“I have made a potion,” announces Giulia. “But it’s in my studio. I’ll pick it up after breakfast, in case you decide to go.”
“We are going,” Apollo roars, staring me down.
I roll my eyes. “Alright. I’m so sorry for trying to keep your ass safe.”
“Oh, so you can die, as long as I don’t?” Apollo’s voice booms. I grind my jaw and glare back at him, no arguments on the tip of my tongue. He doesn’t understand. He doesn’t know how it is to bear the weight of these cursed powers. The weight of being on the line of fire, when your powers can’t even do anything good.
“What is the potion for?” Donatello asks in an empty voice.
Giulia straightens her spine, a proud smile on her face. “It will make you deaf. Completely deaf. Kayn won’t be able to control you.”
I turn to Giulia, rising my brows. “Wow, that’s impressive, Giulia.”
“It is,” Apollo roars, “but the subject is not done.”
“It doesn’t matter,” says Donatello, turning to his food. “We’re not leaving her. With the potion, I can guarantee I won’t hurt her anymore.”
“It sounds almost too good,” I keep going, trying to distract Apollo. “Any side-effects?”
“No.” Giulia shakes her head, then stops. “I mean, besides being deaf. He’ll be truly deaf, not deaf only to Kayn. There’s that.”
“Not a problem.” Donatello taps the napkin to the corners of his mouth. “We’ll just stick together.” And he shoots me a firm glance, as if telling me I have no choice. They are coming with me.
Releasing a sigh, I recline into the chair. “Gods, I just wanted to keep you safe.”
“I would go even so,” Tristan says in that fake-whisper he does, his voice too rough for it to work. “Even if only to free Mei and the others.”
Our gazes lock and I see the resolution bright in his eyes. He has stakes in it too. He wants to go back for the other people the Collector imprison, and I bet he feels survivor guilty right now. Pressing my lips together, I nod at Tristan, letting him know he won it. I am taking them with me. Not that I have much of a choice.
Turning back to my breakfast, we go in silence for another minute before Apollo clears his throat. I look up, but he’s staring at my side, in Ren’s direction. “Ren?” the dragon shifter voices.
I look for Ren and find him... Staring. Eyes wide, mouth half-open. Reaching out, I touch his jaw. “Ren?”
He breaks out of it, blinking twice before his eyes search for Tristan. “Mei?”
Tristan nods. “She worked under the Collector, too.”
“For how long? Two years?”
“I...” Tristan frowns. “I think so. Yeah, around that time.”
What is going on here? I look between the two, then at Apollo and Donatello, but they look as confused as I feel.
“She’s this tall,” Ren says, flattening a hand in front of his chest to indicate someone short, “skinny, slick black hair?”
“Yeah.” Tristan blinks. “You know her?”
Oh, shit. Oh, shit, oh, shit. I gape at Apollo, but he seems confused still. Donatello as much. But I remember. I remember what Ren told me, about how his pack was attacked, and only he and his sister survived. How they had been living just the two of them until two years ago, when witches attacked them again.
I remember it. It was her. The girl bringing me food, the shy girl who ran away, who I thought would sell us out to the Collector. She’s Ren’s lost sister. The one who he thought had died.
And I left her behind.
I should have talked to her. Should have asked where she came from. I should have begged Tristan to tell me about the others. And I did nothing of the kind, too busy thinking about myself.
Ren licks his lips and looks at me. His face grows pale. I reach out and grip his fingers in mine. “Oh, Ren,” I whimper. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea she was your sister.”
“Your sister?” Apollo calls out. “Wasn’t she dead?”