Page 36 of In Death's Hands
“What do you sense?” asks Nathan.
“Nothing good.”
Dread spreads in my stomach, and I feel myself shaking slightly when a pointy elbow jabs me in my ribs. When I look up, Atys has a wild smile that I somehow know is for my benefit. “Don’t you worry, girl. It only means you’re interesting.”
Both Thalnus and Nathan seem to find his remark inappropriate, but it forces a laugh out of me that releases some of the tension quickly building inside me. I throw a grateful look his way, but the man is focused on his friend, his disapproval clear.
“Explain,” says Nathan, and I almost wish he hadn’t. I’d like to ignore the next punch life decides to throw at me. Or at least delay it for a little while, just long enough for me to catch my breath. But once again, my wishes don’t seem to matter.
“Her flow is wrong.”
My eyebrows shoot up. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t some sort of surfer talk telling me my “vibe” is off. But it seems to mean something to Nathan, whose eyes close for a beat and whose shoulders drop. For a split-second, his face shatters and something resembling guilt transforms his lovely features. It pains me so much I walk to him and take his hand in my own, ignoring the shadows still clinging to his skin.
His face jerks up so fast it startles me, but I stay rooted to the floor when I notice the unreadable storm in his eyes. We stare at each other for too long, him looking shocked and conflicted, and me just trying to understand the draw I feel to this man. We break apart like two teenagers caught in a forbidden embrace when Atys clears his throat. Damn it, I was supposed to listen to my head.
Ignoring my heating cheeks and Atys’ amused look, I focus on Thalnus. “What does that mean exactly? Could you all start making sense, please?”
Frowning, the big man answers me. “It means the Order is out of place. It means you are not where you’re supposed to be, and something has happened that has derailed you from the path the Fates wove for you.”
“Oookay.” Yep, that’s the only answer I can come up with right now.
“You don’t seem surprised,” says Atys, cocking his head at me like a dog would at a strange noise.
I look back at Nathan, who’s eerily quiet, but the man is staring at the hand that was in mine seconds ago and seems entirely lost in his own thoughts.
“No, I can’t say that I am.” I pause, not knowing how much to reveal to them.
Nathan seems to come to his senses and makes the decision for me. “Liv has had some unnatural experiences. I needed your confirmation, but we already suspected an issue.”
“What experiences?” asks Thalnus sternly.
“With the Novensiles.”
Both Thalnus and Atys curse at once, and it would almost be funny if we weren’t talking about a group of mysterious men out to get me.
“Why are we really here, boy?”
Okay, his refusal to say Nathan’s name is really starting to piss me off.
“Because if the Novensiles are after her, she could be our way to find out what happened to us. And before I can go hunt them down like the dogs they are, I needherapproval.”
Atys curses again, shaking his head and looking at me with what seems to be pity. I don’t like it. But when Thalnus looks at me with renewed interest, I like it even less.
I know Nathan wants to protect me as well as find answers for himself and his own, but the way he talks about it now only makes me seem like a tool to be used for their benefit. And Thalnus doesn’t look like he would mind tearing me apart to get to the truth. “You called us here for a favour, then.” Not aquestion. Thalnus looks fucking smug as he crosses his arms, muscles bulging in pleasure. “You’ve got some nerve, boy.”
Nathan only grinds his teeth.
Shaking his head, Atys says, “Even ifsheagrees, what makes you think we’d manage to learn anything new? We’ve been looking for answers for centuries.”
Wait, forcenturies? They can’t have been alive for that long.
Right? No.
But then, NathanisDeath’s assistant. If anyone can bargain a suspension of death, it would be him. And the others, well, they are gods.
Unaware of my mental breakdown, Nathan answers with the world’s confidence, “Because I’m helping this time.”
I cock my head at him. I wish I could feel like that at least once in my life. Like I know where I belong, what my purpose is, and own my power to get it done.
