Nero
An awareness slides over my senses.
It’s that feeling I get when something has changed.
Mr. Gintley keeps talking, but I stopped listening.
My instincts have kept me alive this long. And I’ve learned the hard way to trust those instincts. To trust myself.
And only myself.
But those instincts weren’t strong enough, not tonight. Because the last thing I expect to see when I move my gaze is Payton.
My Payton.
Decades of practice keep the surprise off my face, but my brain can’t compute what I’m seeing.
Payton is here.
Payton is here.
At my birthday party.
In public.
Anger bubbles beneath my shock.
Wasn’t she listening to anything I said?
Did I not make it clear that knowing me was dangerous?
My teeth clench together.
I need to get her out of here.
Nikki drags her claws
