“You really think you could pull something like this off on such a large scale?” Dorian asks.
I nod. “Your lighting team already has all the devices that release your current holograms. They’ll be rigged up to release the emotions at certain points during the gig. There are maybe thirty devices for me to tweak for your smaller venues and, like, seventy or maybe more for the biggest ones.”
As I’m saying the words, my stomach twists with anxiety. Yeah, that’s a fuckload of work in my future. While I’m not crafting each device from nothing, it’s still a lot of internal workings for me to modify and add my magic to.
“I have the prototype mocked up to show you, if you’re interested?” I say, pulling out the device that’s currently about the size of asmall toaster. This is the device their head of lighting sent through and it’s designed to release sparkly lights which fill the arena at the very end.
“It sounds pretty complicated,” Dorian replies. “How do you know you can influence that many people’s emotions at once?”
“I can.” I swallow hard and shift in my seat.
This is the moment I’m going to lose them.
“I know because I’ve done it before. Not to tens of thousands of people but to thousands,” I continue quietly.
Tapping a button on my laptop, the screen lights up with a video. It’s footage of one of the bigger Awakenings the Herald had, right before I got out of there. I’ve edited the video so that it highlights key points and where I had my gadgets doing their thing.
“If you look closely at the way the audience’s expressions shift from eager, to blissed-out, to—” I pause the video just as everyone sits forward almost in unison.
It’s creepy as hell to rewatch, so obvious that someone is pulling these people’s strings.
“—looking like they could fight a giant and win.” I clear my throat. “Yeah, that’s all my work.”
I let the video play on mute for another thirty seconds. Thirty seconds that have the entire gathered audience closing their eyes in sheer contentment.
Keep your quirks to yourself, Saint, darling. You know others wouldn’t accept your... differences quite the same as we do.
The Herald’s words roll around in my head before I shove them away. He doesn’t deserve a space in my brain any longer. Even though I think he might have been right for once.
Tapping out of the video, I stop talking and sit back.
No one speaks, and the silence spreads like ink on a clean white sheet.
Cal and Micah don’t say a word. And I can’t bear to look at either of them to see the judgment in their eyes.
My instincts are screaming at me to grab my stuff and escape as quickly as possible.
But I told myself I was going to be brave, so I force myself to glance up. Cal’s expression is closed off and I don’t have a clue what he might be thinking. Micah’s smile is long gone.
I catch Iri’s eye and his dark eyes narrow on me. He’s frowning and that causes my stomach to cramp.
Yeah, this went exactly how I expected.
Pushing to my feet, I grab my box and my laptop and get the fuck out of there.
Dorian
SIN NODS TO HERSELF, then gathers up her stuff and strides out of their room. The two idiots supposedly interested in courting her—like they’re relics from some bygone era—just sit there in silence.
“She’s upset,” Micah says. “Why is she upset?” He seems entirely clueless, and Cal looks just as dumbfounded.
I want to smack their heads together and maybe punch myself in the face. How can they be this oblivious?
I know neither of them has much experience with women or with relationships, but Micah can feel her damn emotions and Cal has, like, fifty sisters. Even Iri looks slightly bewildered, which is not a look I’m used to seeing on his face.
I’m pretty sure he already knew all the stuff Sin just laid out like she was dropping a bomb. If anything, Iri’s probably confused about why anyone would think any of that shit was a big deal.
Because they’re not going to let this go, I explain it to them. “Yeah, she’s upset. She just shared a bunch of really unflattering stuff about herself. I guess she’s thinking that you’re all gonna be hating her right now.”
