Heart racing and vision blurred with tears, my hand flies open, the knife clattering loudly against the tile.
Fuck me, I almost just stabbed Zade in the face. Eyes widened with shock; the only thing I’m capable of is to stare, unsure if Zade is an apparition, too. He studies me closely, face carefully blank as he lowers my hand.
“Careful, little mouse, that’s my strongest asset.”
Blinking, I finally choke out, "Don't ever tell my mother about this.”
Zade's brows pinch, and his mouth opens, then closes, before finally settling
on, "What?"
I extract my wrist from his grip, my blood spiking hot from the lingering adrenaline, and now embarrassment.
"What just happened was entirely dramatic, and if she ever finds out I'm just
like her, I'll die."
He blinks, amusement filtering in his yin-yang irises. "You'll die, huh?"
I nod once, sharply. "In absolute misery."
His mouth quirks up. "I wouldn't dream of it then."
Sniffing, I nod once more, straighten out my shirt purely just to give my hands something to do other than stabbing people, and then turn, open a drawer, and pull out another knife.
"Good."
He's silent for a beat. "Do you want to talk about the attempted murder that
just occurred?"
"Not really," I answer, chopping off another piece of carrot.
"But I do."
I sigh, setting the knife down and pivoting to face him again.
"Zade, I think I'd rather talk about my mother trying to convince me that chastity belts were the latest fashion when I was fourteen than talk about trying to stab you."
Another pause. "Okay, so there's a lot to unpack here, and I'm not sure where
to start."
"Exactly, can you believe her? I told her she might as well make the chastity
belt into an electric fence, too, so I don't have to suffer through that."
He arches a brow, fighting a smile. "Yeah, baby, not dramatic at all."
I shoot him a droll look. “You’re here. Why are you here? Did you need something?”
“Just you, little mouse.”
Dammit. Why does he have to say all the right things? He knows exactly
what he’s doing, too, and how much I secretly enjoy it.
I narrow my eyes, and he forges on, a slight curl to his lip as he speaks.
“While I’m not scared of the Society, we are currently sitting ducks, and I need to handle a few things with Jay. And there are a few things I need to discuss with you, starting with who put a target on your head.”
“Claire, right?” I ask. Surprise flashes across his face.
“How did you know?”
“She came to visit me.”
His face smooths into a blank slate, but it’s a mirage. Anger swirls beneath the surface, bubbling out through his hardened tone. “What did she say?”
“Pretty much just bitch-slapped with the knowledge that she’s been the big man behind the screen the entire time. She was there because she knew you were looking for me, and I was going to be handled differently to ensure that you wouldn’t find me.”
He nods slowly. “I’m not going to rush you, but eventually, I’ll need to know if you saw anyth—”
“I want to help,” I cut in. It doesn’t give me anxiety like I thought it would.
Instead, it gives me a sense of relief.
When he took me to the sanctuary a few days ago, it changed something in me. Seeing all those survivors getting better, working on healing, and seeing them shrouded in all kinds of happy vapors, it shifted something in my chest.
It made me realize that’s what I really need. A goal—something to work
toward that would genuinely make me happy. And now, I know what that is.
“Add—“
“Don’t tell me I’m not capable, or not ready. I’ve had a lot of fucking time to
think. And I don’t want to be this insufferable victim, okay? I don’t want to let
them win, and more importantly. I want—no, I need to help.”
He crosses his arms. “Okay. How would you like to help?”
I shrug. “I’ll tell you everything I know. And if you go out on missions, I want to come.”
His brow cocks, and his gaze flickers over me before returning to my eyes.
“Okay,” he acquiesces again. I’m almost suspicious of how agreeable he is. I
was expecting him to lock me in my proverbial tower like Rapunzel.
Noting the look on my face, he says, “I’ll never treat you like you’re helpless
or incapable. I’ve always known how strong you are. So, if you want to help, fine. I’m more than happy to bring you along for the ride, baby, but that comes with stipulations.”
“What stipulations?” I ask, growing wary.
“We start training again. We’ll pick up where we left off, and I’ll teach you
not only how to defend yourself but how to fight, too. You need to learn how to
use a weapon properly, and so help me God, Adeline, you will not do stupid shit
when we’re working in the field.”
My mouth opens, offended by his accusation. “What makes you think I’d do
anything stupid?”
His brow jumps up to his forehead again. “You’re going to tell me that
confronting your stalker in the middle of the night wasn’t stupid?”
My teeth click shut. So, maybe he has a point there.
“You’re brave. Incredibly brave, and a goddamn survivor, and it’s admirable
as fuck. You have no idea how proud of you I am. But you’re also impulsive, and reactive, and I refuse to lose you again, do you hear me? I won’t. Which means that you have to listen to me, and you cannot go off and do your own
thing because you think you’re helping. We’re a team, baby. Got it?”
I chew my lip, mulling that over. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that I am underwhelmingly out of my league when it comes to this corner of the world.
“I understand,” I agree. “I’m not going to pretend like I’m the big bad wolf…
yet.”
His answering smirk suggests that he is the big bad wolf, and honestly, I’d have to agree.
But I won’t admit it. His head will blow up, and then I will need to jab that
knife in his face just to pop his oversized ego.
“Aim for the jugular, not the ear, baby,” Zade instructs patiently. It grinds on
my nerves anyway, and I’m a hairsbreadth away from turning the knife on him
instead. “Adjust your feet—” He gently kicks one of them back. “You’re