Page 100 of Meet Your Maker: Part One

“I ain’t your type. Try again.”

Silas huffs a tired laugh and leans over the bed of my truck, elbows resting on the edge. His gaze drifts to the tree line, the smirk slipping just enough to show the weight he’s carrying.

I pop the tailgate and sit down, legs swinging like I’ve got all the time in the world. “Usually, people say they don’t have all day, but I do.” I give him a lopsided grin. “At least ‘til sunset. I like to be there when Vivien rises.”

He doesn’t smile back. Instead, he straightens up just enough to look at me, then back at the horizon. “I need to tell you something.”

The careful way he says it makes my stomach twist. “Alright,” I say slowly. “What’s on your mind?”

“I met your sister.”

My eyebrows shoot up. “Okay… Was she mean to you? Did her friend Xavier get ya? They got a way of—”

“Colt.” His voice cuts through mine, sharper now. He shakes his hair back, dreadlocks shifting over his shoulders, and locks eyes with me. “She’s my dragon’s fated mate.”

Truth.

It slams into me like a freight train. There’s not an ounce of deception in his words.

I blink, my brain struggling to process. “You’re sayin’ Sunday…” My throat goes dry, “is your dragon’s mate?”

Silas nods once, his jaw tight.

For a long moment, I just stare at him. And then, just as the truth settles, he drops the second bomb.

“And I tried to kill her.”

It’s like the ground drops out from under me. The words hang in the air. My ears buzz with rushing blood.

The warning light in the back of my brain stays dark—he’s not lying.Not about any of it.

I let out a shaky breath, dragging a hand down my face. “Jesus Christ, Silas.”

He doesn’t flinch, doesn’t try to explain. Just watches me, braced like he’s waiting for a punch that might not come.

“You tried to kill my sister,” I say again, slower this time, like hearing it out loud will make it make sense. It doesn’t. “Just what the fuck do you expect me to do with that?

Silas breaks the silence first, his voice quieter now.Careful. “So… how’s she doing?”

A sharp laugh escapes me, more nerves than humor. “Well, she ain’t dead, so that’s nice.”

The words echo back in my head, and that’s when it really hits me. He tried to kill Sunday. My sister. The cooler behind me feels like it’s burning a hole through the truck bed. My hands twitch against my jeans, itching to grab my phone. Should I call Dad? Tomas? God, I wish Vivien was up.

But Silas doesn’t move. He just stands there, arms braced on the truck, looking more human than I’ve ever seen him.

“I made a mistake,” he says finally, his tone raw. “One I’ll be paying for a long, long time.”

The truth lands again, just as heavy, tinged with something that feels like regret.

I swallow hard, my stomach twisting. “I gotta ask… how does one mistakenly attempt murder?”

The corner of his mouth twitches, but it’s not a smile. More like he’s laughing at himself, and not in a kind way. “You’d be surprised.” His fingers flex against the truck’s edge, gripping something invisible.

“It was a job,” he says finally, his voice rough, like the words are being dragged out of him. “I didn’t realize who she was to him until she…” He pauses, eyes darkening. “Until she didn’t burn in my dragon’s fire.”

I blink. “Okay, I mean, I get it… one time I was working for City and they wanted me to—” I cut myself off, realizing even as the words leave my mouth that this is not the time for a story about municipal screw-ups. “Never mind. Forget it. Probably not gonna help you feel any better.”

Silas huffs a breath that might be a laugh, but it’s too bitter to be sure.

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