Page 34 of Finn
“The job’s done,” I said, my voice rasping from the strain of the night.
“Details, Finn,” he demanded, and I could practically feel his icy gaze through the line.
I took a steadying breath, forcing a bitterness into my tone that I hoped sounded convincing.
“It was… unexpected,” I began, letting a shaky edge slip into my voice.
“Finding out who my target really was. You might have warned me,” I added, keeping my voice low and bitter.
The Elders needed to believe I was just a resentful, obedient soldier who’d followed through.
Marcus was silent for a beat, then responded with a disinterested murmur. “It was a need-to-know basis, Finn. And you didn’t need to know.”
I clenched my fist, fighting to keep my tone steady.
“It was a long, drawn-out fight,” I continued, letting my voice waver just enough. “But I did it.” I paused, catching my breath, keeping the line tense, and then added, “I’m sending you the photos now.”
With a deep breath, I texted the photos to Marcus.
The line went silent as he reviewed the photos, and I could almost picture his calculating gaze as he scanned the images of Gabriel lying "dead."
I had photographed him at an angle that concealed his healed wounds, carefully focusing instead on the bloodstains covering his clothes.
“Finn,” Elder Marcus’s voice returned, now almost approving. “I must admit, we didn’t think you had it in you. You’ve made the Guild proud.”
The words should have felt like validation. They didn’t.
I was a different person now, standing in a grimy apartment, having done the unthinkable to keep the person I once thought I’d lost safe from them.
Hearing Marcus praise me for it made me feel… empty.
“I would head back right away,” I lied, letting a tinge of strain slip into my voice, “but I was injured in the fight.”
It was true, my shoulder was injured.
Marcus paused, then asked, “Do you require extraction?”
The question almost made me laugh. A hollow, bitter feeling rising in my chest.
Before I’d left, they’d practically thrown me out like I was nothing more than disposable cannon fodder.
Now, because I’d “killed” Gabriel, they were suddenly concerned? The irony almost choked me.
“Negative,” I replied stiffly. “The supernatural residents here might notice the presence of another hunter. Better to keep things low-key. I’ll make my way back on my own in a few days.”
“Very well,” he said, his voice as detached as ever. “Don’t make us wait too long, Finn.”
The line clicked dead, and I felt the tension drain from my body in a rush, like I’d been holding my breath underwater for too long.
I explored the apartment, found some first-aid supplies in the bathroom, and tended to my shoulder.
To my surprise, the wound wasn’t as deep as I’d expected.
With that task done, I collapsed onto the bed, the springs creaking beneath me.
The sheets smelled faintly of bleach. They were surprisingly clean, all things considered.
I closed my eyes, feeling exhaustion seep through every inch of my body.
