“You stuck your hand in a lion's mouth.” The Phaedra shrugged and offered a conciliatory smile. “What did you expect? We all saw the footage of the night you drugged him.” A hesitation and he eyed Zayne. “Why did you imply to Ms. Stiles you ordered Dr. Cooper to use the tank?”
“She's already beginning to trust me,” Zayne said. “She needs to fear me too. Otherwise, she won't believe any threats we make.”
The Phaedra nodded at Dr. Cooper. “What do you think?”
“I broke her with the understanding you'd put her back together, not stomp on her shattered pieces,” the doctor said.
“I'll put her back together then.” Zayne sighed.
“Walk it back,” his father said. “Undo the damage.”
Could that damage be undone? He hoped not. Trusting him, coming close to him, meant death.
“Yes, sir.” Zayne dipped his head. “I won't repeat the mistake.”
The way Luke watched him unnerved him. “Be warmer with her. You hardly look at her.”
Willing calm into his body, he spoke without emotion. “I'll work on that, Captain.”
The Phaedra looked all too pleased to see them getting along. “I'm eager to learn about your findings, Dr. Cooper. We can critique Zayne's handling of our guest later.”
“Kira Stiles is a true idealist,” the doctor said. He lifted a remote, turned on the large screen hanging on the far wall, and flooded their view with an image of the top of the tank, where Kira shook violently in the water.
Drowning.
The freezing water washed over him right now as he watched Kira, trapped in there, all alone.
Wave after wave of pain and guilt wracked his body, but he couldn't show any of it. Kira didn't deserve to suffer.
His father looked at him, expression heavy. As far as Zayne knew, the reprogramming was one of the only things in his father's life he felt guilty about.
As the video continued, Zayne didn't react to Kira's torment or the memory. The numbness that coated his insides that day washed over him and allowed him to hide. Breaking Dr. Cooper's collarbone helped as well.
The doctor watched the screen with his coy smile, unbothered by hurting an innocent woman. “I told her to knock on the tank to tell me she was ready to comply.”
Her palm flattened against the window.
“Every person has their breaking point,” Dr. Cooper said. “The worst-case scenario, we bring her friends in. That doesn't give us control over her though. We'll settle for compliance, but the Phaedra wants her heart.”
“That poor girl.” The Phaedra tilted his head, watching her lose consciousness. “She's very strong. Do you believe I can win her heart?”
“No. Not you.” Dr. Cooper paused the video on Kira's listless form and stared at Zayne. “He can.”
He raised his eyes to the doctor and loosened his muscles to keep himself from giving away the hatred and panic flooding him.
“If Zayne wins her heart,” Dr. Cooper said, “he can turn her into an unwitting asset. The daughter of a revolutionary under our control outweighs compliance from coercion.” The doctor never looked away from him, and Zayne didn't avert his eyes either. “Love is the most powerful weapon against an idealist. Make her fall for you.”
Zayne scoffed, expecting others at the table to do the same, but they watched him with serious eyes. “I didnottrain in the academy my entire childhood anddedicate my adult life to serving the Phaedra to learn how to make a woman fall in love with me. This isn't within my skill set.”
“But women do love you,” the Phaedra said. “Goodness, you've already had two fiancées at your young age. You can do this.”
“I have no idea where to begin,” Zayne said.
Dr. Cooper typed on his keyboard and footage of the night in the kitchen popped onto the screen. The video played without sound. “You've already started.”
Unease crawled over him as everyone watched the two of them.
“Perhaps she likes you,” the Phaedra said with an amused smirk.
