Page 27 of Remnants
“I’m sorry I was useless,” I whisper.
“Useless!”Gordon’s voice echoes in my mind.
“Don’t apologize. That guy’s an overpowered freak.” His breath catches, probably when he remembers that said freak is my father, then adds a mumbled, “Sorry.”
“It’s fine. He’s no father of mine. And hewasa psycho.”
“Worthless pet…”
I squeeze my eyes shut.
Shut up.
Will I ever get rid of him? I haven’t even asked Aiden or Jack about him yet. Did he escape somehow? Do I want him to be alive so I can kill him myself? Do I just want him dead so it’s over? Will his death free me from him, or will he linger like this, forever haunting me?
“What’s wrong?” Dane shifts back, his hand lifting my chin so he can see my face. His dark brows are pinched, his mouth tight. “Is it Charles?”
I latch on to his golden eyes, seeking out the flecks of green in them as an exercise to distract myself from my other thoughts. “No,” I admit breathlessly. “It’s…disappointing that we’re related by blood. But I didn’t get to know him well enough to care about him like that. I was caught off guard when he first revealed himself, but now…it doesn’t matter.”
“Then tell me why your body was shaking.”
I suck in and gnaw on my lower lip. I don’t want to confess it was Gordon. I don’t want him, or the others, to know that I’m still affected by that man.
But Dane already knows.
I had that panic attack in the elevator because of Gordon, and Dane helped me through it.
He didn’t know I was hearing Gordon’s voice in my head, though.
He didn’t ask what caused it; just left the offer to talk about it without expectation.
“Is it him?” Dane’s voice lowers, his tone deepening with lethal intent. “Gordon?”
I pull my gaze from his, staring at his shoulder instead.
“Whatever you’re remembering, fuck him.”
My fingers fidget at the front of his shirt. “I wish it were that easy.”
He circles my ear, pushing my hair from my face, then strokes his thumb along my jaw. “Then let’s start with what I’ve missed while sleeping.”
“I don’t know much. Aiden wanted to wait until we were all together. I do know we were in the hospital at one point. And then Cassandra finished healing us so we could leave.”
Dane’s eyebrows rise. “Aiden took us to a hospital?” He exhales a curse. “He must have been pissed about that. Being there will probably come back to bite us.”
“Yeah, but I don’t think he had a choice with Cassandra down and us injured like we were.”
He hums, then cranes his neck back for a few seconds and brings it back. “Damn. It’s already afternoon.”
“It’s fine. You needed the rest. Oh, and Kellan made you scrambled eggs.”
The last words hardly leave my mouth before he replies, “Hard pass.”
“What? Why? You need to eat.”
“Kellan made it. I’ll be better off not eating.”
“You haven’t even seen it.”
