“What the fuck?” Donovan’s voice rings out farther away than before. I can only make out shapes as my vision clouds red.
“I have never lied to you,” My voice comes out like static, scratchy to my ears. “Hidden things, yes, but never outright lied to you. I never kept things from you with the intention to hurt or deceive you.”
The lights above us flicker as I press on, determined to get it all out and be done with it.
“I am not working with my father. I hate him.” In this moment, I truly feel that I do. I can’t tell if something inside me has been unlocked or if I’m feeding off the energy of the room. “Yes, he was using me to kill you. I was supposed to…” I gasp for breath, my head dizzy. “I was supposed to slip the poison into your drink the night of the masquerade, but I couldn’t do it.”
Exhausted, I sag against the desk, my shaky arms doing their best to hold me up.
It takes a second for the red haze to vanish, and my eyes try to focus on what’s in front of me. Donovan comes into view, panting a few feet away from me now. Torrin is by his side, eyes wide as he looks between the two of us. Andre is backing up in the direction of the door as if his feet are telling him to run, but his obligation keeps him from completely fleeing.
They all seem to be keeping their distance. I can’t blame them. I’m a little frightened of me, too.
“I think she’s got a touch of the natural, Boss,” Andre says. He looks as if he doesn’t trust me, doesn’t want to be near me.
Torrin takes a step in my direction. He’s the only one who looks more shocked than scared. I think he means to help me, but his whole body comes to a halt when Donovan growls, “Get out.”
“Donovan,” Torrin says, his eyes still on me.
“Get the fuck out. Now!”
Torrin shoots me a sympathetic look before turning and heading for the door. Andre is already gone. I collapse the moment the door is closed behind them.
But instead of falling to the floor, I’m caught by strong arms.
Donovan lifts me up and carries me around the desk. He holds me tight as he sits down, my legs draped across his, and my head comes to rest on his shoulder.
“You have powers?” Donovan asks. His voice is deep. Calming. Soothing. “Abilities? Fuck.” He blows out a breath as if he’s frustrated with himself. “Whatever you call it. You… everything became stronger, and I felt like I couldn’t control my anger.”
“I didn’t know,” I say hoarsely. I feel like I’ve swallowed glass or had a million volts of electricity poured down my throat. When I feel Donovan’s arms stiffen around me, I quickly follow up with, “I swear.”
He reaches for a squat glass that has some amber liquid in it. When he offers it to me, I down it quickly. The burn does nothing to help my throat, but I don’t ask for water because I don’t want him to get up. I’m not ready for him to let me go.
“I’m sorry,” he tells me. I can hear the remorse in his tone.
“Can we just forget about it?”
“No,” he says flatly. “I lost my cool. That’s not like me. Yes, maybe you had something to do with that, but I shouldn’t have…” He sighs heavily.
“But you meant it,” I point out.
“I did. I want to trust you, and that is fucking with me because I’ve been trained to always be looking over my shoulder.”
“That doesn’t sound like a very good way to live,” I point out softly. “Doesn’t it get… lonely?”
“I never thought it was before.”
His statement hangs thick in the air. Things have changed. We crashed into each other’s lives, and now there’s no going back, even if we somehow live.
The silence stretches out. There are so many things we need to talk about, but somehow, the quietness doesn’t feel awkward or strained. He holds me. I breathe him in and let the calm wash over me at his touch. It’s silly, especially given what just happened. I’m not stupid enough to think he’d never really hurt me. That would be laughable. I know he wouldn’t hesitate to kill me if I became a threat.
The thing is, I don’t want to be a threat to him. I don’t want to betray him.
I blink back into focus and realize I’m staring at the vial of poison on the corner of the desk. Somehow, I just know he’s staring at it too
“I didn’t want to do it,” I tell him, and I’m still having a hard time talking. My body is also still vibrating with a strange energy, though it’s not as strong. I can say that I’m not a fan of whatever just happened. If I do have some kind of natural abilities, I need to learn how to control them. And fast.
There’s so much I need to learn about myself. It goes beyond this newfound ability. It’s all crashing down on me now.
