Page 216 of Silver Elite

“And…” I gulp. “I can incite.”

“Fuck, Wren.”

“I know. If it makes you feel better, I can’t control that power at all.”

“How would that make me feel better?” he balks, then draws a calming breath. “So that was you, then, at the execution?”

“I’m sorry I lied to you. I wasn’t sure if I could fully trust you.” I nibble the inside of my cheek. “But yes, it was me. I didn’t do it on purpose if you can believe that. It’s sort of like how you and I accidentally linked as kids. You opened a path and blindly reached out without even realizing what you were doing. That’s what occurred at the execution. I was watching in horror as the squad lined up in front of Jim. I was pleading with them in my mind to put their guns down. And then…it just happened.”

“Just happened,” he echoes in disbelief.

“That wasn’t the first time, either. It’s happened here and there over the years. Usually when I’ve been angry or panicky about something. I was inciting the night I told you about, when my father—Jim—drove us off the road. I told you I was driving. I wasn’t. I accidentally incited him to turn the truck around and we almost died.”

“Shit.”

“Jim tried to train me in it, but it wasn’t his strongest suit. And there are so few known inciters on the Continent that I can’t even, you know, call someone for advice.” A laugh slips out. “I don’t know how to use it.” The laughter fades. “I wouldn’t use it even if I did.”

He slants his head. “Really.”

“Really. Remember when we talked about free will? Well, it’s sort of an important concept for me. I like the idea that I’m making my own decisions. That my actions are my own. There are very few people I hate enough to want to take that away from them.”

Cross’s features soften.

“I lied to you about some things as Daisy, but always by omission. But you did the same.” I give him a pointed look, and he nods. “As me, as Wren, I’ve lied about so much since I got here. I’ve hid from you.”

I touch my thigh, directing his gaze to the red circle imprinted there. To the reason I didn’t want Ellis to heal me.

“Jim burned this off me when I was a child. It appeared when I was seven. He didn’t want anyone to know what I was, including the Uprising.”

That makes him frown. “He kept it from them?”

“Yes. He knew I would be used as a pawn. My mom knew, too. That’s why she sent me away. She was the first person I incited, when I was five. She recognized the danger in it, especially in the hands of a child, so she begged Jim to take me far away. Other than him, you’re the only one I’ve ever told.”

“Your friend didn’t know?”

“Only you. And now Ellis, I suppose.”

There’s a beat of silence.

Then his jaw clenches tight, and I’m startled by the flash of ire that ignites his eyes.

“Damn it, Dove. How could you do such a stupid fucking thing?”

My mouth falls open. “You’re angry at me for telling you the truth?”

“I’m angry at you for exposing yourself. For removing the only godfucking layer of protection you had between you and your enemies.”

I blink.

He’s right.

My chest rises as I draw a shaky breath. “I know it was reckless.”

“You think?”

“But it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“Why would you ever put yourself at risk like that?”

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