Kaeren's hand tightened over mine, his thumb grazing my knuckles in a way that was probably meant to be soothing but felt like a possessive marking. "I will not let that happen, Waverly. The secret of your origin stays between us. I'll find a way to handle Selene and anyone else who thinks they recognize you. Just trust me. A little."
I pulled my hand back as if his skin had suddenly turned to dry Outer District dust.
"And why should I believe you?" I whispered, my voice quivering with a dramatic flair I couldn't suppress even in the face of death. "You ask for trust as if it's a commodity I can just pluck from the air. You haven't earned it, Kaeren. All you've done since the moment you dragged me from that shack is belittle me, dominate me, and remind me that I am a transaction you happen to find 'amusing.'"
