Page 24 of Unhinged

My chest clenches as I stare at the rubble of his childhood. “What happened?”

“It’s not important.” He glances at me, his eyes unreadable. “It’s nothing but rubble, ash, and weeds watered with blood.”

Blood.

I struggle to imagine what kind of carnage Taren witnessed here. I reach out to touch his arm, my heart aching for him. “I’m sorry, Taren,” I whisper.

His entire body tenses. “There’s nothing to be sorry for.”

“How old were you when this happened?” I ask to learn more about what made him the way he is.

“Eight.” He doesn’t look at me, staring at the house blankly.

“Did your family die?”I ask, wondering how many parallels can be drawn between us. I was eight when my birth parents and sister died in a car accident. “My birth parents died when I was eight. And my sister,” I blurt out.

His jaw clenches and he glances at me, nostrils flaring. “What did you say?”

I don’t know why I blurted that out. “My parents died when I was eight along with my two year old sister in a car accident.”

He stares at me for a few beats, before turning his gaze back to the skeletal remains of the house. “I never was, but always will be. No one ever saw me, but everyone will. What am I?”

I realize he won’t answer my question as to whether his family died. This man is an enigma. He brings me to his childhood home, and yet he’s not willing to open up about what happened. And why would he? We barely know each other.

“Death,” I breathe.

He nods in response, a jarring smile considering where we are. “Clever little bird.”

A shiver races down my spine. This man can be as changeable as the wind. While he tells me he wants to save me from his boss, I sense he can be cruel. That danger follows him like a shadow, and I need to be careful not to be drawn into his web of madness.

“Why did you bring me here?”I demand.

He glances back at the rubble with an odd expression. “To show you my beginning.” He turns to look at me. “To let you see the ashes from which I rose, the desolation that forged me.” He tilts his head. “I needed you to see this, understand where I come from, and understand me.”

I shake my head. “I don’t know if I’ll ever understand you, Taren.”

His eyes flash with irritation, and his jaw clenches. “Why not?”

I place my hand on his chest gently. “Because you’re the most complicated riddle I’ve ever encountered.”

He smirks, a hint of madness shining in his dark, onyx eyes. “Good, but you want to solve me, don’t you, little bird?”

The crazy thing is my answer to that question is yes. I want to solve him. I know I shouldn’t because he’s dangerous. And he may not be the man responsible for holding me captive, but he works for the person who is responsible.

“Yes,” I breathe.

His smirk widens and my heart rate stutters as I realize telling him that is dangerous. Now he knows the power he holds over me. And I fear that’s the most dangerous thing of all.

10

TAREN

The event is in full swing when we arrive.

Alice clutches me like I’m her crutch. I’d love to be that for her. I want to be her entire world. I want the rest of the world to burn until it’s only us left in it. The rightful king and queen.

And so the spectacle unfolds.

Mexico City hasn’t been the devil I expected. Perhaps my little bird helps keep the violent onslaught of my memories at bay. I’m unsure. However, I expected to feel chaotic and out of control. All I know is I breathe easier with her close. As if she’s my oxygen. As if she’s my salvation.

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