From the Ashes (Force of Nature Book 1) by Amber Lynn Natusch

tightly.
    “Is there something you're not telling us about the Brooklyn Bridge incident?”
    “No! Jesus,” I yelled, storming away from them right into Merc. I jumped back from him, startled by his presence. His pale blue eyes practically shone in the moonlight while they pierced mine, looking for the truth behind my words.
    “Something's wrong with you, Piper,” Jase observed, his tone controlled and kind. He was trying a different approach. “You haven't been yourself since the attack, and while I can see that there is a definite amount of mental and emotional trauma you suffered because of it, I don't understand why you're shutting us out. Why you're suddenly trying to take a dive off a shitty old bridge in the middle of the night. That's not you, Piper. You're too strong for that...”
    “Ha,” I scoffed, the bitterness in my tone so thick I could practically taste it. “Strong...”
    “You think differently?” Merc asked, shocking Jase and Dean. He hadn't spoken to me in their presence since the night I was attacked in the park, and I guess they thought that was a one-time deal. If our little secret was out, Merc didn't seem to care. He continued to speak to me like they weren't present. Like I was all he cared about in that moment.
    “I think that whoever was talking in the ballroom was right. That anyone close to me is likely to meet their end trying to protect me. You said as much to me the other night. That's a lot of burden for me to bear,” I explained, doing all I could to fight back the tears that threatened to escape. “I think that strong people aren't victims. I think the night I nearly burned to death etched that reality into my mind and my body. And I think that you all would be far better off without me, especially if the treaty falls. I'm a distraction. A distraction that will get you killed, if you let it.”
    Merc stared at me, his expression unfaltering.
    “I think you're wrong.”
    That was all he said, those four words his entire argument to the harsh realities I'd just pointed out to him and the others. It seemed a ridiculous rebuttal, and yet somehow, for some reason, those words had a weight to them that I couldn't explain. A persuasive quality that I couldn't deny.
    “Wrong about what?” I yelled, frustration overtaking me.
    “It takes great strength to protect those around you, especially when the cost is yours alone to bear. It takes great strength to pull an unconscious werewolf from a body of water. And it takes great strength to endure the very incident you just cited as an example of your weakness,” he said, taking a step closer. “Kingston did not attack you because you are weak, Piper. He attacked you because you are a force beyond measure. You just haven't realized it yet.”
    I stared at him as though he were speaking a foreign language, and yet everything he'd said made some measure of sense. Merc didn't think I was prey. He thought I was a badass who had yet to emerge.
    “Piper,” Jase said, spinning me around to face him, his hands resting firmly on my shoulders. “I don't care if you're weak, strong, or otherwise, you need to know that whatever may come—whatever happens with the treaty—we won't leave your side. Do you understand? You can't make that choice for us.”
    “Damn right,” Dean chimed in, seconding his brother's sentiments. “You're stuck with us whether you like it or not. We ride or die.”
    “I just wish you didn't have to,” I said meekly, my emotions a cross between frustration and adoration. I loved those two more than I could explain, but I hated that that love inherently put them in danger.
    “Your powers will come to you one day, Piper,” Jase reassured me. “I mean, look what happened with your burns! Kat said they healed up when you went outside—when you laid on the ground in the sun. We know you're a Magical, we just don't know what kind or what powers you can call.”
    “And nobody has ever helped me explore that,” I