I nodded that direction, and Kit nodded back, telling me he understood my point.
We went up the stairs they had, following their path to the door. Before opening, I paused just outside, straining to listen for any sign of an ambush.
I wouldn’t put it past my parents to work with the Warden in order to trick me, even if I hated that thought.
I shook my head. No signs of anyone else.
The handle didn’t turn, so I stepped aside and gestured at it. Kit wrapped his hand around it and twisted. To anyone looking, it would seem he’d simply opened the door. He showed no outward signs of using much force, yet the lock snapped open.
As soon as it did, he pushed the door and held it open for me, allowing me to walk in first.
And for the first time since they’d thrown me away, I stood face-to-face with my parents…
Chapter Twelve
Hera
“Hera…” My mother’s voice came out soft and full of so much pain.
Well, at least she knew who I was. I didn’t know how I’d feel if my own mother hadn’t recognized me anymore.
I opened my mouth to respond, but no sounds escaped. I dropped my gaze, ashamed for the first time in a long-damned time.What was it about parents that could make a person feel like a little kid?
The gentle touch of Kit’s hand at my lower back gave me courage. Somehow, having him by my side helped. I glanced his way and he nodded, knowing my question already.
“I couldn’t leave without seeing you both again.”
Kit translated for me, keeping his voice without inflection and without adding any extra words or thoughts. It helped me feel that my true meaning was getting through.
My mother moved her gaze between Kit and me, an obvious question there.
I didn’t bother to answer her. At this point, she didn’t deserve any answers about my life.She’d lost that privilege.
When I showed no signs of giving in, her eyes widened. It was probably the first time I’d really stood up to her. Still, it prompted her to answer. “I thought you were still gone.”
Bygoneshe meant locked up in Larkwood. What a ridiculous way to phrase that, to water it down.Gonepretended I had been at a spa or on vacation instead of imprisoned and tortured.
“I decided I didn’t want to die there, so I escaped. Don’t worry, I’m not here to cause you problems. I just couldn’t leave without seeing you both one more time.”
My father frowned as Kit translated my words. He stared at me, his eyes so familiar that they hurt. When Kit finished, my father walked closer to me. He reached out, but Kit moved faster, wrapping his large hand around my father’s wrist, a warning on his face.
I set my hand on Kit’s hand to tell him it was fine, that I wasn’t afraid.
My parents were terrible people, clearly, but I didn’t believe either had the guts to hurt me outright. They’d never even spanked me as a child, probably because neither had cared enough to do it.
Kit didn’t release my father right away, narrowing his eyes for a moment as he stared him down. “Your daughter is a lot more understanding than I am. I would suggest you remember that before choosing to do anything unwise.”
My father didn’t wilt, staring back. “And who are you?”
“Who I am matters far less than what.” He shifted the hand that held my father’s wrist, the bones twisting to take on his wendigo form.
My father jerked away, and he let him do so. Kit took a step backward, as though happy enough to have made his point that he didn’t feel the need to hover so close.
My father gulped, then reached out again, much more slowly. He touched the lace neckline of my gown and pulled it down slightly, just enough to see the scar at my throat. His expression softened. “I saw it on the video before,” he said softly, “but that was different. It was easier to think you weren’t my daughter anymore.”
“She’s the same person,” Kit said. “No matter what the government wants to tell people, the truth is that shades retain their old personalities. I’ve seen many changed over my life, and they’re all different, because people are all different.”
“But I’ve seen how dangerous they are,” my mother said.