“I wanted you to leave me alone.”
“You’re acting like a child.”
“You pissed me off!”
“Is that so?” Thayde stopped directly in front of me. “Is this how you’re going to act every time you get angry?”
I didn’t answer – he didn’t understand.
“Don’t understand what?”
“You didn’t trust me!” I shouted, fighting tears. “You of all people didn’t trust me!”
“I do trust you,” he fought back, “but that was not the time or place to do that Morgan! Do you know how terrified those boys are of you? Do you?” He cried. “You just jumped right into reading him without permission AND you healed him without permission! I’m sure he would have given it to you, but honestly, in the garage? Was that really the right place to do that?”
“He needed to be fixed!” I faltered, realizing Thayde was right, but not wanting to back down.
“It was not the time or place, Morgan!” Thayde repeated, pointing at me with his finger. “You of all people should have known that. What were you trying to do? Scare them?”
“No!”
“Show off?”
“No!”
“Then what?”
“I just,” honestly, I didn’t know. I saw a problem and wanted to fix it. That was all.
“Don’t you remember a thing Hadassah said to you earlier?” Thayde’s beautiful face was marred with such an angry frown, he actually looked different than I’d ever seen him.
Hadassah’s words sang out to me: You must think before you act, otherwise you will not be a good ruler.
“Exactly,” Thayde said, allowing the words to sink in.
Rain pelted the glass doors. The stupid tears began to drip down my face. I’m stronger than this, I thought, blocking Thayde from hearing me. I don’t need to cry – stop it! I tried to wipe them away and Thayde grabbed my hand before I could. Reaching up, he rubbed the tears off my cheek, his face and voice softening.
“You can’t rush into anything now, especially with your new powers. Patience is going to have to be your new mantra or something.”
I almost snorted.
“Come here,” he slid his hand behind my neck and I fell against him, my body tired as if I had been swimming all day. “Hadassah is much older than Aletheia. I know you inherited all the previous ruler’s memories and experiences, but she could teach you a lot as well. If anything, remember everything she says.”
“I’ll try.” I promised. “I’m so tired.”
“It’s because we’re fighting,”
“Do you feel it too?”
“I feel it more than you do.”
“Why?”
“Because you don’t feel my pain anymore, remember?”
Sleep – I wanted to sleep.
“We should try and stay awake until it gets dark here.” Thayde’s hands ran up and down my back, jostling me. “Otherwise, you’ll stay jetlagged forever.”
I closed my eyes. Sleep. No, it wouldn’t work. Thayde was right, as usual. I leaned my head back for a kiss, which he planted on my lips.
“I’m sorry about your door.” He mumbled.
“It’s okay. You can pay for it.”
He nodded in agreement. “Yeah,” Cradling my hand in his, he held it against his chest. “We’d better find out what Gavran and Flynn have to tell us.”
They would only meet with Thayde and me. We escorted them into the depths of Tammer’s home, in the secret room where I took Limus’ powers from him only months before. Thayde dragged a circular table from the corner of the room and we pulled in the chairs, gathering around it. Gavran and Flynn sat in silence. I began the conversation.
“I’m sorry, Gavran.”
His eyes grew wide.
“I should have asked your permission to heal you before I did it.”
Looking down at the blood staining his shirt, he swallowed. “It’s okay. Thank you.”
I suddenly felt sorry for Gavran. Sorry for the years of abuse he’d been through, sorry for the way I’d treated him, sorry for the way he’d been treated by everyone his entire life. Though he was sixteen in Human years, he had been through so much harassment at the hands of his family and Humans. It was a wonder he hadn’t taken his own life. Indeed, when I had scanned him, I’d seen evidence of him trying on more than one occasion. In that moment, I felt love toward Gavran.
“You have something you need to tell us. You are suffering because of it.” I said. “I could read your mind, but I want you to tell me. Tell me everything.”
Flynn and Gavran exchanged glances. “Okay,” he took a deep breath. “A few days ago, I was contacted by Herra. She called me on my cell and said she needed me to get on a flight to Japan and meet her in Hong Kong.”