EXCERPT:
Why did he care what the hell she was? Cause you’ve never seen anyone like her. Was it her outrageous will to fight? Her soft yet firm curves beneath his hands? Or the way her wavy hair reminded him of autumn leaves? He wasn’t sure about any of it, but he knew what it felt like to promise something to a dead loved one. Also, what it was like not to keep that promise. Had she kept hers?
He withdrew completely from scattered glimpses of her memories and gazed deep into her wide, blurry forest-green eyes, curiosity getting the best of him. She swayed slightly. “Did you get the revenge you sought?”
Had she found peace? If so, what was that like? A burning crawled up the back of his throat. He was afraid he’d never find justice or peace, and what would he eventually become if he never did? Something odd clicked between them. A weird bond over retribution.
“No.” She shook her head and tried pulling out of his grip. “Please let me go. I must find someone. I need to talk to him.”
“If you answer my questions, maybe you’ll get a chance to find your father, eventually.” He slid his hands down her arms and held tight. God, the feel of her warmth did something inside of him. Something he hadn’t ever expected to feel again.
Her gaze widened, and she jerked against him. “Let me go. Please.”
“Tell me what you are and who you are working for.” He raised his voice after each word. He could compel her to talk, but he couldn’t compel her choice of words. A human’s mind had free will, and he couldn’t demand an honest answer, but it couldn’t hurt to try. “And how did you manipulate the weather?”
“I didn’t.” She bent her left leg slightly, favoring her right.
He released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in. “What’s your name?”
She continued to pull away from him. “Cyn.”
“Real name, before I pry it out of you.” Again, he couldn’t get her to say her real name, but he could make her speak. “Name.” His voice grew impatient, and he squeezed her arms.
Her thin body tensed. “I told you. Cyn is what my friends call me.”
“We aren’t friends, but we might be able to barter if you tell me what I want to know, and then maybe I’ll help you find him.”
“Maybe? You’ve just killed everyone.”
Tension gripped stronger in his shoulders. He hadn’t killed everyone. “Maybe I can help you find him, if you help me.”
She took in a long shuddering breath, tears filled her eyes, and she started to gag. “I’m Gracyn, and I’m about to be sick.”
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