Page 117 of Sin

Lewis was unconscious on the ground beside them, his leg twisted at an unnatural angle.

Lucas sucked in a sharp breath, drawing my attention back to him and finding his gaze clearing as he came out of Mare’s memories.

“Maya,” Lucas whispered, his gaze flicking over her with rapt attention. “You’re Maya. My daughter.”

She nodded, taking his hand and placing it on her cheek. “Yes.”

“Mi sueñito,” he said reverently, still taking in Mare like she held all the answers to his universe.

“Ya no soy niña,” she said, hiccupping a sob.

“No, I guess you’re not.” Then he winced, dropping to the ground as he screamed. He clutched his head, curling in on himself. “I-I remember. I remember. Everything. I can remember everything. It hurts. Everything hurts.”

Power charged the air as he fell to his knees, and the largest shockwave yet blasted through the air, almost slamming me flat against the street.

His power lashed out at my mind, and by the sounds of pain coming from the others, they were affected too.

It was like he couldn’t leash his power, and untethered, it was attacking anyone within range. I clenched my teeth hard enough to cause damage as I fought to withstand the assault. It didn’t even feel like it had purpose or reason.

Mare must have been knocked over by the blast too, because when I managed to open my eyes, I watched her crawl toward Lucas, her own face scrunched in pain.

But just as she reached him, he jerked.

The hilt of a small dagger protruded from his stomach, and he choked on his next scream.

My head spun, finding Blade there, arm still raised, and blood dripping and merging with rain as it slid down her cheek, the piece of glass still stuck in her eye.

“No!” Mare screamed, grabbing for Lucas. But it was too late.

Lucas stared down at the dagger, his eyes wide. Blood and something green slowly blossomed through his soaked shirt, and he glanced up again at Mare with more clarity in his eyes than I’d ever seen. “I’m sorry I broke my promise,” he said weakly. “I tried to come home. I-I tried.”

“I know,” Mare choked out. “I know that now.” She caught him when he collapsed and turned a glare on Blade.

“I’m sorry,” Blade said, unremorseful as Mare cradled Lu—her dad—in her arms. His eyes were slitted, and even though his stomach was still bleeding, he didn’t seem to be losing too much blood.

Then I recalled a memory of that first day meeting the team. I’d inspected a small dagger, coated in some sort of greenish fluid and Blade had warned me that unless I wanted to risk sleeping for several days, then I shouldn’t touch it.

Blade hadn’t aimed to kill Lucas. Just knock him out.

Whether Mare had realized this or not, I couldn’t tell. I doubted it mattered to her either way.

“I hate you!” Mare screamed at Blade, rocking Lucas’s nearly unconscious form in her arms. “I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!”

Sirens blared louder, and Mare’s head snapped in their direction.

Blade swallowed hard, the first flash of regret shining in her gaze. But it was gone as quick as it had appeared, and the stoic mask slipped back in place. “Hate me all you want, Mare. But this is the right thing. We can’t let him go.”

Lucas convulsed, and tears painted Mare’s cheeks, mixing with the blood and rain. In the distance, sirens wailed. My eyelids sagged, and my vision went in and out of focus. I was so tired. Everything felt so heavy, like I was under a weighted blanket. I just wanted to close my eyes. Just for a little.

“Sh,” she whispered, pulling his head into her lap. Belatedly, as my vision dimmed and my head became too heavy to hold up, I realized they mirrored mine and London’s positions. She met my gaze over Lucas’s prone form just before my eyes shut. “It’s going to be okay.”

Was she trying to convince Lucas, me, or herself?

Chapter Twenty-Three

Do you trust me?

When I woke up, I was in the hospital ward. Lewis was staring off at the wall from a bed on my right, while Jinx and Blade’s beds faced ours. There was a bed to my left with rumpled sheets and blankets, but it was empty because its occupant was currently crowding me in my bed.

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