“Why, hello little sister.”
Letithia flinched involuntarily at the sound of his voice, and the memories that assaulted her brain at hearing it. She could feel Jace tense beside her, but couldn’t bring herself to look at him. Not yet. Not until she knew that her trauma was no longer obvious in her eyes. She was incredibly grateful for the hood of her cloak that hid most of her face from Ness, she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of letting him know how much he still affected her.
Because there was no denying the effect hearing his voice still had on her body and mind. It brought back memories that she hadn’t thought about for years. Memories of dark rooms, darker bruises, and violent words. Her body still remembered the sensation of hitting a hard surface, only to wake up disoriented and nauseous.
Taking a shaky breath she slowly started to pull herself together. She reminded herself that she was no longer a helpless child, and she was no longer alone. She could feel the quiet, steady support of Jace from beside her, his presence helping to ground her in the present. She had friends by her side now, and her magic was stronger than it had ever been. She was no longer helpless. She took another breath and let it out slowly, before raising her head and meeting the eyes of her brother head on, seeing his momentary start at the move, before he masked his surprise behind a grin.
“What do you want, Ness?” she asked coldly, her voice steady and hard despite the rapid beating of her heart.
