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“Me?” She asks in confusion. “What did I do?”

“You’re a mender,” I remind her. Does she not know the extent of her power?

“So what? I didn’t do anything to anyone the entire time I was there,” she winces, and her shoulders rise up towards her ears, eyes sliding from mine towards Mitri with a guilty glance. “Except that one time.”

“I knew it,” Mal snarls suddenly and glares at Mitri, struggling anew. “She healed you, didn’t she? Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I asked him not to,” she rushes to explain, reaching towards Mal as if to physically stop his anger.

“When was this?” I ask and eye Mitri suspiciously myself.

“You picked him up,” Kimi’s voice washes over us in a soft and curiously flat tone.

Beatrice doesn’t look at him as she nods in confirmation. “He was shot… a lot. I thought he wasn’t going to survive. I couldn’t just leave him there.”

“You could have,” Kimi’s faint reply is lost under Mal’s growling.

“What happened?” Mal insists but settles back against his chair, no longer struggling.

“The reports of Humans encroaching into our side of the divide were correct,” Mitri says without fanfare.

“What reports?” Mal looks at me accusingly.

“I do not know,” I frown, trying to cast my mind back into the blank fog I’ve dwelt in for so long.

“A diversion,” Mitri comments.

“To what purpose?” I ask him.

“A setup for capture,” Beatrice murmurs to herself.

Several eyes turn to her in surprise.

“Divide and conquer? Separate and annihilate? Is this thing on?” She makes her hand into a fist and taps it as if she’s holding a microphone. She rolls her eyes with a put-upon sigh and continues, “Mal’s alone in the house. King is watched by GV. Kimi does what Kimi does,which is whatever he wants. Mitri is left alone. It’s not rocket science, people.”

“Who do you believe the victim was meant to be?” I ask contemplatively, trying to follow her convoluted mind.

“I don’t know, I’m not a supervillain,” she shrugs and winces, touching her shoulder softly. I’m sure a firmer touch would be even more painful.

“Who would you pick?” Mal asks with a huff of laughter.

“Not Mitri,” she rolls her eyes mockingly. “He’s a death machine walking.”

“But he would be the most likely to retaliate,” I argue.

“Hmm, point taken,” she agrees with a single nod.

“If I recall correctly you were supposed to be at the den as well,” I raise a brow.

“And I bounced as soon as you guys left. Good thing if it was me she was after,” she smirks, unrepentant. “The real issue is why did she want you guys? I mean, manipulating all of you would have been a much better use of her time. TGT spies, mindless and under her direction. Hello, power trip.”

“I’m sure that was the plan until you arrived,” I raise an eyebrow and smirk. She has no idea the damage she did to Iris’ plans simply by existing in our presence.

“Again, what did that matter? I don’t get it,” she says as she tries to piece the puzzle together.

“Baby, you have a presence whether you like it or not,” Ben’s voice is a dual-pronged assault of fear that freezes me in place. I think I preferred him shy.

“What do you mean?” She looks up at it with disbelief born from a lack of confidence.