Chapter 3: Thief

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I stepped into Luna's and went straight to the booth that Hana and I ate at. My keys weren't there. I was about to find a waiter to ask if they saw them when a hand gripped my arm.

I barely had time to look up at Will before he started dragging me across the room.

"Hey-," was all I managed to get out by the time he pulled me through the door marked for employees.

"What the hell are you doing?" I said as I tried to pull out of his grasp.

His grip tightened painfully as he yanked me into a small break room and closed the door behind us.

Will pushed me against the door and glared down at me. "Who did you steal it from?"

I shook my head scared and confused. "I didn't steal anything."

He laughed, humorlessly. "Sure, you didn't." He rubbed the stubble on his chin and gave me a once-over. "You know, I would never have pegged you as a killer. But I guess looks can be deceiving."

My mouth dropped open in shock. I was sure he wasn't talking about hunting beasts. No one would be upset to have fewer of those guys around. No, he was calling me a murderer.

I barely managed to get my voice over a whisper. "I'm not a killer."

At least I hoped I wasn't. There was still a chance that the wounded man could be alive. And even if he wasn't, he stabbed himself. Just because he used my hand to do it didn't make me a murder. That's what I kept telling myself, anyway.

Will suddenly reached out and snatched my right hand before I had time to pull it away. He held it up and tilted it so I had a clear view of the back of my hand. "This mark leads me to think otherwise," he said, his voice like steel.

I stared at my hand slacked jawed. The black curling lines had appeared but there was no pain, no itchy feeling. My eyes shot back to his, which were still glaring at me.

"What are you doing?" I said and tried to jerk out of his grip but failed miserably.

"I have a better question. What did you do to get this mark?" He forced the words out between clenched teeth, his fingers tightened around my wrist until it became painful.

I couldn't break free and was about to scream for help as something clicked in my brain.

"You have one too," I breathed.

He narrowed his eyes but didn't answer. He didn't have to. How else would he know that I might have killed someone unless it happened to him too?

"You have a mark too," I said again, this time with more confidence. "Did you kill that beast in Kiona Park yesterday?" I looked down at the back of his hands, but they were unmarred. "Why can't I see yours?"

"It's not on my hand because I didn't steal mine."

Interesting. I wanted to ask him more questions but first I had to clear up the misunderstanding. "I didn't steal it. It...," I searched for the right words. "...it was given to me."

"Huh. A thief and a liar."

The fear was leaving me. Now I was getting angry. "I'm not lying," I said. "Step off and give me a chance to explain."

He stared at me for a long while as if he was trying to figure out whether or not I was planning something. I wasn't sure if he trusted me or if he just figured he could take me no matter what I may have had up my sleeve but he let go of my wrist and took a small step back.

"Explain," He said.

I bit back the nasty comment I wanted to make, took a deep breath and forced out the words I'd been holding in for the last three months. I explained how I had been hiking and stumbled upon the wounded man in the forest and how he hadn't been alone.

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