Page 147 of Scavenger's Oath

Myles notices too, and apparently that’s enough to cool him off. He mutters something under his breath as he simmers down. Lips twitching, he adds, “I don’t like that she went out without our knowledge. But Zane’s right. She should have some freedom.”

I stare at him, disbelieving. “Freedom?!”

I’m about to lose it. The urge to smash something crawls up my throat.

Zane stands now, calm but firm. “Come talk to me,” he says, motioning toward the hallway. “Before you say something you regret.”

I don’t want tomove.

But Ivy still won’t meet my eyes. So I go.

We stalk down the dank hallway, tension simmering between us like the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead.

Pushing through the back door, we burst out onto the loading dock, far enough from the kitchen that we won’t be overheard.

Then Zane turns to face me, planting his boots wide on the concrete and folding his arms.

“I understand why you’re scared,” he says calmly.

“I’m not scared,” I grind out through gritted teeth. “I’m thinking rationally.”

He scoffs, quirking an eyebrow at me.

My chest won’t open. Ribs locked tight like there’s a weight crushing me.

“She’s defenceless, Zane!” I bark. “If they found a way past our perimeter once, they’ll do it again. She’ll get herself in trouble that we can’t save her from. If she thinks she’s allowed outside—"

“We’ll supervise her,” he retorts, shrugging. “And clear this block so she won’t hurt herself.”

“It’s not that simple and you know it,” I growl, heat flashing through my chest. “She’ll push to go further every day. Then it’s only a matter of time before she triggers one of our traps. Ivy’s too soft. She needs—”

“That’s not a weakness,” he cuts in.Again. “And it doesn’t mean she has to be caged.” His chest is heaving now, eyes burning into me like I’m hitting a nerve.

My nostrils flare. “It means she’s an easy target,” I grit out, raking my hands through my hair. “That kind of softness… it attracts the worst kind of people. You leave it unguarded, and someone will come and break it just to feel powerful.”

Wind rattles the wooden fence across the concrete dock,loud enough to drown out my rapid heartbeat. But Zane’s voice still cuts through.

“You think I don’t know that?!” he yells. “I’ve seen it! Been part of it!” He releases as shuddering breath and turns to lean against the rusted railing. “I lost someone too. I made the wrong call and my actions killed her. I know your scared that what happened to Gemma will happen again, but it won’t. We’ll protect Ivy.”

Her name detonates in my skull as my vision tunnels.

“Don’t talk about Gemma,” I snarl. “Shewasn’t reckless like Ivy is. She did everything right. Stayed off the street. Doors locked. Curtains drawn. And she was still—” The words lodge in my throat. I dig my nails into my palms, trying to anchor myself.

“I know,” Zane says, softer now. “And this is the first time you’ve let anyone that you deem ‘vulnerable’get remotely close to you.”

Turning away from him, I press a hand to the brick wall, willing the pressure to hold me together.

But the visions still flash behind my eyes—Gemma’s apartment door hanging open, the hallway dark and eerily silent. The trail of blood dragging through the living room filling the dim, humid space with a vile smell. Her body left naked, slumped against the bedroom wall. Everything those bastards did to her, marked all over the walls in bloody handprints.

Only now, Gemma’s lifeless face morphs into Ivy’s.

The overlap makes me dizzy. Nauseous.

“I never should’ve let her stay in the city when I knew how bad things were getting. I won’t make the same mistakes with Ivy,” I croak out.

“This is different, Phoenix,” Zane says, voice full of understanding. “Ivy’s not Gemma.”

Swallowing back my emotions, my molars grind. “Exactly,” I mutter, kicking a pebble across the dock and watching it skitter into the shadows. “It’s worse. She—she’s already under my skin. It’s more than just curiosity. I lost control of it a while ago,” I confess.