Page 29 of Raze
Distraction seems like the easiest way to keep my little bunny from running, so I look purposefully at my arm. The scales are long gone, as I knew they would be, but I sigh loud and clear to grab her attention.
It works like a charm, and she drops the shirt and steps closer to me so she can look at my arm, too. “How long did it last?”
“Probably just the hour, as usual. I don’t usually focus on it once it’s there, so it’s hard to say.” Her brow pinches with concern, and I gently flick her forehead to snap her out of it. “Whatever you’re thinking, beautiful, stop. I can just try again.”
“How long have you been trying to do this?”
“About two hours, although I really can’t count the last one since I wasn’t trying to keep it active,” I drawl with a smirk.
“Is this because of last night?” she presses, and I shrug. “Why? You’re already pretty invincible.”
My smile falls, and I rub at my beard. “It’s not enough. As you saw last night.”
Her blue eyes meet mine, and I see understanding there. We’re both not happy about what almost happened. Only difference is that I’ve made it my one goal in this life to protect my brothers, and now Raegan again.
It was all I wanted on the island after I found out my family had been killed. They’re the only family I have now.
How Thorne’s alive is still unbelievable to me, just as I’m sure it’s haunting Jack. I would have thought his entire eye would be gone from being stabbed, and yet there it was. Probably blind as a bat, but somehow intact.
It makes me wonder just who else we’re up against in this battle with GE. It’s not going to only be Thorne and some suits behind a desk. The possibilities of other gifts out there are endless.
“And that guy trained Jack?”
“Guess so. You should ask him, though. We didn’t get involved until the very end. The quick version is that he took Jack in as a sort of protégé after we got off the island.” She looks confused, and I realize she still doesn’t know anything about what we did after we escaped.
But I’m all in with her now, so I don’t see the harm in telling her any of it. Whether or not the others agree is a different story, but I’ll keep it summarized so they can fill in any details if they choose to. The stories involving Thorne aren’t really mine to tell.
“We didn’t stay together when our boat landed. Jackson and I each took off on our own, and only Dane and Aiden stuck together at first.”
Raegan’s face parts in shock. “Why not? After all you’d been through together…”
I laugh at that, and it’s a callous, rough sort that scratches my throat when it comes out. I still can’t believe how little she realizes she’s a part of us. Always has been and always will be. “I didn’trealize it then, but now that I’m looking back, I’m almost positive. It was because of you. We didn’t all agree on you, or in that you weren’t with us, and it divided us. But yeah.” I wave that story aside for another time, if ever. I’d rather not get too deep into what I’d stupidly done in that dark time she wasn’t in my life.
Raegan chews on her lip while trying to process all of that.
I yank the knife I’d used earlier free of the stump and slash a fresh wound on my arm. Her gaze jumps to it, and even though she knows I’ll heal, I can still read the worry in her eyes when she sees my blood.
“Will you train me?” she finally asks after my scales have come in, and I set a new timer.
I arch a brow. “With your gift?”
“No,” she hurriedly answers. “I need to learn how to fight better. I’ve been getting by with stealth and finding opportunities to my advantage, but once someone knows I’m there, and if they aren’t restrained, I’m at a disadvantage. I want to learn how to fight hand-to-hand and with a knife. Even if they’re bigger than me.”
“Hate to tell you this, but most people are bigger than you unless you’re fighting kids or that friend of yours.”
She gives me a playful smack, and I grin. “You know what I mean, you prick.”
“Why won’t you use your gift?” I ask, genuinely curious.
She frowns at the very idea of it. “It’s too dangerous for me to use when others are around. I don’t want to…you know, friendly fire.”
Is she thinking about Vera? I was shocked to hear that Vera had put her brother’s life at risk. I was less surprised to find out she’d slept with the enemy. She was clearly uninterested in her other classmatesand spent all her extra time training. And yet, I overheard her teasing Raegan about kissing and taking the next step with the boys on more than one occasion. Where was she getting the experience from?
At the time, it had been a passing thought. I had no evidence or other reason to suspect it was true, so I’d dropped it.
Now, it seems like my instinct had been correct.
“That’s just practice.” I step in front of her so she has to tilt her face up to maintain eye contact with me and take her hands to place them against my chest. There’s a tattoo on one side that looks like an animal clawed at it and ripped the skin away to expose the muscle underneath. Then there are fake scales that trail up my shoulder and down my arm to tell a story about me.
