Page 116 of Protect Me

I frown. “What I do is dangerous.”

“No,” he says so firmly I blink. “No power is inherently dangerous on its own. That comes from the way it’s wielded.”

Guilt weighs my shoulders heavily. “I agree. What I’ve done--”

“What you were forced to do,” he corrects.

I frown. “At the end of the day, what matters is that I used people. Manipulated them.”

“Wrong. You did what you had to in order to survive.” When I open my mouth to argue, he says, “Do you fault Duncan, Bracken, and Killian for what they did to survive before coming to live here?”

“No,” I say, “Of course not.”

“And how are your sins of survival any different than theirs?”

I don’t answer. Dammit, he has a point.

“What matters is what you will do with your power now that you have a choice,” he says. “Just like it mattered for them. They chose not to hurt anyone else who didn’t deserve it, and they’ve lived by that code ever since. What will you choose?”

“I would never use, manipulate, or hurt anyone.”

“I would never ask you to.”

His words settle inside me, and I realize with a jolt that I believe him. Suddenly, I realize my weeks of worrying that staying here will only tempt him to use my power for his own gain has been completely off base. He would never force me to do the kinds of things Robert did. That’s not who he is. And it’s certainly not who Duncan, Killian, and Bracken are either.

I’m safe here. Truly.

The Ringmaster studies me as if sensing everything I’m working through in this moment. “What you have is a gift, Sway. But until you can see that, you’ve only replaced one cage for another.”

I sigh. “You’re right. I just don’t want to put anyone else in danger again.”

He cocks his head at me. “You were planning to leave today, weren’t you?”

“Yes,” I admit. “I thought I’d overstayed my welcome.”

“Bullshit. That’s twice now you’ve protected Liv from suffering. You’ve more than earned your right to be here. You’ve proven yourself a valuable member of this crew. If you want it, you have a place here permanently. And I’m not one to ask favors, but you should know that, if you refuse me, you’ll cost me an entire security team.”

“What?”

“Your men aren’t as slick as they think they are with theirsecret plans,” he says with a snort. “If you leave, they’ll go with you. And I can’t have that. So, for all our sakes, stay.

I stare at him, shocked. “They plan to come with me if I leave?”

“Yes.”

“What if I refuse them?”

“If you refuse, they’ll follow at a distance instead of beside you. You can’t stop them. Not unless you stay.”

My eyes widen, and before I can stop it, my chest expands with sudden hope. “You’re offering me another contract?”

“No, Sway. No contract.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You’re one of us now. Part of this place. No contract required. Will you take the family I offer you?”

Chapter30