“And I never said you have to kill him, just beat him.”
“I don’t think you have it in you to help me through such a fight.”
Why are you pushing him?
“Didn’t I help you today with that little demonstration to Isaac?”
“Yeah, and you almost passed out. Maybe—” He screams.
I jump to my feet, but Hector hisses, “Sit down.”
Caden pants, his face contorted as he grips the table with white knuckles.
“This is him without my gift,” Hector tells me. “This is him as a mere human. Every bruise and every cut. Every cracked rib. And still, he disrespects me after all that I do for him.”
“He didn’t mean to disrespect you. He wants to beat the New-Human, but he needs to know that you can pull through. He has the right to have doubts with his life on the line.”
Hector watches me closely, a small smile at the corner of his lips. “Is that so?”
With his eyes shut tight, Caden hisses, “Yes.”
“Well, then.”
Caden takes a deep breath. He’s pale and shaken, but he doesn’t seem in pain anymore. I’m stunned by how easily Hector can affect him, like the flip of a switch.
Did he push Hector so I could have a better grasp of who we’re dealing with?
“Choose a bruise,” Hector tells me.
“What?”
“Choose a bruise for me to heal.”
I don’t know what is happening, but I hesitantly point to one of the nastiest bruises on Caden’s ribs.
Hector stands up and moves behind Caden, placing his hands on his shoulders. I gasp as a dark, pointy tail appears, swaying like a snake in front of Caden’s face.
“Show Finn,” Hector says. “Show him how you and I do things.”
Caden holds Hector’s tail and brings it to his chest. The shame in his eyes is painful to watch, but he has no reason to feel ashamed, and I vow to make Hector pay for this.
Caden cuts himself across his chest. Blood runs down his torso. I stare in shock as the bruise I chose begins to fade, then disappears as if it never existed. How many times has this happened? How much did he bleed in this apartment?
“Can you heal his other bruises?” I ask, my mouth dry.
“I can, but why should I? They fit him so well.”
At least the fresh cut also heals, but the blood remains on Caden’s skin.
“I would have offered you my gift as well, Finn, but Caden is right to beconcerned—we have a battle to win, and we’re not quite ready yet.” He lowers his face to Caden’s ear. “And if wewant to keep the lovely Finn in one piece, you will train even harder and dowhateverI tell you to. Do we understand each other?”
Caden doesn’t meet my eyes, maybe because he doesn’t want to show me the accusation in them. “We understand each other.”
Chapter 23
Caden
The days pass and blur together. With Hector’s warning circling in my head, I train harder than ever, pushing myself until even Master Trainer orders me to take a break. The other fighters used to look at me with contempt, but now they look at me with fear and suspicion. They can tell there’s something deeply strange about me, but they don’t know what. My strength, my commitment, my relationship with Hector… I’m an enigma, a Defender who is quickly rising in status against all odds, and if Hector gets his way, I’m likely to lead these men into battle.
