Page 98 of Unlocking Ruin

“No,” he answers. “I try to protect her as best I can.”

“She seems nice.”

“She is.” He smiles wide. “Too nice for our world,” he adds. “Henderson is like her in many ways.”

“You paint an ugly picture, Alister. Why should I hang it on my wall?”

“It’s not a picture. It’s a mural the firstborn cannot pull down.”

I lean back, letting my chair spin lazily. “Regardless,” I mutter, eyes dropping as I bury my hands in my hoodie pocket. “I’m not wearing a suit to work.”

“If the work is good, they won’t care.”

“Do you own sweatpants?” I ask, sliding my headphones off my neck and setting them on the desk.

Alister has this routine: after dinner, he gives me space, then finds a way to drift in and talk, trying to connect.

“Yes,” he says, a small smile tugging at his lips. He studies my face, lingering like he’s seeing a ghost.

He does this often. I do too, but I’m less obvious—I watch him when he isn’t looking.

“What did Cillian want?” Alister asks, his smile slipping away, worry clouding his eyes.

I press my lips together. “Cillian wants me to start training with them. He said a helicopter would pick me up once a week and take me to a secret location. I’ll slowly be introduced to The Rites of Passage,” I say, mocking their name.

Alister arches a brow. “And what was your response to the helicopter?”

I decide to spare him the details. I told Cillian to go fuck himself—I wasn’t climbing into a tin can. Cillian just smirked and said, ‘How about a wooden coffin?’

“He said there are worse fears than flying,” I lie.

“Are you ready to talk to a therapist about your fear of flying?” Alister asks, with real concern that makes my heart hurt. Alister cares a lot. Sure, it’s in his own way, but he truly wants me to face my fears and overcome them.

I shrug. “Fine,” I say. I have to get over this. These people don’t walk or ride in cars—they fly everywhere. It makes them feel like gods.

“Anything else?”

I draw in a deep breath and hold it. “Cillian said you have two years left in your job. Then I’m supposed to take your place. Are you upset, or is your dream retirement all about sailing a yacht?” I brace myself. Alister’s position is powerful, a role I still don’t fully grasp. Men like him rarely let go of that kind of power.

“Relieved,” Alister says, but his voice is tight. “And scared.” His green eyes, the same shade as mine, observe me.

“For me?”

He nods. “You don’t fuck with these people, Rylan,” he warns me as he glances at the screen in front of me.

“Why can’t you step away?” I ask as I pull off my hoodie, feeling too hot.

“That’s not how this world works.”

“Have you tried to change it?”

He taps his finger on his knee. “That’s why I’m scared. I failed the first time as your father. I couldn’t keep you safe. And now I have to let them take you, and I can’t protect you. All I can do is help guide you.”

I uncross my legs, feeling a sharp tingle as blood rushes back in. “I’m learning to protect myself,” I say.

He rests his elbow on the chair and tells me, “You need allies.”

“Henderson isn’t bad.” I flash him a smile.