“The Brothers didn’t order it,” he says assuredly. “They wouldn’t try to bring down Wurthem yet. They still need them to tame the other Houses, especially Comantre.”
I know he’s right. It wasn’t the Brotherhood; it was Pan and the members of the Tempest—and Trey—his stolen drones. This is war. Alameeda and Wurthem are the monsters that declared it. Rafe has been devastated by it. Now Wurthem is suffering its first casualties. From what I saw, they’ll be shocked by it. I think they were under the impression that they’d all get through this unscathed. This adds a new layer of chaos to the conflict. Wurthem won’t know from where this attack originated. They may suspect their allies, Alameeda. It’s a really smart strategic move by the rebels in Amster, pitting the two forces against each other.
It’s clear to me that Trey has joined Amster and the resistance they’re mounting there. It makes sense. He’s an outlaw to Rafe—they think he’s a traitor because of me. The rebels in Amster know differently. But deep down I know that Trey did this for me. Pan told him it might help me survive the Brotherhood, so he didn’t hesitate to hack into the Wurthem drones and use its own weapons against it. I don’t know why something like this would make the Brotherhood need me. And in truth, I don’t want them to need me; I want them to leave me alone.
“Tell me everything that happened in your foray into the future,” Kyon orders.
I know I can’t mention the drones. Anything that connects Trey to this would be reason for Kyon to suspect that he may still be alive. I can’t have that. As I tell Kyon the story, I omit how the bombs were delivered in Kalafin, which doesn’t leave me much to tell, other than what it looked like when the explosions occurred.
Kyon’s military acumen surprises me as he murmurs, “It was more than likely a drone strike. They’re the only devices that would deliver that kind of weaponry undetected by Kalafin’s security matrix. We had something similar occur in the Isle of Skye while I was searching for you—not of this magnitude, but our drones were infiltrated.”
I pretend not to know what he’s talking about and simply remain silent, but I can name the programs that commandeered their drones and made them assets to Rafe. I attempt to change the subject. “Where are we sleeping tonight?” I ask.
“Your choice,” Kyon says.
“Okay. You sleep in the teak hut and I’ll sleep in this one,” I point to the main house behind us.
Kyon ignores my suggestion. “You don’t really want me to leave you alone. You’d be afraid. I’d find you sleeping in a closet. We can both sleep in the main house if it’s more to your liking. Is it?”
I shrug. I hate that he’s right. I hate that I need him, at least for now until I can either escape or the Brotherhood becomes less of a threat. Since I don’t think either of those things will be easily accomplished, I have to accept him remaining close. I don’t, however, have to like it.
CHAPTER 9
LIFT THE VEIL
Kyon is a presence in my life that I can’t compartmentalize. My skin is slowly growing accustomed to his skin. Lying beside him at night, he’s the well-worn mitt that fits without effort. His hand when it rests on my hip, or his cheek when it brushes my neck, is seduction itself. It’s my darkly held secret that’s sharply felt. I’m not in love with him. I would never call it that. It’s more of a growing fascination with him. He’s unlike anyone I’ve ever known, but he’s maladjusted and broken—unpredictable and frightening.
In a way, I’m almost an apprentice to him. Everything he does, he brings me along and shows me how to do it. It doesn’t matter what it is. It could be setting traps to catch sea creatures, or dismantling and cleaning weapons, or programing garden-bots. He teaches me what he knows. I feel less of a stranger in this world for it. It only takes him a few rotations to teach me to swim. Something that has plagued me since I’ve been here is now a skill . . . because of him.
I realize what he’s doing, though. He’s occupying and monopolizing my time. I have little of it to myself, so I cannot secretly project into the future and explore ways in which I can outmaneuver