hadn’t picked up on what was really happening; he assumed the topic of conversation had upset me. He wasn’t entirely wrong, but I was also coming to a realization that made bile rise in the back of my throat.
I shook my head. A sob escaped from between my fingers before I finally forced the words out. “You were all there. And I was there. And your abilities can’t harm each other because of me. And I was there. And . . . and I can transfer Light remotely. But I’m not . . . I don’t remember glowing, but maybe I did. What . . .” I couldn’t hold back another sob, dropping my head into my hands. “What if I did this? What if I killed . . .”
I couldn’t get the word out, couldn’t fully voice that I may have been responsible for the deaths of their parents, not to mention all those other people. I couldn’t shake the feeling that my proximity to them had resulted in a massive transfer of Light that they couldn’t control. What if their abilities going haywire had caused all the destruction . . . and the death?
“Eve. No.” Tyler squeezed my knee. “Think this through. Our abilities can’t harm each other now—now that we have you and the Bond has formed. Before that we were definitely able to hurt each other with our abilities. Trust me.”
“You didn’t do this.” Josh’s hands landed on my shoulders. I hadn’t even heard him get up. “It’s not likely you were able to glow at such a young age. You said yourself you’d never experienced it before.”
“Yes, but it has happened. Even Lucian”—I gestured in his general direction—“told me I’d glowed once or twice as a kid.”
Lucian piped in, reminding me we were still in a room full of people—people whose family I may very well have killed. “Evelyn, that was nothing like what you can do now. It was a flicker of a glow at best, enough for us to know what you were but not enough to do anything with it.”
“Yeah, but—” My chair was suddenly yanked backward. The guys’ hands disappeared from my knee, shoulder, and neck as I was spun around to face Alec’s furious gaze. He lowered himself to his knees, putting his face level with mine and planting his hands on either side of the chair’s seat.
I stared at him, expecting him to go back to hating me but really just wanting him to take me into his arms. He did neither.
“Evie, I don’t know what the fuck happened that day, but I’m sure as fuck not going to blame an eight-year-old kid. It may’ve taken me a while to get there, but I’m so glad to have you in my life, baby. Please don’t do this to yourself.”
“How can you live with even the possibility that it may’ve been my fault, Alec? How can I live with that? How long before you start looking at me with that derisive, mean look again. I can’t take that again.”
“Evie, please . . .” His thumbs rubbed my hips as his eyes flew about the room, looking for help.
“I really didn’t want to bring this up yet”—Lucian’s resigned yet determined tone drew everyone’s attention—“but we may potentially have some new information on that day.”
I had to turn in my chair to see him properly. He was leaning back in his wheelchair, a worried expression on his face.
“Luce?” Olivia looked confused, but there was no denying the hint of fear in her wide eyes. “What is this about?”
“We don’t have the full picture yet, and I’m technically not meant to reveal this, as it’s classified.” He eyed Dot and her parents—the only people in the room without clearance. “But I can’t let this go on any further. We’ve all suffered enough at that man’s hands.”
Alec’s arms stiffened around me, and I leaned into him, angling my body so I could see Lucian better.
“Evelyn, that was in no way your fault. It was a complete coincidence that you and Joyce were there. In Sweden, where you were staying previously, you were discovered by one of Davis’s men, and your mom had to get you out immediately. She didn’t get in touch until the next day to tell me where you were, and I didn’t receive the message in time to tell her that the others were in Japan on holiday, that she needed to leave immediately. By the time I saw her message