The Hidden Twin Read Online Free

my hand. His fingers are cold and my palm stings as he lightly brushes his thumb across it. “You should tell her.”
    â€œTell her what?” My mind sparks and sputters—how to explain the fire? I had a weapon—a fire gun—grenades—Corvin was hallucinating—anything other than the truth.
    He doesn’t say anything, but gently turns my wrist. I look down at my upturned palm and gasp. I felt the old iron gate digging into my hands as I tried to climb it, but I didn’t realize it had actually cut me. It isn’t bad—little more than a scrape—but it has been seeping; my hand is stained with my blood.
    My black blood. A redwing’s blood. There’s no explaining that away.
    I jerk my hand back and look at Corvin, the color draining from my face. “You’re mistaken. I—”
    â€œShe can protect you.”
    I stare at him in silence for a moment. Finally, I whisper, “I highly doubt that.”
    The groan of the back lock spinning into place heralds Nara’s return, her footsteps crisp and purposeful along the hallway. “Upstairs,” she barks, and at first I think she means me, but she extends a hand to Corvin. “Can you walk? To bed with you. I’ll have Orm come up and look you over.” She seems to have regained control of her authoritative self. I’m beginning to think the worried, tender Nara I encountered earlier is a rare beast.
    â€œAll right, don’t worry. I’m going.” Corvin rises, shuffling unsteadily toward the curtained doorway at the back. He turns and smiles a strange mixture of sweetness and pain that catches me off guard. She can protect you. I don’t believe it.
    Nara watches him go, then turns to me, businesslike. “You should be in no danger leaving through the front door now.” She gives me a shrewd look. “Unless there is something else I can do for you?”
    I have questions, and she senses it. She waits, arms crossed, and here I stand, electric with curiosity. I must be careful; it is dangerous here. I mustn’t give too much of myself away.
    But I need answers, and Nara looks like she has a lot of them.
    I gesture to today’s Bulletin. “You’ve seen this article?”
    She doesn’t look at the paper. “You hear the presses back there? I wrote that article.”
    â€œCould it be real?” I ask. “The bonescorch, I mean.”
    She shrugs. “The Commandant and the Onyx Staff certainly think it’s real. I haven’t seen it myself. Why the interest?”
    My nerves give a jolt, but I remind myself she is a reporter. Gathering information is what she does. It’s her nature. “Just curiosity.” I give her what I’m sure is an unconvincing smile.
    Nara’s face is impassive. “I’m surprised this is news to you. It’s been the talk of the city. Are you from the Temple?”
    I almost laugh. “No. No, I most certainly am not.”
    â€œThat was emphatic,” she says, fingers twitching. Is she thinking about grabbing a pen?
    Ver’s ass . I shouldn’t have given so much away. I smile, babbling, “Oh, you know. History never really interested me. And the whole celibacy thing.” My face flushes. Right. I’m clearly a woman of the world, as evidenced by the fact that a word that means the opposite of sex is making me blush.
    But all Nara says is, “I see. I just thought you must have been somewhere secluded not to have heard about the bonescorch.”
    â€œWe, uh—we don’t read the Bulletin much.” Not lately. It seems my father has been protecting me again.
    â€œNo matter,” Nara says evenly.
    Too much. I’ve given her too much. “Thank you for your time,” I say with as much composure as I can manage. “Now I really must go. I’m sorry about your—husband.”
    She snorts. “Brother. He can take care of himself.