Bound by Forever - (True Immortality #3) Page 0,28
It takes a lot to hurt me physically.”
The werewolf moved to catch up with her. “I meant what I said on the plane. You’ll survive longer if you start thinking about your own survival over others. Emotion is weakness.”
A pang of sympathy cut through her. “Oh, Kiyo, what happened to you to make you think such a thing?”
His expression darkened at the sight of her pity. “Don’t condescend. I’m old enough to be—”
Suspicion lit through Niamh at his abrupt silence. What had he been about to give away? “I don’t care if you’re older than me.” She skirted the now-intriguing subject of his age. “It doesn’t mean you know better. And if you think emotion makes a person weak, then you’re greatly mistaken. Emotion makes you strong.”
“It causes you to think irrationally, to make mistakes.”
“Maybe,” she agreed. “But it’s also what fires you. What is the point in any of this without emotion?” She gestured around them, indicating their very existence. “Whether it’s passion, lust, love, anger, vengeance, compassion, ambition, determination … emotion gives us reason to live. If you don’t have that, what’s the point?”
“Okay, I’ll concede to that. But there is such a thing as too much emotion. You care too much. You grieve for strangers and put yourself in danger for them without knowing if they’d ever do the same for you. And, news flash, ninety-nine percent of them wouldn’t.”
She heard the angry edge in his voice and it soothed her. Kiyo might like to think he was emotionless, but he was an opinionated son of a bitch and he was genuinely irritated by her putting her life in danger for others. Because it made his job harder or because he cared what happened to her? Niamh would like to think it was the latter, but it was probably the former. After all, they’d known each other all of forty-eight hours.
“It’s who I am.” She cut him an apologetic smile. “I care about people.”
“Even when they don’t deserve it?”
She considered this just as they reached the man-made road. It had two lanes and led right into the woods ahead. They walked along the side of it toward the trees. “Most people deserve to be cared about. The man back at the airport in Moscow … he didn’t. He was evil, in my book. Missing a conscience. It’s not his fault he was born that way, but it was his fault he gave into the darkness. So, no, people like him don’t deserve it.”
“What about a drug dealer or a rapist?”
His condescension rankled. “Stop trying to make this more complicated than it is.”
“It is complicated,” he snapped. “There are levels of good and bad in all of us. Are you going to go through life weighing and judging, so you can decide if you care enough to help a person? That’s exhausting and ridiculous.”
“So I just write everyone off like you do?” she snapped back.
Kiyo shrugged. “I’m happier for it, aren’t I?”
“You’re the unhappiest person I’ve ever met in my life.” She brushed past and marched ahead, using her supernatural speed to get away from him.
Unfortunately, he was fast too. “I’m not unhappy. I’m not anything. That’s my point.”
Jesus Christ, this wolf was delusional. “Oh, please. Beneath that stoic facade, there’s an army of emotions just waiting to burst out and wage war on the world.”
“You don’t know anything about me.” His voice was like ice.
“I imagine very few people do. That’s what happens when you don’t let anyone in.”
“Who says I don’t? Because I don’t want to let you in? Has it occurred to you I just don’t like you or trust you very much?”
Her heart, she realized, was racing. “Well, the feeling is mutual. And I like nearly everybody.”
“And trust nearly everybody too. Something that will get you killed.”
“I don’t trust nearly everybody, you bloody arse!” She halted and pushed at his chest.
He didn’t even move. Just quirked an annoyingly patronizing eyebrow at her.
“I have been on the run since I was twelve years old. I am one of only five beings left in this world with powers beyond anyone’s wildest imagination. I’m capable of things you couldn’t conceive of.” She stepped into him, forcing him to hold her gaze. “And out of all my incredible gifts, my soft emotions, as you call them, my kindness, my compassion, my love, are my greatest. Because without them, I am the darkest, most dangerous being you’ll ever meet.
“Be grateful I am who I am, Kiyo. For everyone’s sake.”