Storm of Shadows (Lumineers 1)

CHAPTER 30: A DIFFERENT KIND OF LOVE

Tabby paced in the kitchen. Dawn was at hand, and with it, she felt something stirring in the back of her mind. A familiar presence, faint but recognizable.

"Let me get this straight." Midnight sat at the table. "Conrad Steiner recruited you, you trusted him, and he turned out to be Deadlock. The Deadlock? Full mask. Council member." Steiner had already removed his mask when they'd found him in the temple corridor. So Midnight really had no idea.

"The one and only."

"And you still trust him?"

"More or less."

"That's careless, Tabby. You know better. I trained you better."

"I trust him, Midnight. And you should too."

"He let them torture you! Watched and did nothing. I never would've stood by, never would have allowed—"

"Not torture," she said, cutting off his tirade. "Reaper whipped me in front of him. Steiner left after that—presumably to summon you. And besides, he apologized."

Midnight huffed. "Yes, I heard his apology."

"You...you did?" She stopped pacing.

"I was in and out of consciousness. But yes." He hadn't appeared to be awake, but then again, she'd been distracted by Steiner. And Midnight was good—too good—at sneaking.

Midnight sighed. "Steiner cares about you a little too much, but that doesn't mean I have to like him or trust him."

Her face heated at the idea. She glanced away, unwilling to meet his gaze.

"He's too old for you, Tabby."

She snorted, turning to him with a glare. "What?! And you're not?"

"I never said I wasn't."

The presence in her mind strengthened, coming to life with warmth and comfort, until the full force of it slammed against her. "Nit," she gasped. Her mechanimal's prism was finally charged enough to bring life. Nit would live. But would they be the same?

There was a distant buzzing, a clatter, and the kitchen erupted into commotion. Nit zoomed in like a bullet, buzzing about. She watched with a growing smile, weak with relief. Nit flew to her, flittering around before landing on her shoulder to nip at her ear, her hair, her neck. "I missed you too," she said, speaking aloud for Midnight's benefit.

"It worked." Nit's voice rang with excitement. "He's alive!"

"Thanks to you, my friend. You were brilliant!"

"Pretty smart mechanimal you've got there." Midnight crossed his arms, eying the two of them. She didn't miss the way the corners of his mouth twitched. Not a smile, but she'd take it. "Changed form on me three times, you know. Wasn't expecting that."

"Midnight, meet Nit. Nit, Midnight. Though, Nit already knows all about you."

Aside from her additional abilities with light, she'd already told Midnight about Nit, about her prism tech, and even showed him some of it. She told him everything, from the illegal work she did with Elias—which he'd already mostly known about—to the other secrets she'd kept. Plus everything her and Steiner had accomplished together in bringing down the Spectrum—or trying. She left out one key piece of information: her father's identity. She didn't say a word about how she was selfishly doing this to learn his name and make him pay for what he'd done to her. Instead, the picture she painted was different. To Midnight, everything she'd done was to free herself—and Candela—from the Spectrum.

"So what now?" he asked, much to her surprise.

"Now? Uhm..." Her ego flared, that he would ask her what came next, leaving her flushed. "Now we get some rest. Steiner will be back at nightfall to discuss our next move."