“Ah,” I hiss.
“Does it still hurt?” Finn’s voice holds only mild concern.
Am I not a good enough actress?
I change tactics and throw the attention back on him. “Did you learn that move in the monster romance books you like so much?”
I test how my chest handles sitting up straight. The tightness isn’t so bad, but I’ll definitely need to take these pills again before the night is out.
He points to me. “Dilated pupils.”
I absently touch a hand to my temple.
“The flush on your face and neck.”
I blink and cover my throat with a hand.
Finn’s eyes slide to the bottom half of my hospital gown. “I’d have to get permission to check other places, but that would be a clear sign too.”
I press my legs together as my watch beeps in protest. “You’re talking about consent?”
“Consent is a clear ‘yes.’” Finn looks at me like I’m stupid. “That’s not what I’m talking about.”
My mind races. “Then…”
“You asked what I learned from romance novels.”
I blink slowly.
“You’re displaying all the signs of a heroine in the middle of the book.”
“What?”
“You want to screw me.”
He says it with a straight face, so it takes me a few seconds to compute, but when it does, I start choking.
Finn watches me suffer, no flicker of concern crossing his features.
He’s a monster.
I greedily gulp the rest of my tea until I can breathe again.
“You’re…. you’re totally wrong,” I choke out.
Finn swoops in and stares into my eyes again. Whatever he sees makes him nod, and he draws back. “I’m not ready for you to die, so you can’t have what you want. At least not yet.” He straightens and nods at the computer. “Don’t overdo it.”
The giant prick leaves the room, but his presence lingers like a ghost.
It takes far too long for his spell to break, but only then can I concentrate on the algorithm.
Chapter Forty-Six
FINN
Ren calls me around midnight to get an update on my plans.
“Time is running out,” he warns. “I do not know how much longer we can keep this a secret.”
