Seriously? I don’t know whether to be flattered or annoyed that Eric still thinks I’m worth special consideration. “But I need Slick for school! If I don’t have a baku, I’ll be drawing more attention to myself and I really don’t need that right now.”

>>I’m surprised you haven’t destroyed him already.

Jinx’s voice is low, and the words are followed by an almost tiger-like growl.

Destroy him? He might be just a level one, but he cost me all my life savings!

>>Even after what he did to you?

I frown. What he did to me? What do you mean?

>>You don’t remember?

No…

>>The night you left me at the cat park, he unfurled a syringe from deep inside his casing. He injected you with something, and you went down. I think it was to immobilize you so Moncha security could find you and interrogate you, but luckily Tobias got there first.

A shiver crawls over my spine, a million ants dancing across my skin. Slick is why I was in the hospital? My baku harmed me.

I think I’m going to throw up.

Even more pieces fall into place in my mind as the truth is revealed. And the security team?

>>They wanted to talk to you, to know how to find me.

Fear spikes inside my chest. Oh no, Jinx, if they find out you’re here, they’ll hunt you down. I set you free because I didn’t want you to get wrapped up in all of this. I reach out to touch him again.

Jinx arches his back and pulls away from my hand.

>>What, and leave you to sort this mess out on your own?

Jinx flicks his tail at me, and I recognize the gesture. He’s annoyed—but not at me, I don’t think.

>>I admit, I was prepared to disappear into life with those real cats.

His voice is soft, wistful almost.

>>They welcomed me. They accepted me. And while you were in the hospital, there was not much I could do. I checked by your window every now and then to see if you were awake… But I knew Eric was up to something. As much as I wanted to just…be, I didn’t want you to come to any more harm. I had to find out what he was planning. And now we know.

So you do care about me? I tease.

>>Yeah, yeah, don’t get too emotional about it. I already said I missed you too.

It’s been so hard without you. Not being allowed into Profectus, this thing with Mom… At least I know now it was the update causing her to act so strangely toward me. I sigh. And what about Slick? I need him so that I can act “normal.”

>>Maybe being trapped in your sweater for a while will do him some good.

Then he is serious again.