Page 124 of Hunger & Harmony

My parents exchange a sad glance. For the first time, everything starts making sense.

“She told me we haven’t had a Dissonant in many generations, but we couldn’t risk it. Her dying wish was for us to protect you to any end.” Her voice shakes. “Erasing you was doable. Even if you hated us, you were still here. Safe.”

I sit with those words for a silent moment. A Dissonant appearing meant tragedy. The threat of vampires, yes, but even Hunters have tried to weaponize me. A wave of guilt wells up with a few more tears, but I can’t blame myself. It still stands that they hid everything from me.

“I know we’ve been harsh,” my mom continues. “I admit, my obsession with saving you became stifling. My worry became anger.”

“And the night . . .I ran away . . .” I murmur.

Apprehension passes over their faces. I’ve never let that old wound become a scar. That ends tonight.

“What do you know?”

My question is firm, despite my quivering tone. They exchange another look before my father speaks.

“We still don’t know. All the signs of a vampire attack, but . . .”

He chokes up.

“You were bruised, but not broken.” My mom fusses with the music box. “Our worst fears came true, and just a few hours of losing you . . .We could never risk it again.”

A nightmare, through and through. It’s sobering. My anger remains, but smaller, softer in my understanding. If only they’d just told me. I stare at the music box, watching her fingers run over the metal details.

Knowing myself, I would’ve continued rebelling. I was always meant to end up right here.

If they don’t know what happened, at least it means they didn’t orchestrate it. Cold comfort, considering I’ll never know what did.

“We’ve always assumed it was a vampire seeking to destroy you,” my mom whispers as she pulls away from it.

“Dissonants are known as weapons. Created by who? That, we’ve never learned,” my dad says. “But vampires were suddenly public knowledge. Revered, even, over the coming years. They didn’t move in secret anymore, and that made concealing a threat against them all the more important.”

A threat. According to the Court and even Hunters, I’m Niko’s demise.

But this lullaby. My heart steadies at its promises, and even Cass spoke of it being the truth. With each lyric clicked into place, I see the whole picture now.

Can I trust that? Am I the queen with a shattered key? Will I crown Niko?

Can I set him free?

I look back at my parents. I’ve resented them for so long, I don’t know how to fully repair that. Maybe I don’t have to, though. If I take it from here, one day at a time . . .

“I don’t think I’m a weapon,” I say, folding the paper again.

“What?”

My dad’s eyes bug out at me. Just as alarmed, my mom pauses.

“How?”

When my parents speak, I feel my stomach tightening. Only this time, I take a breath. We haven’t trusted each other for almost twenty-three years. It has to start somewhere.

“These sentences aren’t just words,” I say, holding up the paper. “They’re lyrics.”

How do I explain Dissonant notes? That the Vox Crown knew my name? Could they ever understand Lady Evelyn’s signature butterfly etched over my heart? That my bond with Niko settled once we didn’t resist?

When I look at their cautious faces, I know now isn’t the time.

“This is the last piece of a puzzle I’ve been searching for. It’s . . .the answer.”