‘I’m not wrong.’
‘Thereisa scar on my thigh, but not like that.’
‘You can quibble about shape if you—’
‘It’s a burn scar.At least ten inches square.’
A dent forms between dark grey eyes.‘He’s removed your identifying marks,’ Lachlan mutters under his breath.‘Oh myGod.He’s literally made you unidentifiable.Did he change your teeth too?’
‘No one changed my teeth.’
‘I bet you’ve lost a couple though.’
‘Everyone worth their salt loses a back molar.’Kade takes his turn with the questions.‘What’s this tattoo on your chest?’
‘It’s from the ritual,’ Lachlan answers.‘Are you still allergic to strawberries?’
‘I…’ Kade freezes up, thrown.‘I am allergic, yes.’
‘And what about—?’
‘How old am I?’
‘You were seventeen when I met you.Twenty when I lost you, so twenty-seven now.Twenty-eight in November.’
Kade blinks softly.‘November?’
‘Yeah.Why, did you not know?’
Riley had always said it was January fourteenth.‘What date?’
‘The eleventh of November.’
Kade sets it aside.‘How did I get the thigh scar?’
‘The rose?You got it on your nineteenth birthday.We had to keep it a secret from your father.I was the one who stitched it.’
‘Why did you need to keep it a—?’
‘Does Harker lock you up in here?’
‘I’m First Captain and his bodyguard.My place is in the Tower.’
‘Answer my question.’
‘I just did.How old are you?’
‘Thirty-four.’
‘Bodyguard in your twenties is kind of young.’
‘That’s exactly why Penhalyx hired me,’ Lachlan intones dryly.‘I was just young and stupid enough to sign the contract,andI wasn’t the first choice, anyway.Plenty came before me.You had a tendency to go through them back then.Are your fingerprints burned off?’
‘Industry standard.How did you know about the Touchtrail?’
Lachlan’s expression softens.‘The Starmap.’
‘What?’
