Page 250 of Fangs
“Emmy,” Sable took both my hands and squeezed them gently. “What Juck did was not your fault. You were a victim just as much as I was.” He glanced at Wolf. “Wolf told me about the beating you got the time you tried to free the slaves and I wish I’d been there. I wish I could’ve killed him for it.”
“Me too,” Wolf said viciously.
“When I think about all the times you were so fuckin’ close by and knowin’ he was trying to throw us off?—”
“Wait, what?” I choked out.
Sable shot a stricken look at Wolf. “Shit, sorry, I thought you told her about that.”
“S’alright, I was going to.” Wolf sighed and turned to me. “Juck gave us several bad leads about your location. Claimed he saw you in a bunch of different places, but they always ended up being dead ends.” His voice cracked. “And the whole time, he had youright there. You were so close, and I didn’t know. He was just fuckin’ toyin’ with us.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. The knowledge that I could’ve been rescued, that he’d been so close more than once, hurt just as bad as the burn on my chest. I hated that all of us had just been pawns in other people’s games.
“I’m so sorry, Em.”
The pain in my brother’s voice made me open my eyes. His face was a map of guilt, and my eyes overflowed as I freed one hand from Sable and took his, squeezing hard. “It wasn’t your fault, Wolf,” I managed to say. “It wasn’t your fault. None of it was your fault.”
We sat in silence for a while, all of us grieving what could have been. Eventually, Sable let out a deep breath and released my hand to reach for the bandages so he could re-bandage the burn.
“Wait… I… I want to see it.”
Wolf and Sable exchanged a look, but Wolf got up and fetched a small mirror hanging on the wall. He handed it to me, and I stared at the reflection of my pale face. My eyes looked large on my thin face, and a yellow bruise lingered on my cheek. I took a breath, attempting to steel myself, and angled the mirror down.
My chest was a mess. The skin around the brand was swollen and inflamed, with the brand itself red and blistered. A familiar ringing filled my ears as I numbly studied the shape. It resembled an “X,” but with the top and bottom closed, forming two triangles meeting at their points. A horizontal line slashed through the middle where the points met. This new mark was larger than the “J” and covered most of it, but the shiny scar tissue of the “J” was still visible inside the triangles, with the tail of the “J” curling out from the bottom.
It was clearly made with a branding iron. It looked far more legitimate than the crude brand Juck had given me and more like the brand on Sable’s shoulder. The whole thing was made of sharp, aggressive lines. It looked like a brand you would find on an animal, which made me feel even worse for some reason. It was horrible and ugly and?—
The door burst open, and I jumped, but Mac stood there, breathing like he’d run up the stairs. Wolf and Sable were on their feet, snapping questions at him, but Mac ignored them, striding up to where I sat frozen on the bed, still holding the mirror. He sat on the bed beside me, his eyes on the burn, rage flashing across his face, but then he looked up and met my gaze. He reached out and cupped my face, thumbs gently brushing away tears I hadn’t realized were leaking down my cheeks.
“Trey said it first, but you really are a godsdamned warrior, Em,”he said in my head.
I sniffled and tried to contain myself, but the memory of Talmar’s words flashed through my head—may this symbol forever serve as a reminder that your mind, body, and soul belong to the God of Death.
“The only thing this mark is a reminder of is how you fought back, and youwon,”Mac said, his voice fierce. “I hope whenever the Voiceless see their godsdamned mark, they think about how you beat them.”
I couldn’t hold his gaze. I dropped my eyes only to catch the reflection of my chest in the mirror again. I pushed the mirror away from me, letting it fall flat on the bed. It felt so fucking dumb to even think about physical appearance right now, but a part of me hated that the horror I’d gone through was sovisible—that they’d disfigured my body in such a prominent and permanent way. I had secretly hoped the “J” would fade with time, but I doubted this would. I’d be lucky if it healed flat. I hated that I felt sougly.
“Em.”Mac’s voice was soft in a way that made my stomach flip.“You’re beautiful in a way that won’t ever change, no matter what scars are on your body.His voice grew rougher, and I glanced back up at him, very aware of his hands holding my face.“I’ve seen the stars countless times, but every night, their beauty still finds a way to surprise me—like my mind can’t fully remember how lovely they are, no matter how hard I try. Every night, they still have the power to take my breath away.”The golden sparks in his eyes practically glowed.“That’s the kind of beautiful you are, Ember. You’re not beautifuldespitethese scars. You’re just beautiful.”
I couldn’t respond, tears spilling down my face and my lungs struggling to function, but in a very different way than normal. This wasn’t panic; this was something else. The rough calluses on his hands were gentle on my heated skin, and I couldfeelthe conviction he spoke with and the warmth and tenderness in his chest as he looked at me.
He leaned in even closer, and my breathing hitched. For a wild second, I was sure he was about to kiss me, and I couldn’t tell if it was fear or a terrible want running through my veins. But he just pressed his forehead against mine and closed his eyes, inhaling a deep breath that sounded unsteady, before pulling away and dropping his hands.
“Sorry to come barging in here,” he said out loud in a lighter voice. “I felt your emotions, and my feet started movin’ before my brain could catch up.”
“It’s okay,” I whispered automatically, feeling slightly lightheaded as I realized Sable and my brother had left. It was just the two of us.
He seemed to realize that at the same time I did, and his face grew serious again. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get to you in time.”
“It’s not your fault, Mac.”
“I know, but gods, it kills me that I didn’t get through that damn wall sooner.” His face twisted with pain.
“I don’t think any of us would have guessed that Sax would appear from underground like a damn prairie dog.”
He smirked slightly at my attempt at a joke, but the pain lingered in his eyes. “We had that meeting with Nemo while you were out. Wolf told us everything you’d told him, and Roe was able to fill in some missing details, so I think we got a decently clear picture.” He ran a hand through his hair, his jaw flexing. “A fuckin’ horrible picture.”
“There’s more,” I said, my heart rate picking up as his grey eyes snapped back to mine.
