2. Raegan

Chapter two

Raegan

Cassandra turns out to be a healer who works for Aiden’s Guild and is apparently on call for anything they need. For healing , they told me.

Her hands stroke down Kellan’s chest a third time, and I jump up from the couch. “Is that necessary?” I snap at her.

She blinks up at me, her fiery red hair spilling back over her shoulder. Her eyes are green-gold, the inverse of Dane’s. She has a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose and along her cheekbones that give her a youthful appearance. If anyone were to look like some sort of faerie, she fits the bill better than anyone I’ve ever met. And I know Portia.

“Is something wrong?” she asks modestly enough. But the edge of excitement in her eyes as she’s touching Kellan is far from innocent.

“Yeah, beautiful. Something wrong?” Kellan questions with an eyebrow raised and the largest smirk on his maw that I’m tempted to stab him for it.

Cassandra’s attention perks at my nickname, and she smiles at Kell. “Did you just call her beautiful? That’s so sweet. Are you guys an item?”

Kellan laughs, like they’re sharing a joke between them, and I’m not standing right here . “Naw, she doesn’t want me like that. Isn’t that right?” he directs at me in challenge.

Dane scoffs with obvious disgust from the couch. His arms are folded as he leans as far back into the sofa cushions as he can, one foot arrogantly stepping on the coffee table with his boots still on. There are metal shackles around his wrists, with chains that attach to metal hooks on the floor. He has enough of a radius to go to the living room, kitchen, and bathroom on his own, though he has to leave the door open for the last one, which I found out a few minutes before Cassandra appeared and we both ranted at Aiden for.

This is Aiden’s apparent solution to keeping Dane from running blindly after Vera.

I try not to think about why he has chains handy and choose to assume he took the time to make them with his gift.

“Oh, well, maybe she likes someone else,” Cassandra guesses and then throws me a wink, like she thinks she’s backing me up. Her hand runs down his tattooed arm, and I bristle at the blatant and unnecessary contact. “I could be your beautiful if you’d like.” She bats her eyelashes at him.

That’s it.

I smack her hand off his arm, not caring if I get Kellan, too. “If you know each other, then you’d know he heals himself and is fine. Why don’t you treat the actual patients?”

She gasps and holds her hand to her chest. “Who, you? ”

“Yeah, the one bleeding from her head. Oh, and the one with a bullet hole in his arm.” I point to Jackson, who I was sitting beside on the couch. He’s normally perched on the back of it, so the fact that he dropped to the actual cushions is a warning sign in and of itself. He told me he didn’t want Cassandra touching him, and now I know why.

But I told him I wouldn’t let her heal my head until he was better. He relented. Barely.

Cassandra peers past me to Jackson, and I can see the tension in her. My eyes narrow at her. “Is that a problem?”

“Of course not.” She clears her throat and stands to move over to us.

Something pushes me back, and I fall onto the couch. Jackson smiles tightly at me and takes my hand in his. The moment his hand joins mine, I can feel the violent energy swirling just under the surface. Like touching him has given me a glimpse of what’s going on behind the smiles and his cool demeanor.

His eyes leave mine to follow Cassandra’s approach, and the feeling intensifies. I squeeze his hand to remind him I’m here. I won’t let her touch him any more than necessary. Though, by the look on her face, she can see her death in his eyes if she steps out of line with him.

Instead of reaching for his arm as she had with Kellan, she sits on the coffee table in front of us. “It’ll be faster if I can have contact with the wound directly. Do you have any injuries other than the bullet wound?”

“Nothing that won’t heal on its own.” Jackson smiles darkly at her, so it’s more a threat than anything.

“She’s already here. You may as well let her heal whatever she finds.” I hold my breath as he considers what I’m asking and finally nods.

Cassandra moves slowly to his arm opposite the one pressed against me. Her fingertips make contact, and she checks in with Jackson, who’s staring her down but doesn’t react otherwise. Not externally, at least.

Her hands close around his arm, and she focuses back on the hole. I peek over at Jackson to watch what she’s doing. I’m a little fascinated and a lot envious that they’ve had this option when anyone gets injured.

After a few minutes of nothing happening, I shift anxiously in my seat. Then the hole slowly closes. Muscle and flesh stitch together until there’s not even a scar or mark to show for it. She keeps her hold for another minute, eyes closed, and then releases him like she can’t do it fast enough.

“There.” Her eyes flick up to his and then immediately drop back down. “You’ll need some rest from a healing like that.”

“Why?” I ask, bringing her attention back to me.

“My gift only accelerates his body’s ability to self-heal. So, it’ll be tired from doing it all at once. Some people have slept for days after a healing like that.” She tilts her head. “And you have a head injury?”

I nod and shift myself on the couch. She gently presses her fingers over my scalp. Heat trails from her touch to the pounding and stinging area on my head, warming them until there’s nothing left. Then it travels through the rest of me in a flood of warmth. The ache in my re-located thumb dulls and disappears. Every scratch and bruise I have fades away like it never was.

When she moves back, a small wave of tiredness rolls through me. Oh, yeah. I could definitely go for a nap after that, even if I hadn’t already been up all night. At least now I can go to sleep without worrying about a concussion. “Thanks.”

She smiles and stands. “Right. Who’s next?” Cassandra raises her hands and wiggles her fingers. She steps up to Dane and bends down to him. “Ooh, Dane? Do you have anything you need me to rub and make feel better?”

His hands shoot up to block her from touching him and the chains rattle at the sharp movement. “Absolutely not. Now back the fuck up in case desperation is contagious.”

She pouts, and I fake a cough to cover my smile.

“Rude,” she snarks, though she doesn’t even try to deny it. Instead, she turns her focus on the last person in the room.

Aiden is leaning against the dining table and hasn’t bothered to join us in the living room the entire time his guest has been here. Kellan let her in and brought her to the couches to look at me and Jack. He straightens when she walks over to him.

“Did you need anything, Aiden?” She pets his shirt and leans into him. When he doesn’t immediately shove her back or insult her like Dane did, I frown. I mean, it’s not like I care if he’d be interested in her, but is he really letting her touch him freely like that?

“I’m fine, Cassandra. It was only Jack and Raegan who needed your assistance.” His voice is smooth and firm. Rather than listen to what he’s saying, she seems to melt into him instead .

Her eyes close and she smiles lasciviously. “No, there’s nothing too bad, but I can still fix it all up for you.” Her hands flatten on his chest and she goes quiet as she works.

Aiden’s dark eyes slide to mine. We stare at each other for seconds. Minutes, while she keeps her hands on him and he does nothing. Then she moves her hands up and around his neck, pressing her chest against his. “There. All better.”

He breaks eye contact and reaches up to gently extract her arms from him. “Thank you, Cassandra. For your help and for coming so quickly.” He wraps his arm around her back and guides her to the door. “I’ll make sure Cibrina is notified of your work tonight.”

She spins to face him. “I didn’t do this as a job, Aiden. I’m not looking for your money.” She cuts a glance at the living area where we’re all staring at them. Her voice lowers, but we can still hear her. “I did it for you. When can we…spend some time together?”

He opens the door and they step into the hall before he closes it and I’m left wondering what his answer is. If he wanted privacy, does that mean he’s actually setting up a date?

“Please tell me he isn’t falling for that.” I shove my thumb at the door.

Kellan cackles and sprawls back over the longest part of the couch. “Why? Does it bother you?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Dane interrupts sharply. His boots slam to the ground when he sits up. “You.” His gold-green eyes lock on mine, and he shoves a finger my way. “Talk.”

My walls instantly snap up on reflex. I know he wants answers about Vera, but this is a secret I’ve guarded at high cost .

Jackson leans forward over his knees. He scrubs at his face, probably to wipe away the sleep that his body wants after that healing, and then pushes his hood back now that he’s in comfortable company. “Wait for Aiden.”

Dane’s jaw clenches. He doesn’t argue, but he also keeps his glare pinned on me. If he thinks his stare alone will keep me in my seat and I’ll answer his every question, he has another thing coming.

I stand up just as the door opens. “Sit down, Raegan,” Aiden commands. “We are long overdue for this conversation, and you are not leaving until we’re all up to speed on what you’ve been keeping from us.”

My arms cross defensively. I’ve kept the promise of what really happened to Vera a secret for six years. I’ve paid for that promise repeatedly. Does telling them mean that everything I’ve been through and I’ve done since then has been for nothing? “I promised I wouldn’t,” I begin, but it sounds weak now, even to me.

If she’s alive now, then I can’t let them go on believing she’s still the girl they remember. They have to know the threat she is to Dane.

“To who? To Vera? Does her being alive cancel any of that out, beautiful? Because we all need answers. Would you rather we get it from you, or from her?” Kellan drawls.

“What promise?” Aiden walks around the couch and stands in front of the TV so he’s facing us. “Tell us what happened with Vera. Why did you kill her, and how is she alive now?”

I shake my head. Dane makes a frustrated sound, like he’s about to rip into me for refusing to answer, but I glare at him. “She was going to kill Dane,” I say, my eyes boring into his and daring him to speak out now. “Vera and Gordon were working on something that involved taking all of Dane's blood. I wasn’t able to make her stop and my gift activated on its own.” I take a long, shaky breath. “It came out so fast and strong that she was gone in seconds.”

His eyes widen, then heat and narrow. “That’s a fucking lie. Vera would never—”

“You don’t know anything about your sister,” I snap at him. “Nothing. Did you know she and Gordon were fucking?” His shock is enough of an answer. “That’s what I thought.”

Aiden’s looking at me like he’s scrutinizing my expression and every word. He’s searching for a sign of a lie to debunk my entire story.

Kellan is slack-jawed. He, at least, believes me with no further proof needed. Jack hasn’t moved since I started talking. He’s listening intently and taking in everything I’m saying.

“Why would she want to kill Dane?” Aiden prompts, his velvety tone coaxing even though I know he’s picking apart everything I’m saying.

“They’ve found a way to use Dane’s blood to access his gift. I didn’t know what they were doing with it before, but this morning at the warehouse, Joe had handcuffs that blocked my gift. It felt just like Dane using his gift on me.

“Kidnapping him is now their top priority so they can make more of those. He has to stay away from Vera at all costs. I’ve already seen that she’s willing to sacrifice him for GE’s cause. Who knows what other lengths she’d be willing to go to now that she’s been alone with them for this long. ”

Everyone turns to Dane. His fists are shaking in his lap as he glares down at them.

Aiden breaks the silence. “Whether you believe her or not, you have to admit that it’s not safe to go to her right now. We’ve known they’ve been after you, but not why. Now, we do.”

“So what?” Dane growls. “They have my sister .”

“And you want us to, what, exactly? Rescue someone who doesn’t want to be rescued?” Aiden tilts his head to the side as he challenges Dane. “We have to hurry in finding those islands to take Gifted Enterprise down. That’s our best chance at getting her back.”

“Getting her back is the only priority now!” Dane shouts, standing and rattling the chains.

“There is no getting her back ,” I murmur, more to myself than to anyone in particular but everyone hears it anyway. Realizing I now have their attention, I continue, “You may physically get her here, but that doesn’t mean she’ll be the Vera you remember. That Vera, she’s gone.” If she even existed. How long had she been with Gordon before I found them? How soon after she and Dane were taken from their homes had she fallen for their propaganda?

We’d all fallen for it at first. It was why we’d stayed without a fight. Until Kellan had enough and tried to leave. That’s when we all learned that being there was never our choice. It didn’t matter that we had good meals, nice teachers, and people who pretended to care about us and what we were doing there.

Prisoners in a golden cage are still only that.

Slaves to their agenda.

Young enough to be groomed into their soldiers .

Dane flips the coffee table with a roar of rage. It flies toward me and Jackson, but Jack flicks his fingers, and it turns to crash against the wall and television instead. Aiden steps out of the way before it hits with a loud crack and then falls apart. “I won’t accept that! I know she’s alive now. I can’t just pretend that she’s gone and can’t be saved if I know she’s out there.”

“Speaking of being alive still…” Jackson’s calm voice slips in. Dane shoots him a glare for trying to change the subject, but Jack just smiles sardonically at him. “I have another…person who should be dead but is now wandering around.” He pauses, waiting for that to sink in before he gives us all another reason to fear GE. “If they have someone who can bring people back from the dead, or heal them even after dying, then we have bigger problems to worry about.”

“Who?” Kellan asks. He’s now purposefully spread his legs out in front of him where the coffee table used to be like he’s enjoying the new legroom.

“Thorne.”

Aiden doesn’t react, but Kellan and even Dane stiffens at the name drop.

“Who the hell is that?” I ask.

“A literal thorn in our sides,” Kellan quips.

“An old friend of Jack’s,” Dane snipes, and Jackson’s dark smile only intensifies at him.

Aiden sighs and kicks a stray piece of wood away from him. “Someone with connections to GE that we thought we’d killed two years ago.”

“And…him being alive is a really bad thing? ”

Kellan laughs, like this is all ridiculous to him and that we’re not all talking about the many threats we’re up against now. “You think Jack got really good since you last saw him, right? Well, this guy taught him all of that. He’s a master of wind and air and he can stop you from breathing or slice you to pieces based on his mood.”

Well, shit. Add that to Vera and Gordon and we’re looking at a powerful evil team of people who are out to get us.

Wonderful.

“On that cheerful note,” I begin, standing up. “I’m leaving. Good afternoon, good night, good riddance, whatever you want for a goodbye.” Jackson stands behind me and Aiden moves in front of me. “Uh, what are you doing?”

“You’re staying with us now,” Aiden says calmly, as if that isn’t the craziest thing we’ve said to each other this afternoon. I scoff incredulously and look around at the others for backup, but no one argues with him. I stop on Dane, ready for him to argue, but his jaw tenses, and his lips stay shut.

“Nope. Nuh-uh. I need my space, and I do my own thing. You already know I’m shit at following instructions, so it’s much better that we go our separate ways again. I appreciate your help with Portia, but now that temporary alliance has ended.”

I push to move past him, but he bands his arm around the front of my waist, holding me back. “I saw how Vera reacted to seeing you. You’re just as much a target as Dane is. Only Vera wants you dead, and Gordon is still out there. We stick together now.”

I’m shocked that Dane still doesn’t pipe in on any of this and give him a look for it. He raises his eyebrows and smirks at me .

Asshole.

“Portia and Elias aren’t at Hype anymore, either,” Jackson reminds me, but I think he’s saying it more to fill in the rest of the group. “You won’t have as much protection there as you will here.”

Aiden’s eyes narrow at me. I don’t know why. It’s not like I owed telling him that. I shoot Jack a quick glare over my shoulder and then shrug like it’s no big deal.

“He’s also asked her to keep her distance from Hype until things settle,” he adds behind me.

Oh. Right. I remember him saying that, but somehow it didn’t click that it meant I’d have nowhere to sleep. Just that I wouldn’t be hanging out at the nightclub for a while.

Damn.

“Typical,” Aiden responds, like there’s a bad taste in his mouth. But I don’t think it’s on my behalf. “He’s willing to hide gifted from the world, but as soon as he’s faced with conflict, he runs with his tail between his legs.”

“He’s looking out for Portia,” I jump to his defense. Elias has still done more for me than anyone else has, and I won’t forget it that easily.

“He’s a coward,” Aiden replies venomously. “Regardless, you’re not safe there. You’ll stay with us and lie low for a bit until we figure out our next move.”

Fat chance they’ll be able to stop me in the middle of the night, so I decide it’s better to give in now and sneak out later. I really could use the nap and then I’ll peace out after snagging some food, too. “Fine. Where do I sleep? ”

“My room,” Aiden answers without hesitation. “Since Dane is otherwise occupied on the couch, I’ll take his room and you can sleep in mine.” I open my mouth to argue but he continues, “Or you could stay on the couch with Dane. I’m sure he’d be thrilled to share with you.”

“Fine,” I say through clenched teeth. I shove past him to the doorway where I’d seen him naked last night just out of a shower, assuming it’s the room I want, and slam the door behind me.

Gordon’s stylus taps furiously against his tablet while he frowns at me with disapproval. I try again, gritting my teeth through the pain of using my gift as I fight to break the metal pole in my grip. Another crack splits through it.

“Enough!” Gordon yanks the pole away and tosses it to the floor. I jump back from his roughness, but he closes the space in a single step and grabs my arm. “If this is the effort I get for keeping you alive, then I’ll cut my losses and be done with you here.”

“I’m trying, I swear! It hurts—”

“Don’t lie to me, pet. You didn’t bat an eyelash over killing your friend. Or are you saying it’s easier for you to use your gift on people?” He releases me and scratches his chin. “Yes, that may be worth a try.”

“No. Please, I can’t do that.”

He sneers as he looks me up and down. “My patience is running thin. Either you do exactly as I say without complaint or—”

His phone rings and, frowning, he answers. “What? I’m busy—Oh?” His lips twist up as his eyes land on me again.

An icy shiver snakes down my spine.

“Yes. Yes, I’ll be right there to take care of it.” He pockets his phone. “Good news, pet. You get one more chance to prove to me you can be useful. Fail this, though, and there will be no more chances. I’ll hand you over to the lab.”

I squeeze my trembling hands into fists, hoping he doesn’t notice my fear. This is it. If I fail him one more time, I’ll be hooked up to a machine for the rest of my life like that room of gifted prisoners he’d shown me. There will be no opportunity for me to find a way to free the others after that. And that’s my only goal now.

Taking a deep breath, I ask, “What do I need to do?”

Gordon smiles, and my skin crawls. “You’re going to clean up your own mess while showing me you can be a good pet for GE. For me.”

He places his hand against the small of my back, and I hurry forward, trying to keep his touch from me by keeping a step ahead of where he’s guiding us out of the gym and through the corridor. I’m so focused on avoiding his hand that I don’t keep track of where we’re going until he stops us. We’re in an office of sorts, based on the desks, computers, and people sitting around.

Banging and muted yelling behind a door on the opposite side of the room has everyone’s attention. Gordon brings me to the door, his touch lingering on my back. “Get rid of them.” I open my mouth with a question, but he raises a finger to stop me. “Ah-ah. Whatever you need to say or do, make sure they don’t come back.”

They? My stomach drops. No…please, don’t be them. Gordon steps back and waves at the door for me to open it. He stands behind it, so it’ll just be me and the office in the background.

I turn the doorknob as the banging intensifies. The door must be thick, because the shouting on the other side is so muted I can’t make out the words, or maybe it’s because my heart is thundering in my chest and drowning everything out.

Please, please, please , I pray silently, willing it to be anyone else behind this door.

The thumping stops once I pull the door back.

Clean up your own mess , Gordon’s words echo back to me. It can’t be anyone else.

“Rae?” Dane lowers his fist when he sees me. His confusion melts to relief, and he lunges forward to wrap me in his arms. “Fuck’s sake, Rae! Where have you been? Are you okay? Did those assholes do anything to you?”

I raise my arms in reflex to hug him back but freeze halfway up. I…can’t. This is wrong. It’s so wrong. I killed his sister. Vera…with these hands…

I look past him to see the others standing there. Jack’s head is cocked to the side as he looks at me so intensely that I’m afraid he’ll read my secret if I let him. I hurriedly look away from him to Kellan, who’s standing just a step behind Dane like he’s waiting his turn to squish me in his giant bear hug. And then Aiden, whose eyes are narrowed as he looks from the office behind me and back to me. To my raised arms that haven’t hugged Dane back yet.

My arms drop under the scrutiny and Dane pulls back when he notices.

“What’s wrong, beautiful?” Kellan pushes up next to Dane, who still hasn’t let me go yet.

“Are you hurt?” Dane demands. He looks me over and then adds, “Have you seen Vera? She’s been missing too. Is she with you?”

My pounding heart stutters and then crushes in a vise. I can’t breathe. I can’t think.

Gordon’s voice breaks through the pain and whispers, Make sure they don’t come back.

I pull myself free of Dane so there’s space between us. It doesn’t help me breathe any easier, or the pain lessen, but I can’t tell him while he’s holding me with worry. I can’t take comfort in him with what I’m about to tell him.

My chest is so tight that I’m not sure how I’ll manage words. I swallow down the tears, saving them for later. I have to do this, knowing that I’m ending everything between us. Even though I’ll keep fighting for them, I know there’s no redemption for me after what I’ve done.

“Vera’s dead.” My voice sounds hollow as the two words I wish I’d never have to say leave my lips. I don’t know why I thought I could run from this. That GE would have told them already to relieve me of this burden.

But it should be me to tell them. I did this. On my own.

I grip my pants in sweaty hands to keep from shaking. They can’t see me being weak. They have to accept this, accept that I’m the bad guy here, so that they don’t try to get me back.

All color drains from Dane’s face. “What? That’s not fucking funny, Rae.” He starts toward me, and I move back again, out of reach. “Where is she?!”

“She’s gone!” I yell back as his panic escalates into my own.

Dane roars and lunges toward me. I flinch back, but he doesn’t touch me. When I glance up, Aiden has grabbed him by the arm to hold him back.

“You’re not going to get answers by barreling into the office,” he tells Dane. Aiden’s gaze locks with mine. “What happened?”

“I—” The words clog my throat.

Make sure they don’t come back.

Goodbye .

“I did it. I killed her.” There’s no emotion when I finally get it out. This is the end of the last seven years together. The end of all of us.

Dane’s frozen still, his eyes swimming in tears, as he stares at me in shock. “You’re lying,” he accuses, his voice rough.

Kellan curses and shakes his head, moving around Aiden and Dane to get to me, and I grab the door and use it as a barrier between us. I can’t let them touch me or I’ll break.

Aiden’s hand hits the door before I can close it. “Are you with them?”

“Yes.” I steel my nerves to finish the rest that I know will break us. “I always have been.”