Hector hands me a glass of wine as we stand at the top of the tallest skyscraper in Denver, in his private apartment. “Right now, people across the city are sharing stories about the Defender who put on a remarkable show in the arena.”
I take a sip of wine to calm my nerves. “But it wasn’tmefighting, was it?”
Hector stands so close to me, I would have considered attacking him if I thought I might succeed. “It was youfighting, Caden, but with mysmall help.”
I figured as much when Elijah insisted he had nothing to do with it, but I’m still deeply unsettled by what it means. If Hector can make me stronger, can he just as easily make me weaker?
“What did you do to me?” I ask.
“I gave you a gift.”
“Your blood?”
“A touch of my genes.”
“I’d like to return the gift.”
He laughs. “You haven’t even begun to experience its full potential, my dear.”
“You’re too young to call anyonemy dear.”
“You’d be surprised.”
“You made the king of High Hope betray us.”
He sighs. “Yes, and now he’s dead, which is rather inconvenient.”
“He’s dead?”
“Oh, yes. Quite gruesomely, I've heard.”
I hope it means that Finn is okay.
Hector moves to face me. “Should we do something about your bruises?”
I don’t like how he asks that. “I can handle them.”
In a flash, each bruise becomes noticeably more painful. I shout and lean against the glass wall, sweat breaking across my skin.
“This is your true pain, Caden, without my gift to numb it. Do you like it? Can youhandleit?”
I wish to be stronger, and maybe I could have been if I had more time to get used to this pain, but it’s too sudden and overwhelming. “Make it stop.”
As suddenly as it appeared, the pain fades like an old memory. I take deep breaths to slow down my rapid heartbeat. Hector holds my hand and leads me to a long dining table. Most of the furniture in the large apartment is either black or white. I notice there isn’t anything here that seems personal, making it hard to learn anything about the man who lives here, but maybe that’s intentional. I sit at the table, facing my reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall.
Hector stands behind me and pulls off my shirt, not asking for permission. I gag at the sight of my torso. Back in the Hive, I would have been forced to stay in the hospital.
“Relax.” He rests his hands on my shoulders, his skin cold and soft. He watches me through the mirror. “Can I make you better now?”
I don’t want anything from him, but knowing how easily he can make the pain reappear, there is only one answer. “Yes.”
Through the mirror, I see his dark and pointy tail rising, confirming he can make it grow at will. The pointy tip sways toward me as I hold my breath and try to keep the fear from my face. It presses against my chest, not yet causing pain.
“Ask me,” Hector says, his hands still on my shoulders. “Ask for my gift.”
“Are we pretending I have a choice?”
“There is always a choice. You can ask me to let you jump out the window. Would you like that?”
