I stared at them for a few seconds, blinking. My mind was still catching up to what had just happened.
I hadn't expected this level of support. Not from any of them, but especially not from Derry. From Derry, I'd expected one hell of a scolding — I'd eavesdropped on his conversation, ignored his orders, and struck people we could've just passed peacefully.
But here he was. Not angry. Not even disappointed.
It wasn't my fault though. I knew myself well enough to recognize when something had shifted in me. I'd always been like this — enraged and uncontrollable — whenever people spoke ill of what was mine. I'd tried not to care so much over the years and just et things slide.
But this was different.
Kassie was the one person who had stormed into my life and made everything feel right. She wasn't slavery. She wasn't property. No one got to reduce her to that word, not after the life she'd lived and the person she'd become.
