Page 154 of Fangs
All of us looked at Sable, startled.
“He kept her isolated. She’d only know what he chose to tell her.”
“Yeah, but what about the past year? You never even heard people at the Vault talking about it?I’veheard people here talking about it, and I’ve only been here a few weeks.”
My eyes were prickling now, and guilt began creeping in. Maybe Juck kept me isolated, but I hadn’t realized how isolated I’d continued to keep myself after I got away. I hadn’t spared a single thought about what could be happening in the world.
Wolf appeared to be waiting for an answer.
“I didn’t hear anyone talking about it.”
“Not even at the canteen?”
“I didn’t go to the canteen,” I mumbled. “Sam brought my food here.”
“Sounds right,” Kai muttered, and I attempted to ignore him.
“What about your patients or your crew? They never mentioned it?”
“I didn’ttalkto people, Wolf,” I snapped.
“At all?” Wolf looked so confused. “You neverstoppedtalking when you were a kid.”
Anger flashed through me. “I told you, I’m nother.”
“Wolf,” Scar murmured.
Wolf turned his head and looked at her. She said something to him in that hand language they used, and he scrubbed a hand through his hair and let out a heavy sigh before he replied. I glanced at the rest of his pack, noting how they were all watching my brother, concern and care clear on their faces. It was the least guarded I’d seen any of them, and it struck me like a bolt of lightning that they really did love him. They cared about him. They were a family.
Part of me was glad, relieved that he had them.
A more selfish and dark part of me seethed. I hated that Wolf found a family and got to spend the last decade with them. I hated that they were looking athimwith sympathy, clearly concerned about how he must feel hearing about his little sister’s horrible life. How sad for Wolf to have to listen to this shit.
I was the one who had to fuckingliveit.
“Where are you going?” Wolf asked, his voice sharp again, as I started toward the door.
“Breakfast,” I said without looking back, slamming the door behind me.
Warm air greeted me outside, but it did nothing to ease the chill that clung to me. I wrapped my arms around myself, focusing on holding myself together.
“Ember!”
My stomach dropped at the sight of Sable jogging to catch up.
“I’ll walk with you,” he said as he reached me.
“You don’t have to do that,” I replied stiffly.
“I want to.”
Fucking great.I continued on, my arms still wrapped around my torso, trying to stay an arm’s length away. Sable kept pace beside me but said nothing for several agonizing seconds.
“I wanted to apologize.”
I stole a glance at him through my hair. He was looking at me with a serious expression, and nausea swept over me.
“Kai is…very protective of me…andus, but he’s overreacted several times, and you did not deserve that.”
