Page 215 of Silver Elite

“My uncle didn’t find me on the side of the road.”

Cross swings his gaze back to me.

“He smuggled me out of the city when I was five years old. My parents were Uprising operatives. Working to take the system down from within. My father died in the field. My mother was executed for concealment.”

I sit on the sofa and offer a contrite look.

“Whenever I spoke to Wolf about my ‘father,’ I was referring to Jim. The truth is, I don’t remember my parents. I never knew them. Idon’t remember anything, really, before Jim took me to the Blacklands.”

His mouth falls open.

“Yeah,” I confirm in a dry voice. “We lived in the darkness for almost three years. Well, it wasn’t always dark. We found a sun pocket in a grassy clearing that got about five hours of light a day. My parents asked him to protect me, so that’s what he did. And when he deemed it safe, we returned to the wards and set ourselves up in Z. We really have been ranching these past twelve years. I knew he was Modified.” I don’t say Aberrant because Jim was not an aberration. He was not defective. “But he didn’t work for the Uprising. Neither did I, not until after his execution. They recruited me not long after I joined the Program. Or rather, after you forced me into it.”

Amusement tugs on the corners of his mouth.

“I lied to you when I said I only have one ability.”

His smile fades.

I get to my feet and start to undo my jeans.

“What are you doing?”

“I went to see Ellis earlier.” I bite my lip in humor, hesitating only briefly before asking, “Did you know he was working for your enemy?”

Cross hisses through his teeth. “Fuck’s sake.”

“I’m sorry. I confirmed it with my contact before I reached out to him. He’s been undercover here for years.”

I tug my zipper down.

“I asked him to heal my scars. I wasn’t sure if it would still be there. But…”

Beneath the denim I wear a pair of white underwear. Palms damp from nerves, I remove my jeans, leaving them in a pool on the floor.

Cross sucks in a breath when he sees my bare thighs.

The burns are gone.

The bloodmark is still there.

“I don’t have one ability. I have four.”

“Four.” He looks like he’s trying not to laugh. “All right. Well. I know what one of them is. What are the other three?”

“I can read your mind.” I purse my lips. “Actually, no, I can’t readyourmind—your shield is phenomenal. Maybe lower it for a second?”

His gaze turns distrustful.

“Please. I won’t abuse the privilege.”

When he nods, I peer past him toward the balcony, focusing on the view beyond the glass door. I push the image into his mind.

He sighs.

I give a sheepish shrug. “I’m a projector.”

“Clearly.”

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