“No, you’re not,” I reiterate, growing tired of hearing myself say it, but I won’t give in and allow her suicide mission to happen.
Her eyes burn into mine as she grits her teeth. “You can’t keep me here forever.”
“I don’t have to.”
“Then what? What’s your genius plan, Zane?”
That question hits closer than I’d like. The truth is, I don’t have one. Not a solid one, anyway.
I know I can’t keep her here indefinitely. But I also can’t just drop her back at Wraith Peak like nothing happened, not without making things worse for her, the island, and for all of us.
“I’m figuring it out,” I say finally.
Her laugh catches me off guard, sounding bitter. “Right. Because that’s working out so well so far.”
Choosing to ignore how little faith she has in me, well aware she just wants to loosen my resolve, I shift gears. “We need intel on that group, what they’re doing, and who they’re targeting. Maybe then we’ll manage to walk away with minimal damage done.”
“And I can get that,” she insists, far too hungry to get right in the middle of it. “I’m the best chance you have.”
“No. You’re compromised.”
Her expression goes deadly still, as if in complete disbelief. “Is that what you think?”
“I know it,” I return, unwavering. “I’m trying to handle this with discretion and keep the damage as minimal as possible. We don’t need humans on the island getting suspicious, and with you wanting blood, it would put everything at risk.”
The air between us grows heavier again, but not with magic this time.
Naia just stares at me for a long moment, letting it all settle in before she murmurs to herself, “You don’t trust me.”
I meet her gaze evenly, sensing that I’m walking a delicate line, but unwilling to lie to her. “Not right now.”
It hangs there, honest and brutal, but true. And judging by the way her expression hardens even further, the words hit exactly where they were meant to.
“Good,” she says finally, her voice cold again. “Because I don’t trust you either.”
Something in my chest tightens at that, but I urge myself to ignore it. “Then we’re on the same page.”
But we’re not. We’re not even close.
And that’s the problem.
Chapter 6 - Naia
I’ve never felt this useless in my life.
Not when I was younger and struggling to keep up with training. Not even when I first realized how much harder I had to fight just to stand in the same space as everyone else, or when I started to feel everyone turn their backs on me after Dad died.
This is different and suffocating in its own ways.
I’ve been stuck inside Zane’s apartment, pacing the same floors, staring at the same walls, and breathing the same air while the world keeps moving without me. While my pack keeps moving without me, completely unaware of where I am.
My jaw tightens as I lean against the window, arms crossed, while I watch the city below. Ashford never sleeps, it seems. Unlike on the island, cars move in endless streams, people go about their lives as if nothing is wrong in their city, and the noise never stops.
While they move, I’m stuck in here doing nothing, and it makes my skin crawl.
Behind me, I can feel him, as always.
Zane’s presence has become impossible to ignore. It fills the space whether he’s speaking or not, like a constant weight pressing at the edge of my awareness, even when I just want to be alone.
