Chương 32: 032

Of all the ways I'd expected Time to react when we finally met, hauling me off the ground hadn't made the list. Then again, given my track record with adoptions, maybe it should have.

"Even if Time had an issue with this–and I don't think he does–he wouldn't take it out on you. He'd bring it to me, like an adult, and we'd deal with it. You don't need to worry about him taking swings at you." Bull. Fucking. Shit. If I survived this, Karma was getting the biggest I told you so in existence. Our noses hovered inches apart as Time shook me, snapping my focus back to the present.

"What do you mean she has not answered?" he demanded.

"Where is my wife?" Every syllable promised a slow, unpleasant death. It took everything I had to hold his gaze–obsidian eyes like a bottomless pit–and keep my voice steady.

"I don't know. That's the fucking problem. Last I saw her, she sent me here. She looked exhausted, said she needed to rest, said she wouldn't be available. Then nothing." Silence stretched. He held me there, suspended, his stare cutting deeper than any blade, searching for information I didn't have. I gave him everything I knew. Finally, he exhaled and set me gently back onto the grass.

"My apologies," he said quietly.

"I tend to become… overexcited when it comes to my wife." No kidding. I backed away a few steps and focused on breathing. It had been a long time since I'd been cornered like that, truly helpless. My nerves didn't appreciate the trip down memory lane. Forcing the tremor from my hand, I opted for a less caustic response.

"It's fine. I've dealt with worse." His brow lifted, curiosity flickering, but he didn't press.

"As for Karma's rest… I warned her that pulling someone from another universe would be taxing, even with Death's aid. She insisted she could manage." He muttered under his breath, "Evidently, it took more from her than she expected, if she cannot hear your calls." Despite my lingering wariness, concern rose.

"She's going to be okay though, right?" I may be irritated with her for the absolute cluster fuck she'd dropped me into, both in general and with her husband, but above all else, she was still my only real friend. The lifeline that'd gotten me through hell. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Time hummed, his gaze drifting to my missing arm.

"She will recover, given time. You, however…" Heat crept up my neck. I tugged my cloak tighter, hiding the stump. When I looked back up, the cold menace in his expression faded, replaced by something blank, measured. He straightened.

"Since she is unavailable, I will make an exception and assist you." His eyes swept the battlefield. The corpses. The shattered armor. The ruin. Then he looked back at me, disbelief, perhaps even wonder, breaking through his composure.

"What happened here? You have been on Nexus for a single day, and in that time you have dismantled the resistance's army, effectively clearing the path for a tyrant to claim the rest of the world." He wasn't accusing me. I still flinched.

"I didn't know he was a tyrant," I said quickly.

"That's why I tried to reach you. I needed more information. He kept insisting the army was undead, that they were going to wipe out the last of humanity. It fit the bill for 'cataclysm of the apocalypse'." Which was why I'd been sent here in the first place. Silas had felt wrong from the start, but there'd been bigger issues, and when I tried to think about him that headache got worse–. His power was manipulation. The realization hit like a brick and slowly, the pieces fell into place.

I saw him kill a woman and I'd went along with it. That wasn't something I'd ever do! Damn it. I hadn't even considered mind control as a variable, but maybe I should have. Time grimaced.

"Then you were made a fool of." Blunt as hell, wasn't he? Still, he wasn't wrong. Dragging my hand through my hair, I looked away.

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter right now. You need to get that kid out of here." He turned sharply, gaze landing on Maya. The faint boredom in his expression vanished.

"Explain." The word was clipped, sharp with anger. My instincts screamed to flee, but I forced myself to answer.

"He tricked her into making an oath. Her life in exchange for her father's. He planned to control me for Fast Forward, so I…" I swallowed.

"I was going to remove myself from the equation. He retaliated by threatening to make her kill herself if I did." Time's mouth thinned. His gaze snapped back to me.

"To discard your life so readily-."

"It wasn't easy," I snapped.

"But I wasn't about to let that bastard get control of Fast Forward. Even I know that ends in catastrophe." Why did he care, anyway? He still looked half a breath away from killing me himself. Time shut his eyes and sighed.

"Yes. Which is why I never grant mortals even a fragment of my power." He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"And of all abilities, she chose that." I cut in before he could redirect the blame.

"It's not her fault. We were under pressure, and a little girl's life was on the line. If anyone's to blame, it's me." At least this time, I earned it. He gestured toward my concealed stump with a low grunt.

"Given your condition, I doubt further chastisement is necessary. That said, responsibility lies with my wife for failing to explain the consequences." I shook my head.

"She was just trying to help." There hadn't been many people who did that in my life, and I refused to let her catch flak for it. Time's expression softened, just slightly.

"Yes. That kindness is what drew me to her in the first place." Then the fondness vanished, replaced by a frown.

"However, well-intentioned aid, when poorly considered, often leads to dangerous outcomes." His gaze returned to the battlefield.

"As you have now experienced." Well, this entire situation could be used as an example of that, so he wasn't wrong…