Page 126 of Hidden

I lunged for him, but Damen caught me mid-leap.

“Hold on now, baby girl.” His voice was mild, and he wrapped his arms around my shoulders. “You can’t kill my brother without cause. He’s my Er Bashou, and I’ve only recently gotten his cooperation.”

He held me tightly against him, but I was still able to meet his eyes. I glared at him, my anger pulsing through me. If Damen knew what was good for him, he’d mind his own business.

“Only Julian or I can kill him,” he amended, frowning. His grip loosened enough for my breathing to even. “What’s wrong?”

“When I first met Finn, I didn’t have a middle name,” I explained, twisting my fingers in the front of his shirt.

Damen’s frown twisted, confusion heavy in his expression, and he cocked his head to the side. “And?”

“He gave me one…” My chest swelled with emotion. There was no way it was a coincidence. “He named me afterher.” I glowered in Finn’s direction. “How long have you known?”

A flicker of guilt passed through Finn’s expression, along with a hint of self-doubt. My throat closed, and the edges of my fury faded.

I’d always hated upsetting him.

But the look lasted only for an instant, and then it was gone.

“The first time I saw you…” Finn glanced away. “You resembled the pictures I’d seen of her. And Kiania told me who you were.”

“That’s interesting,” Bryce mused. He was leaning against the frame of the door, his finger to his chin. “And to think your middle name is actually Alyssa.”

“Oh please. It’s not like it was difficult to guess,” Finn snapped, glaring at Bryce.

“Is that an insult?” Bryce raised his eyebrow. “Your family isn’t much better.”

“Both of you shut up.” Julian was rubbing his temples, and when he turned his attention to Finn, the temperature of the room seemed to drop ten degrees. “I understand why you didn’t say anythingafterKiania bonded with Bianca. I don’t agree with your decision to stay silent, but upon retrospection, I do admit it wasn’t entirely your choice. That being said, if you knew who Bianca was before any of that, why didn’t you come forward then?”

Finn paled, and when he spoke next, his tone was slightly hesitant. “I couldn’t…”

“Why not?” Damen stepped forward, looking genuinely curious.

The blond’s eyes met mine for a moment, and my breath caught. He watched me with a faintly familiar expression—I hadn’t seen that look since the first time he’d offered me his hand.

“Never mind…” I muttered, breaking the connection between us. Did we really have to discuss this? Perhaps I was overreacting.

What did it matter why he never said anything sooner? It’s not like it would have changed anything.

“I don’t care anymore,” I lied. And with that, I ignored the imploring looks of the others and left the room.

A breeze brushed over my face, pulling me out of my sleep. And I cracked my eyes open to see who’d woken me up—not that it was difficult to guess.

“I’m not going.” I turned over, pulling the blankets over my head. “You can tell him that I’m over it.”

‘You can’t be ‘over it’,’ Kiania’s voice echoed through my mind. The ethereal quality of it caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand up. This was the first time she’d spoken to me since last week’s confrontation. ‘And it’s not like you to run away from a problem.’

I wanted to laugh at the audacity of her statement. Who did she think she was? She didn’t know me. I was themasterof running away.

‘You really aren’t,’ she said. ‘It’s not your style. But—in this life—that’s all you’ve ever done.’

My heart began to beat furiously in my chest. Who did she think she was?

‘Well, we were friends once. A long time ago. Friends are honest with each other, even if the truth hurts.’

And who was she to talk? She hadn’t been honest at all.

“Then why did you avoid me in my other lives?” I snuggled in my sheets but turned—only enough to spot her through a gap in the blankets. “That’s notfriendly. And neither is tricking me into this bond, thing, we have.”