Page 157 of Firestorm
“Do you want to die?” I asked honestly. “You’re acting like you want to die.”
“Aiden is my p-patient,” Wyatt rasped. “In counseling, we’ve talked about it. He can’t stay if he d-doesn’t trust.”
“Wyatt,” I sighed. “We have much bigger issues going on right now. Aiden is the only one of us in a good position at the moment. You’re fucked and she doesn’t even know I exist. Who the fuck cares if Aiden has trust issues?”
Wyatt pulled himself into his office chair with a groan.
“He’s going to tell her,” I said as I dusted shards of glass from the couch.
“I realize that, Rafe.” Wyatt rasped, staring down into his steaming coffee mug like it had all the answers to life.
“How exactly are you going to fix this?” I asked. “Because I gotta tell you, after that little display, you’ll be lucky if she doesn’t come for you herself.”
“I’m not worried about Skye,” Wyatt croaked. “Aiden’s threat was real.”
“Yeah.Real-ly fucking awesome,” I said, grinning as Wyatt sent me a miserable glare. “That kidhasto have more than one affinity. What do you think the other could be? I swear it smells like a thunderstorm in here.”
“He’s been tested several times,” Wyatt said with a cough.
I paused, sitting up straighter, something finally occurring to me. “Who did the testing?” I asked.
“Whoever the Sensor was,” Wyatt replied.
“Which facility, Wyatt? Which Sensor?” I pushed.
Wyatt’s eyes widened as he looked at me.
“Shafer,” we said at the same time.
“Fuck!” I threw myself back into the couch. “What the fuck is that man playing at?”
“And why?” Wyatt muttered. “He knew all of mine when I was tested. Even the memory scrambling.”
“He knew mine, too. Turned white as a sheet.” I said, chuckling at the memory.
Alejandro had me tested at only fourteen. Poor Vince had almost passed the fuck out that day. An affinity for wielding and walking with shadows hadn’t been seen in two-hundred years, at least. No one in my family Chain had a history of anything even close to it.
“I think that was the only day my father was ever proud of me,” Wyatt muttered, mostly to himself.
I sighed for him. Our dads really fucking sucked.
“Is there any possibility Vince kept Aiden’s other affinities a secret? The same way he’s doing for Skye?” I asked.
“For what purpose?” Wyatt countered. “What does he get out of this?”
“Chaos?” I hedged. “He could be lying about hundreds, thousands of affinities. I mean, we all know telepaths who aren’t registered as such.”
Wyatt stared at his singed desk.
“What if…Lucille paid him off,” Wyatt said slowly. “To make Aiden appear as even more of a disappointment. To keep him from practicing any other affinities.”
“I believe it.” I said. “That’s right up her alley. And Aiden’s been so suppressed, why would he ever consider a second affinity when he’s been so beaten down?”
“Skye doesn’t beat him down. She builds him up.” Wyatt said, staring into his coffee mug.
“She could do that for you, too, you know.” I replied softly, lookingat the bruises blooming across his cheek. One of his eyes was swelling shut, but he’d refused to heal that or his split lip.
Wyatt’s face hardened. “How was she in the library?”
