Twice Born

Chapter 6

“What was that?”

I rise to my feet and turn away, avoiding Tristan’s question. His bewildered expression. It feels like everything is collapsing in around me. What if he figures out the truth? What if he tells everyone and they come after me?

Easy solution. Kill him now before he has a chance to talk.

 “Bree?” Tristan stands right behind me. He clasps my shoulder with his hand. “How did you do that? You picked me up like I weighed nothing. And your eyes—I seriously thought you were going to kill me.” He laughs. “You’re not going to kill me, are you?”

Do it!

“No!” I spin around to face him. “No, I won’t kill you. Why would you think I’m capable of something like that?”

I feel Eve digging around in my mind, searching through my memories to understand my connection to him. He laughs again. Why isn’t he frightened? I want him to be frightened.

“Relax, I wasn’t being serious,” he says. “I mean, for a moment there I really thought. . . . Maybe the story of what happened to that man at the temple got to my head.”

He’s going to put it all together, Bree. It might not be sinking into his mind yet, but once he has time to think it over, he’ll realize the truth. End it now.

I take in a breath. She’s not in control here. I just have to keep reminding myself that, and she won’t be able to do anything. “I’m sorry for hurting you,” I say to him as I glance around. No signs of Trackers yet.

Not for long.

“But you startled me, Tristan. I reacted without thinking.”

Are you ignoring me, Bree?

Fury in her voice, thick as cloud storms.

No. I’m trying not to give our discussion away.

Tristan rubs his throat. “Have you had training? That was quite a move.”

Who are you fooling? You aren’t discussing anything with me. You want to make decisions all on your own.

My limbs feel heavier. Her anger seems to be sapping away my strength, and I’m filled with fear of her—of what she’ll do to Tristan if I don’t stop her. I have to get away from him, for his sake. If Eve doesn’t lose it and snap his neck, the Trackers will find him here with me. They’ll think he’s my accomplice, and his death will be unavoidable either way.

“Go back home. I don’t want you trailing after me like a pet.” Eve says this, her voice rough with anger. For once, I am grateful for her hostility. He just might take me seriously now.

“What’s with the secrecy?”

Or maybe not.

“Go away, Tristan,” I say. “I mean it!”

Let me take over, she tells me as I walk down the slope and cut through the trees. I promise I won’t really hurt him. I’ll just make it hard for him to follow us.

Is that supposed to reassure me? You’re twisted, Eve.

Better twisted than careless. He’s still following us.

I know that. I hear his boots stomping through the underbrush. I wait until he breaks through the foliage and grab him by the front of his coat. “What part of go away don’t you understand?”

He lifts his hands in a helpless gesture. “I’m new here, remember? I can’t find my way back to the shelter all by myself.”

Convenient.