Tyrant (Scars of the Wraiths #2)(81)

I knew this was coming. They’d eventually want to know what Anton was doing, why he was interested in the Scars. And in some way, I was relieved that it had come to this. That I was strong enough to tell them.

Kilter leaned toward me. “You don’t want to do this, we walk away.”

God, that was sweet. I linked my fingers with his and gently squeezed. Then I raised my chin and looked at Waleron. “In the beginning, Anton was obsessed with discovering what I was capable of. My abilities.” I avoided the witch’s curious stare. “There were CWOs there and a woman I met a few times. Humans, too. I only saw a vampire once, but he was a prisoner. I don’t know how Anton knew about them. I don’t know how he knew about my abilities. But it was like…I don’t know, but maybe he knew long before my parents died. He never told me. Never talked about my parents. It was like when they died, they no longer existed.” I paused. “Those who worked for him were really loyal. Even the CWOs. But it wasn’t because they liked him. It was something else.”

“CWOs don’t like humans,” Keir stated.

“There was a woman who came to the compound. I think she was pretty powerful because even Roarke, the Grit who led the CWOs at the compound, was uneasy around her. I have no idea who she was, though.” Actually, she reminded me a lot of Trinity. “I saw her argue with Anton. It was obvious he was nervous around her. After the argument, that’s when the experimenting started.” My throat tightened. “The Grit, Roarke, was given my blood.”

“Like drank it? Like a vampire?” Hack asked, surprised.

I shook my head. “No, intravenously. A transfusion. Anton wanted to see if giving him my blood would do anything. He wanted to know whether my abilities would be transferred onto the Grit. They weren’t.” I took a deep breath and glanced up at Kilter. God, I didn’t want anyone to know, especially Kilter. “So we did it another way. We were bred. Anton thought a child might carry both our abilities.”

The tension on my waist intensified. “Fuck,” Kilter muttered under his breath.

Please don’t pity me.

“You are the strongest woman I know, babe.”

He’d read my thoughts. Then I realized, I no longer shielded them from him. I’d let him in.

“Roarke, he was the only one and it didn’t work. I never got pregnant.”

Kilter’s fingers tensed on my waist. I’d just given him another reason to not trust Roarke.

Balen gave me a respectful nod before he spoke. “What did the CWOs do at the compound?”

“On occasion, Roarke would leave and many of the CWOs would go with him. They seemed really loyal to him. But I don’t know where they went or what they did,” I replied.

“Grits are the most powerful,” Anstice said. “They could have feared him.”

I nodded. “They wouldn’t go against Roarke or the woman.”

“The Grit, Roarke,” Waleron said, “contacted you twice. Why?”

“He’s protective of me and he warned me about the woman from the compound. He says I’m important to her. He wanted me to go with him. Said he could protect me from her.”

Kilter snorted.

“And what of this husband, my dear?” Trinity asked. “Did you breed with him, too?”

What a total witch. “I didn’t. He married me for the simple reason of having control over me. He enjoyed the fact he could use me anytime he wanted. But we never f*cked, if that’s what you want to know. To him I was a lab rat, caged and tested on over and over again.”

“Christ, Rayne,” Kilter growled.

They wanted answers, well, I was not going to sugarcoat anything, especially not in front of Trinity. “He controlled me in every way imaginable—made me use my abilities daily until I passed out from exhaustion. A number of years ago, I saw that woman again. It wasn’t long after that Anton started searching for Scars—males. He wanted one with abilities that were different from mine so that we—”

“Ah, so Ryker had a purpose,” Trinity interrupted. “Did you have sex with him, my dear? Was he good or did he imagine you as his precious Hannah?” Trinity asked in her sultry voice.

Kilter took a step toward Trinity, but I reached out and grabbed his hand. He stopped, but his words were harsh. “Careful or I will kill you, Trinity.”

It was the first time I thought Trinity looked uneasy as she was first to look away.

“After Ryker was taken, the woman came back. I heard an argument between her and my husband. They’d wanted Hannah alive.”

That caught everyone’s attention.

“Do you know why?” Keir asked.

I nodded. “It’s always easier to control someone if you have something they love.”

“Fuck,” Kilter said at the same time as Keir.

“Rayne, do you have any idea why a vampire would be interested in you?” Keir asked.

“I don’t know. I’m no different than any other Scar.”

“And what kind of Scar are you, Rayne?” Waleron asked.

I didn’t really know the kinds of Scars.

“A Reflector of sorts,” Kilter answered for me. “She has an Ink, but it hasn’t risen in years.” He looked down at me. Would you like me to tell them what you can do?