Page 182 of Hunters and Prey

My jaw hardened, but I fought not to react to her words.

Remembering Black had been vague about my sister’s identity when he asked me to describe Zoe to all of them, I let my voice grow blunt.

“She was my sister.” I held Mika’s gaze. “The vampire Brick wanted to show to me. She was my little sister, Zoe. Who I thought was murdered when she was seventeen.”

I felt a flicker of shock go through the room.

I felt it strongest from the woman sitting directly across from me.

“Miri… holy crap.”

I looked over, meeting Angel’s wide-eyed stare.

I couldn’t hold her gaze, not for long.

Suddenly, it was a lot easier to look at people who hated me.

They don’t hate you, doc.

Black actually felt angry that time, and I turned, looking at him.

I saw grief in his expression that time, and guilt as he stared back at me. Like with Angel, I couldn’t really deal with that though, and I looked away.

When I turned back to look at Mika, her face had changed too. I saw a kind of realization there, along with a flicker of the same guilt I’d seen on Black. When I felt her remembering what Nick had done to me just two days earlier, I looked away.

My eyes returned to Black.

“I’m going to go,” I told him.

My voice was flat.

“I’m going to go,” I repeated. “You don’t really need me here. I don’t know anything. If any of you need to look at my light, for the teleporting thing, or anything that happened while I was with Brick… you’re welcome to. Anything you want.”

I was already standing up.

Black looked up at me. I saw that guilt in his face turn into something closer to fear.

“Miri––”

I touched his shoulder, unthinking, sending him a reassuring pulse.

I didn’t try to find words for it, though.

Releasing him a few seconds later, I just left.

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