Page 7 of Shadow

I scrubbed my hands down my face in frustration.

“How do I know you’re not an implant sent by my father?”

“How do you know Mirage or Asylum aren’t?” Bryce countered.

“Because they’ve proven themselves to us?—”

“And I haven’t?” He growled at me. “Plus, you clearly don’t know the shit I know about them?—”

“I guess your shit just stays in the shadows, huh?” I gave him a sour laugh as Mirage visibly bristled at Bryce’s words. “Maybe a little bit of honesty would go a long way, Andrews.”

He glared at me, his hands balled into tight fists.

Sirena hadn’t moved an inch the entire time, but I didn’t blame her. Getting between me and Bryce could end up with her hurt. I didn’t want that. I tugged at my hair, my head a fucking mess. So many thoughts and emotions raced through me. I couldn’t focus on just one.

“I want her,” Bryce said fiercely.

I let out a bark of laughter at his demand. “Go fuck yourself.”

Sirena got to her feet and put her hands on my chest, her eyes searching mine.

“Are you serious?” I whispered, staring in disbelief at her.

“I choose,” she answered back in the smallest voice.

“Not him, specter. He hasn’t proved himself?—”

“Then fucking let me,” Bryce shouted. “Give me the chance. Fuck, Dante. I’m good for her. You know I am!”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and tore my eyes away from Sirena to look at him. Mirage sat like a statue on the couch.

“All you’ve done is shown me betrayal.” I inhaled a shaky breath. “You knew Adam was and never told me. You were helping my father. All this shit. Why do you think that earns you any fucking right?”

He said nothing, his eyes locked on me.

“You will prove yourself to me. You will fuckingkillfor me. There is no weakness amongst us. Standing next to Sirena and Mirage while they do the dirty work doesn’t fucking count.”

“You want me to commit crimes to prove to you I’m worthy?” He scoffed and shook his head.

I moved past Sirena and faced him, our chests nearly touching.

“If you can’t even take a life, you have no place within our ranks. You’re weak.Pathetic.A fucking parasite, looking to latch onto anything that could bring you up. We aren’t it.Sheisn’t it. Fuck off and die, Andrews.”

I shoved past him and grabbed the heart before I went up to my room without looking back. My fist met my wall, putting a hole into the plaster as I tried to fight the fucking tears threatening to erupt from me. I didn’t know what they meant, nor did I give a shit.

There was never any peace.

And there never would be.

I just needed to find a way to accept it.

Bryce fucking Andrews was definitely not it, though.

SIRENA

Church locked the door to his bedroom and didn’t come out all night. Mirage and Bryce left right after he’d gone upstairs. Mirage hugged me and told me to keep the faith. Bryce had simply squeezed my hand and followed Mirage out the front door.

Ashes stayed with Sin at the facility, and Stitches returned home later that night. I’d gone to Sin’s room to sleep because Cady was holed up in my room. We hadn’t been around each other much. She cried a lot and pushed me out. It was scaring me.

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