Page 17 of The World Undone

I bit the insides of my cheeks and gripped the arms of the chair, trying like hell to keep my face blank, even as my traitorous fingers trembled with anxiety.

In that moment, I hated myself. Hated that I couldn’t swallow back my own bullshit and wear the mask I’d spent a decade perfecting. Hated that my mother had this effect on me. I felt so small, powerless in her presence. Like I was suddenly the same little boy she’d abandoned all those years ago.

There were more important things going on, and I so badly wanted the strength to push all my personal shit aside.

Max lined the side of her foot against mine and I froze, briefly, before relaxing and leaning into the soft pressure of hers in thanks. The simple reminder of her presence, that she was with me and on my side, was like a fresh gulp of water after weeks in the desert.

“This isn’t all of our community representatives,” Charlie started, glancing around at everyone, her eyes wide and shining with warmth, “but it will do for our purposes today.”

“And what purposes are those?” Darius asked, his voice uncharacteristically frigid. I hadn’t spoken to him much over the last week—all of us were spread thin, busy helping out in various capacities around the campgrounds—but something about him seemed a little…off.

Tense.

Hungry.

He hadn’t bothered taking a seat. He was the only one standing, leaning against the wall behind Max’s chair. Typically, I’d find his obnoxious behavior, well, obnoxious, but right now I was honestly glad to have one of us at Max’s six. The girl attracted danger and enemies like no one I’d ever met. And while I trusted Charlie and Bishop reasonably well, I hadn’t met everyone who lived in this small community. We were outnumbered and in the middle of nowhere.

Bishop’s dark gaze drilled into him. Whatever animosity he’d once harbored for the vampire was still very, very much alive, but Darius paid him no attention.

“Well—” it was strange, I hadn’t really heard it in years, but Evelyn’s voice—soft but sure—cut through me like a goddamn knife. I tensed at the sound of it. There had been so many nights I’d woken up wishing more than anything that that voice would come comfort me back to sleep and ease the nightmares away. But she was the one who’d caused so many of those nightmares in the first place. Max squeezed my knee under the table, and I did my best to relax into her touch. “This is war, isn’t it?” Her hazel eyes cut to Max. “Or are we going to pretend that burning the primary research station of The Guild was just an unconventional greeting card?”

There wasn’t judgment in her tone, if anything, she sounded almost impressed. Intrigued, at the very least.

She studied Max for a long moment.

Max met her stare, unwavering, and I could feel her anger on my behalf directed like a laser towards the woman. She had no reason to hate Evelyn—except that she’d hurt me.

Evelyn’s mouth twitched into an amused grin, but it dissolved into her usual mask almost as quickly as it had appeared. “I don’t think we’ve formally met yet, Max Bentley. But I’m Evelyn. I’ve heard a great deal about you.”

Max’s lips flattened. “I’ve heard a lot about you as well.”

“Yes, of course.” The angles of Evelyn’s jaw tightened as she listlessly arranged some papers and files sitting in front of her. “I’m sure you have.” She leaned back into her chair, the rickety groan echoing in the tense silence.

I could feel my team’s eyes on me, waiting for me to react, to blow up. But I swallowed my anger, using Max’s touch to anchor me. My past was nothing compared to what we were up against—it was time for me to swallow it as best as I could.

Evelyn cleared her throat, then her face softened as her focus turned to me. “I hear you’re coming from visiting with Seamus. How is he? I haven’t been down to see him yet today.”

I snorted. “Are you suggesting that you suddenly care?” The words slipped out before I could reign them in. The petulant, childlike tone of my voice had shame licking at my spine. This wasn’t who I was, not anymore. I hated that two seconds in a room with her sent me back to adolescence.

“Of course—” pain flashed across her face, her eyes framing in soft wrinkles as she narrowed them. “Eli, of course I care.”

I swallowed the retort on the tip of my tongue and nodded. “He’s not good, but he’s strong.” I met her eyes, adding, “and he’s survived through worse. He’ll get through this too—and be stronger on the other side of it.”

There was no mystery as to who had caused the deepest ache in his life.

It certainly wasn’t a wonky werewolf.

“Yes, well, we’re doing everything we can. Levi tells me that there’s been some signs of improvement. He’s getting stronger, the?—”

“Enough.” I only whispered the word, but it seemed to echo through the room like a bell. My chest was tight, heavy, like it was being crushed by a fucking semi. “I won’t discuss my father with you. Is he why you called us here? Or are there other things we can discuss?”

Boundaries. Boundaries were good.

Her eyes dropped down to the table, the apples of her cheeks flushed bright with pink. “Right. Yes. I understand.” She cleared her throat. “I apologize for overstepping.”

The man with red hair smiled awkwardly, catching on to the tension and clearly trying to dispel it as gracefully as possible. “Perhaps it would be best if we got introductions out of the way. My name is Jace. I’ve been a part of this community for two years.” He turned to Max, his smile widening until it was almost absurdly bright. He was a disarmingly good-looking dude. “And I’m already a big fan of yours, Max. My little sister was locked up in those labs. I didn’t think I’d ever see her again. I owe you a great debt.”

That caught Max’s attention, and pulled her quiet, withering glare away from Evelyn. “Is she okay?”

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