struggling to compose herself.
“What can I say?You were acting so mysterious.Curiosity got the best of me.”Caius’s gaze flicked to Cleo and Mars.“Friends of yours?”
“Not exactly.”
“Am I correct in assuming they’re the ones behind all this?”Caius asked.
Gus gave her siblings a long look, wondering how she was supposed to answer that.
A day ago, she would have lied.Downplayed their presence and pretended they were unfortunate bystanders she’d come across.It was the forty-three’s way.If they were ever compromised or recaptured, that anonymity was meant to protect the collective.Even at the expense of the individual.
That was then.This was now.
“It seems like it,” Gus said, making her choice.
Mars and Cleo had lost any claim to loyalty from her.She wouldn’t protect them.Either through word or deed.They could deal with the consequences of their actions.
And if Caius somehow figured out who they were in the process, that had nothing to do with Gus.
As of right now, she was divorcing herself from their lines of fate.
There was a strange light in Caius’s eyes as he considered Gus thoughtfully.“I have a lot of things to say about you using yourself as bait to draw the masterminds out since you obviously weren’t intending for me to show up as backup, but we can discuss that later.”
Absolutely not.
Caius could do all the talking he wanted, but Gus had no plans to be there to listen.Once this was over, she was going into deep seclusion.She was thinking a few decades—maybe more—in hermit mode should be long enough for everyone to forget about her.
Once the coast was clear, she’d think about resurfacing.
Or maybe not.Permanent isolation sounded pretty good right about now.
Caius gave Mars and Cleo a savage smile.“I was so hoping our paths would cross.I have to admit.I owe you quite a lot after everything that’s happened.”
Even from this distance, Gus caught the faint stench of blood lust as Caius eyed her traitorous siblings like he was measuring how much force he would need to rip them limb from limb.
It was enough to make her hind brain sit up and scream in panic.
“Funny—we could say the same.”Cleo watched Caius with her dead looking eyes.“Your escape cost us quite a bit of resources and manpower.”
“I hope I didn’t ruin any plans,” Caius offered politely.
“Not quite.”Cleo signaled Mars.
He gathered himself, the glow that had been banked during their conversation growing in sudden intensity.The white at the tips of his hair spread a little further up his locks before leaching some of the color from his skin, turning it gray and waxy looking.
“Get ready,” Gus cautioned.
Caius was barely listening as he eyed her brother lazily.“I’m never not ready.”
Gus barely restrained her snort.Then how did he explain getting captured in the first place?
“You have Ryan to thank for this,” Mars announced as white spikes started sprouting along his shoulders and arms.“His faction drew first blood.We’re simply responding in kind.”
Gus furrowed her forehead.What was he talking about?
Caius stalked forward.“Hey, look at me.I’m your opponent.Not her.”
