Makenzie wound up her fist wrong and punched Nox in the stomach and shouted "You didn't need to kill my mom!"
Nox squatted down covering the desire to hunch over. He pulled Morgan close to him as he got lower than her sister. "That isn't quite true. In reality, I should have shot myself. But I was selfish, and I didn't want to die so I cut off my arm. " Nox pointed to Makenzie's collar bone. "Your mother was bit there. I can't cut it off. And by the time we killed the last of the horde threatening you, the wound was already oozing black. I shot your mother so she'd die herself and not as one of the monsters. It is a mercy I hope someday someone will do for me."
Makenzie glared at Nox. "Did it work?"
Nox shrugged. "Sorta. I'm not one of them, I got bit months ago. I have no parasites in my blood. My skin isn't sloughing off my bones. But I am different than I was."
"Is that why you tried to kill Morgan?" Her glare returned and Morgan squeezed Nox tighter.
"I lost control. I won't lose control again. I promise." Nox looked up to see Raffe standing in the door. He hoped he said nothing about promises and especially not broken ones. "I lost control because I gave myself a shot that took away my ability to channel. And there is only one other way to take away my power, and I don't intend to let anyone do that if I can see it. I won't hurt anyone, I will kill myself before I let myself do that."
Nox dropped his gaze and sighed. "I will take you back to the church, buy you breakfast on the way. Let's get ready."
Morgan whined. "But you said shopping."
"That is up to your sister Morgan, and Raffe, as he has insisted he accompany us to the church and I don't want to drag him to things he doesn't want to do. Or we can go shopping and let Raffe sleep some more and come back so he can escort us."
Nox wasn't ready to play pretend, but he put on a smile and wore the mask he'd lived with most of his life. "So?" Nox looked at Morgan and then to Raffe standing above him. It'd be so easy he though. But he kept his smile bright and his mouth shut.
Morgan looked to Raffe and shrugged. "Should we trust him?"
Nox squatted down covering the desire to hunch over. He pulled Morgan close to him as he got lower than her sister. "That isn't quite true. In reality, I should have shot myself. But I was selfish, and I didn't want to die so I cut off my arm. " Nox pointed to Makenzie's collar bone. "Your mother was bit there. I can't cut it off. And by the time we killed the last of the horde threatening you, the wound was already oozing black. I shot your mother so she'd die herself and not as one of the monsters. It is a mercy I hope someday someone will do for me."
Makenzie glared at Nox. "Did it work?"
Nox shrugged. "Sorta. I'm not one of them, I got bit months ago. I have no parasites in my blood. My skin isn't sloughing off my bones. But I am different than I was."
"Is that why you tried to kill Morgan?" Her glare returned and Morgan squeezed Nox tighter.
"I lost control. I won't lose control again. I promise." Nox looked up to see Raffe standing in the door. He hoped he said nothing about promises and especially not broken ones. "I lost control because I gave myself a shot that took away my ability to channel. And there is only one other way to take away my power, and I don't intend to let anyone do that if I can see it. I won't hurt anyone, I will kill myself before I let myself do that."
Nox dropped his gaze and sighed. "I will take you back to the church, buy you breakfast on the way. Let's get ready."
Morgan whined. "But you said shopping."
"That is up to your sister Morgan, and Raffe, as he has insisted he accompany us to the church and I don't want to drag him to things he doesn't want to do. Or we can go shopping and let Raffe sleep some more and come back so he can escort us."
Nox wasn't ready to play pretend, but he put on a smile and wore the mask he'd lived with most of his life. "So?" Nox looked at Morgan and then to Raffe standing above him. It'd be so easy he though. But he kept his smile bright and his mouth shut.
Morgan looked to Raffe and shrugged. "Should we trust him?"
![[Image: nox_sig.gif]](http://thefirstage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/nox_sig.gif)