Fury and Flame | 3

3 | 7

D E L P H I N I U M

I had the horrible feeling we were being watched as we strode through the modern-looking hotel lobby. None of us carried luggage, which was suspicious on its own. Aside from that, most of us wore the black clothing of agents, and assassins, in both Benton's and my case, to hide the fact that we carried weapons on us—and because it was all we had. Jaxon also needed to wear gloves to cover up the fact that he had a metal hand. Needless to say, I was anxious and wanted to get out of the public eye as soon as possible.

Feeling as though everyone in the entire place was watching, I went with Jaxon to the front desk. Giving a fake name and information, I connected our lodgings to my grandmother's funds. There was a moment in which the woman behind the desk was silent and my heart was pounding. What would we do if we were caught giving fake information? It would be a trail that Krasowski could pick up on.

As the woman was typing on her computer, Jaxon must have sensed my fear because he slung a casual arm over my shoulders. I had to resist the urge to flinch away from the sudden contact when the memory of Orion's hands on me flashed through my mind. I hated myself for it.

Our information was miraculously cleared and we were permitted to go on upstairs. Jaxon and I turned to see the others—looking awfully threatening—near the fountain in the center of the place. I took in Riley's dark seductiveness, Benton's scarred face and shifty eyes, Kane and Jake's scowls and Arlo's eerie smile. At least no one in their right mind would approach us. But that also meant nobody would assume we were normal.

       When we went upstairs and entered into the room, I let loose a shaky breath. We were far from safe, but at least we were away from prying eyes. As soon as we were inside, everyone began getting to work. Jaxon and Jake did all they could to help Kane hack into the ONNT's database, Arlo and Finn scoured the news for any sign of more deaths of important officials and Riley sharpened the knife I'd given her, the sound of metal on stone filling the room.

That left Benton and I sitting across from each other. I didn't meet his eyes. Instead, I checked the straps on all my weaponry, making sure the blades would slide out lightening fast when he inevitably attacked me. One flick of my wrist and the blades strapped to my forearms would be in my palms and ready for attack.

I needed him to know I was on to him. I needed to show him that despite being enveloped in smothering darkness, I could still eviscerate him. It would be difficult for me to slit his throat—the throat of my former friend. But I would be able to do it.

Benton was watching me; I could feel the weight of his gaze. He was reading my thoughts, I knew it. He knew everything—all the deepest parts of my mind. Things no one else knew. He knew how fast my heart was beating, how I was sick with fear, smothering in it—

"Delphinium."

I lifted my head to meet his brown eyes and made my face a mask of steel. "What do you want?" My voice was guarded. A ruse.

"You're suspicious. And scared." He didn't sound exactly caring or kind, just matter-of-fact. Exactly how an Imperium agent would sound. "I'm not who I used to be. Neither of us are."

"That's exactly what an Imperium agent would say." I leaned forward, ignoring how the fear made my chest tighten. "I know you can read my every thought. You won't trick me again."

         "I hate that Orion made me do the things I did." He paused. This was the most serious I'd seen him since the accident and I desperately wished everything he was saying was true. "But he's my master no longer. If I wanted to take you back to him, I already would have."