Scorched Treachery (Imdalind, #3)(64)

He left without another word from either of us, neither knowing what to say. Someday I would thank him for everything. I would find a way to let him seek his revenge, to let him find a way to fill the hole in his heart.

He deserved that, we all did.





Wyn





Chapter Twenty





“Why didn’t you tell me, Sain?” They were the first words I had spoken since waking up, since Edmund had left with the last piece of the puzzle, the thing he needed to prompt Cail to kill Joclyn faster and give him even more power over my brother.

I had sat in silence, the dull green glow of Sain’s light keeping me company as I thought through the experiences I now possessed and let who I was blend with who I had become in a mashed up jumble of personalities and experiences.

I couldn’t even bring myself to touch Talon. It wasn’t because he had lied to me about my past, it was because I had murdered his family, and the guilt was eating me up inside. I didn’t understand how he could have forgiven me for something like that.

So I sat with my back against the cold wall as I let everything wash over me. I tried to find balance.

“Would you have believed me if I did?” Sain whispered from across the prison.

The answer to his question was clear; no, I would not. I was an assassin, a whore, a keeper of magic, stronger than many, who had become a fun-loving friend. Fun-loving, Thom had taught me that and Talon had perfected it.

“Who am I?”

I asked the question more to myself than to Sain, but he laughed nonetheless, his answer coming quickly.

“You are Wyn.”

I fought the urge to roll my eyes, to groan, to yell, to threaten, or seduce. Every single emotion was there, every desire, and they blended together so seamlessly that it wasn’t confusing, but somehow, Sain’s response made sense.

I am Wyn.

I smiled at the thought, the wicked sneer I had long forgotten sprouting on my lips as I looked at Sain from beneath my eyelashes. He was right, I was Wyn, and I would not just sit here and take this.

Sain returned my smile, his own power shining from beneath his eyes, the silent conviction we both shared strong and defiant.

Then Talon groaned.

I heard him and my heart called out, my guilt forgotten. I was at his side in an instant, my hand wrapped around his. His burning flesh scorched my skin, but I held on anyway, pressing his hands between mine as his eyes slowly fluttered open.

“Talon?” I whispered as his eyes stayed unfocused on the ceiling. I heard Sain’s chains rattle as he attempted to move himself closer, desperate to see.

“Talon? Baby?” His eyes were still unfocused, but his lips had begun to move, the limp movement subtle.

“W…Wyn…” he said, finally able to get my name out after several false starts.

“I’m here. I’m here.” Slowly, his eyes turned toward me, the color of them clouded over, as he seemed to look through me.

“I thought… I hoped you’d gone,” he gasped, his voice wheezing as his chest struggled to give him enough air.

“No, baby, I would never leave you. I’m here,” I whispered, my hand clinging to his.

He coughed a bit, small drops of blood lining his lips. My eyes widened at seeing them there, my heart clunking at the thought of what they could mean. What they did mean. I squeezed his hand between mine, the warmth painful, and yet, somehow comforting.

“It’s going to be okay.” It was an empty promise. I knew it. I had heard Sain’s proclamation as clear as day, and now, with my memory returned, there was no way I could deny the words. I couldn’t pretend they hadn’t been released into the air between us.

I looked toward Sain unwillingly, my subconscious mind begging him to shake his head, to somehow promise that his words were false. But, he only looked at me with his bright green eyes, the lines on his face sad.

“It’s going to be okay,” I said again as I turned back to Talon, trying desperately to ignore the tightness in my chest. Talon said nothing; he only looked at the air behind me as if he was seeing my face there, his eyes drifting in and out of focus.

“Wyn?” he asked, his voice faltering after only one word.

I breathed in slowly, my emotions causing my chest to shake. The burning in my eyes signaled tears that would never fall. I grabbed his hand and placed it against the filthy skin of my cheek, needing to feel him, to be close to him. His skin was fire against mine, his palm flat and strong for only a moment before it went limp again.

I clung to him, watching his eyes drift before they finally came to rest on me, a small smile playing on the corner of his lips.

“Wynifred…” Talon began, his eyes coming into focus. This time, the clouded irises met up with mine, his limp gaze looking right into me.

“I love you, so much.” No. I couldn’t let him say this. Not now.

“Don’t start, Talon. Please,” I said, but he didn’t even hear me. He plowed on.

“I never thought I could love you…”

“Talon, no.”

“I want you to always be happy.”

“Talon,” my voice was lost in a sob, my hands shaking around the palm of his hand that I held against my face.

“I want you to laugh every day. I want you to find a reason to…to…”