Mute stopped a few feet away. The smile widened slowly across his face, pulling the corners of his mouth into something sharp and unnatural that didn't belong on Mute's features. An ancient, predatory intelligence flickered behind his eyes like a shadow moving beneath still water.
"Miss me?"
I looked at him. My thoughts moved fast, running through every face I'd catalogued since crossing the walls, every ability user I'd met, every person who might have reason to look at me like this. One name settled at the back of my head and refused to move.
The person Mary Stam had put a stake through.
[Digging into the essence of the host.]
[Scanning.]
Fuck. This is Vincent Vale.
"Mute," I said, voice flat and steady, face locked into perfect neutrality. My hands stayed relaxed at my sides even as my heartbeat hammered against my ribs.
Mute's smile stayed exactly where it was, unchanging, unnerving.
"The world is small," I added, keeping my tone light.
