Page 124 of Bones
My entire body trembled. “I’m not the only powered person.”
Surprise filled his eyes.
“I don’t know who he is, but he can get in my head. Not all the time, but whenever—” I swallowed hard. “Whenever I’m drugged.”
A horrified understanding dawned on his face.
"He gets in and he can see all my memories. He knows what I can do, and he's been trying to find me since I was thirteen. I don't understand what his power is exactly, but I think he…he somehow was behind everything that happened with the Reapers turning on each other. Like he was in their heads too."
Trey remained steady and silent.
“Juck d-drugged me after…after—” I made a helpless gesture to my chest. “He saw what happened. Ilethim see what happened because I didn’t care anymore. And he was angry. He said I b-belonged to him and that he was gonna kill them all.”
I’d turned that day over and over in my head hundreds of times, but it still didn’t make any sense. Forty-five of the Reapers had died from the fever a month earlier. I hadn’t been able to save a single one without my powers. Tensions were high, and Vulture was stirring shit up, trying to get the gang on his side.
“Vulture acted so…so weird. Like he wasn’t himself. He called a gathering and just…justtoldthem about my powers and that Juck had kept me all to himself, but he sounded so…he sounded like he was pretending to be someone else. And then…theyturnedon each other. Everyone was shooting, but it didn’t make any sense why they were attacking each other. Everything just went to shit so fast and I?—”
I had to stop for a second, trying to breathe. Trey took one of my hands, squeezing it.
“Juck was gonna take me and run, but Vulture caught up to us. Juck shot him and tried to leave with me…and I…I stabbed Juck and ran.” I gulped in a shaky breath. “I don’t know how, but I thinkhedid it. He killed them…and he did it without evenbeing there.”
“You killed Juck?”
I nodded, trying to read his expression.
“I’m glad he’s dead, but I’m sorry you had to resort to that.”
I wasn’t even surprised that he immediately knew I hated doing it, even after everything Juck had done to me.
“So this person, he saw you again when we gave you the narc after you got whipped.”
It wasn’t a question, but I nodded again anyway.
“He saw where you were.”
“He’s angry. He thinks I used him to get away from the Reapers. And maybe…maybe I did. I didn’t mean to but…” My voice trailed off for a second. “I thought if I could draw him away?—”
“You’re using yourself as bait?” A hint of anger entered his voice.
“He could killeveryone, Trey?—”
“What will he do to you if he catches you?”
I wanted to shake him. Was he not listening? “I don’t know, but I don’t think he wants to killme.”
“No, he probably wants to do something worse.” Trey’s eyes darkened.
“Trey!” I needed him to understand. “He’s afteryou.He wants to killyou.”
He stared down at me for a few breaths. Then he did thelastthing I expected, and his face broke into a giant fucking grin. I gaped at him.
“Did you not hear me?” I demanded. “Trey?—”
"He wants to kill me ’cause youcareabout me,” he said, his tonegleeful.
I sputtered furiously for a second. “That’swhat you’re latchin’ on to? You can’t come with me! He’s gonnakillyou, dumbass!”
“He can try.”
