D E L P H I N I U M

I aimed my handgun at the target on the opposite wall.

Bang.

Bang. Bang.

I stepped over to the target to inspect the accuracy of the bullets I'd shot. There were three small holes in the center of the ring: three bullseyes.

Turning on the heel of my boot, I went to shoot again. With every pull of the trigger, I felt the anger rage through my veins. I wanted to shoot more than just targets.

I wanted to bury so many bullets into Orion's cursed mask that it became indecipherable and then drag his body before the counsel. I'd scream at them, "See? I'm not just a paranoid killer! You should have believed me; I'm more than the person they made me!"

But what if I wasn't?

My eyes dropped to the gun in my hand. Maybe I was meant to only be a killer. It seemed to be the only thing I could do: create destruction and wreak havoc on both the innocent and guilty alike.

I held my head up. If that was true, if I was truly stuck as the killer that Orion created, then I would start by killing him. His own assassin would turn her knives to him. If I couldn't be a decent person, then I would become Imperium's greatest nightmare.

Bored with the gun, I slid a knife off of my belt and heaved it at the target with all my might. There was a pulling sensation in my stomach as I guided the blade with my mind. It sunk perfectly into the center of the target.

Slipping the second dagger off my belt, I sent it flying toward the same target. It stuck in the wood, impossibly close to the first knife I'd thrown. I let my arm drop as I glared at the shining blade.

"Shame, it looks like you were an inch off the bullseye."

I turned to see Jake standing in the doorway, the car keys dangling from his fingertips.

I walked over to the target to pull my knives out of it. "I think you need to take a closer look. That's a better bullseye than you'll ever get."

He raised an eyebrow and pulled the small knife he always carried from his pocket. Flicking his hand down from his ear, he threw the blade at the target. With a flash of glinting metal, the knife soared into the center of the target next to mine.

"You were saying?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What do you want, Evans?"

He took a step into the room. "Were you telling the truth to the counsel?"

Frowning, I answered, "Yes."

His eyes laid on me as he tried to figure out if I was lying or not. I felt a strange feeling spread over me when I met his gaze again.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "You don't believe me either? You think that Imperium isn't back too?"

"That's not what I'm talking about. Is there another reason that you think they're back besides the existence of the fortress?"

How did he know? "No, there isn't." I shook my head. "You're just like the rest of them."

"You know I'm not like the rest of them," he retorted sharply. "It's like you said last week: the two of us are different."

My mind went back to that day. "I'm the only one on the crew that will have your back. Will you have mine?" "Yes, I will."

The urge to bring my lips to his. His cruel mouth quiet, for once. The feeling of his uneven breath on my face. A strange emotion overcoming me.

I blinked. He continued on. "You said it yourself, Tesla. We have to work together because the others don't understand us." I knew he was manipulating me into telling him. He knew I was lying; he was going to exploit what I'd said to him the other day to get me to tell him my secret.

"Don't play mind games with me, Evans. Contrary to everyone else's beliefs, I am not lying."

Jake crossed his arms across his chest. "You said earlier that you'd know if Imperium was back because of how long you'd been imprisoned there." He began to circle me and I followed him with my eyes. "You said that you know them very well. Does that include their soldiers?"

My blood went cold. "I thought I knew them well. That was before they seemingly rose from the dead." I was lying more and more these days.

Jake stopped walking around me and stared at me. "During the fight, you got separated from the rest of us. Did the assassin you were fighting tell you anything?"

I shook my head. "No. You think I would have withheld information like that?"

Jake gave out a dry laugh. "You know, I think that you were right. We are more alike than I thought."

I turned my daggers over in my hand. "And what do you mean by that?"

"You serve yourself before anyone else."

I scoffed. "Yeah, being imprisoned and forced to fight for years gave me a bit of a selfish streak."

He was relentless. "Did you recognize anything about the soldier you were fighting? An article of clothing, a voice, anything?"

This was about Benny being in contact with Hundsen, I realized. Jake wanted to find his enemy and Benny could be holding clues as to where he was.

"Nothing except for the fact that he was the same masked man that attacked us at the airport," I said, shrugging. "Why? Having trouble with your revenge plans?"

Jake shook his head. "No. I expected him to leave after what I did to him. But there's been no trace of him for the last few weeks. It's like he doesn't exist."

"I'm guessing that has something to do with your constant nighttime trips out of the house."

"I will find him," Jake told me firmly. "Whether you want to tell me the truth or not, I'll find Hundsen. And I will start with the masked assassin."

Jake turned to leave the room, but I called out, "Evans."

He looked back at me expectantly as I asked, "Do you believe that Imperium is back?" I hated the weakness I was showing in front of him, but I needed to know.

"I don't think that you'd be this scared for nothing," he said, gesturing to me. "And I think that you're withholding information that causes you to know more than the rest of us."

"The others doubt me." I spoke quietly, almost whispering. "They're starting to think Hundsen's behind this."

"Most of them are not used to fighting for their lives like this. It was abnormal for them to go against Hundsen and now there's a possible bigger enemy, one that is seemingly impossible to beat. They'd rather it just be Hundsen, so that's what they believe."

He spoke in that same cold way he always spoke in, but his words were strangely comforting. I didn't think that when he told me he'd have my back that he'd actually half-meant it.

"Yeah," I breathed out, looking away from his cooly elegant face. "They'll believe me when we talk to the Romanian government and get answers."

Jake gave a curt nod and left the room without another word. I partially wished he'd stayed; I didn't want to be alone with my dark thoughts. But the reassuring words he'd given me were very rare, coming from him. I was surprised he'd even stayed long enough for me to ask him those questions.

I sighed and turned back to the target, my gun back in my hand. Raising it up to the wall, I pulled the trigger again.