Emerge: The Captive: (Book 3)(15)

“You will pay attention, Quinn,” Livia insisted, forcing him to watch as the girl’s eyes glazed at the touch of his sick ability. He felt her fear and her loneliness. Yet with that first taste, it was like the sweetest air. He wanted more. Quinn pushed the girl toward the brink of her sanity, forcing her to relive the worst moments of her life. He could see it in her eyes as she faced the reality of a world where no one wanted her.

“I’m not doing this!” He resisted Livia’s influence, but Quinn couldn’t seem to release his grip on Lennox. His gift was mesmerized by what he saw in Lennox’s eyes.

Yes! Feel it, Quinn. Feel how strong her sanity makes us. Think of what we could accomplish if you stopped fighting us.

Physically, he wanted it. He wanted the feeling to last forever. The rush of blood through his veins. The way her madness caused his senses to awaken. He was flying high, his pain a distant memory. The ecstasy the girl’s sanity gave him was like nothing he’d ever experienced. But logically, he knew he would never forgive himself if he didn’t fight this. I am not choosing to do this. This is her. Not me.

Lennox screamed and the voice inside Quinn’s head rejoiced, relishing her fear and anxiety. The more she screamed, the stronger he felt.

Quinn was more like himself than he’d been since the night Livia took him. See? We make you strong. You need us. It’s not our fault she chose an innocent. For a brief moment, he found himself agreeing with the voice. That was when he knew he had to end it immediately.

“Stop!” He slammed his fist into the table, the pain instantly pulling him from the ecstasy of Lennox’s insanity. He released his grip on the girl and she crumpled to the floor.

“Give in to me,” Livia panted. She held her grip on him, still pushing him. “Give in to me and she goes back to her room now and this all ends.”

“No.” Quinn hung his head in shame, letting out a growl of frustration. He couldn’t even look at Lennox. The tension in his body tugged at all of his injuries, splitting his back open again. His fists dripped blood onto the table and his peripheral vision went dark as the strength he’d gained from Lennox left him.

“Let’s see what we can make her do then, shall we? I’m most interested in seeing more of what that twisted mind is capable of.”

With an anguished roar, he leapt to his feet, breaking Livia’s hold on him. He was closer than ever to submitting … just to put a stop to Lennox’s suffering. But it wasn’t that easy. It went against everything he’d ever been taught. In a situation like this, Quinn was taught to fight. Period. Giving up was not an option. But in that moment, he would have done anything to end the girl’s pain. It was the tiny voice in his mind that gave him the strength to continue—and it wasn’t the voice of his insane gift.

Don’t stop. I can handle it. We can’t let her win.

He caught the young girl’s gaze. There was no way she was old enough to have experienced an Awakening. But clearly, she was telepathic … and clearly, Livia had no idea.

We defy her when we can and we suck it up and take it when we can’t. She’s not the monster she wants you to think she is. You’ll win this battle. Just hang on a minute longer and she’ll be the one to give in Let’s call her bluff. Lennox looked so sweet and innocent but there was a fiery defiance there too. A backbone of steel. She didn’t want to see him fail. Not for her.

“Sit down, Quinn,” Livia snarled. “We are not done yet.”

~~~





CHAPTER

SIX





Sasha: Summer


Agra, India


“Come. Now. We don’t have much time.” Imogen grabbed Sasha’s hand and pulled her back through the house and up to her room.

“This isn’t really happening.” Sasha couldn’t mask the tremor in her voice. She was scared out of her mind despite all her bravado back in the office. “They can’t just swoop in here and take me like this! The Senate can require the assistance of any registered Proven Immortal. But I’m not Proven. I’m not even close to mastering my power yet.”

“But you’re powerful and they want you under their control while they can still get their hands on you. This isn’t just about providing you the training they think you should have for your benefit. It’s about keeping you under their thumb. Grooming you to be their creature. I imagine there aren’t many who have the kind of ability you do and they're not going to let that slip through their hands. They don’t care how this will affect you. They don’t care that they’ve asked something of you that would make most Proven Immortals pause and question the validity of their request. They don’t care. This is simply a means to test out the merchandise for the future.” Imogen whirled around to face Sasha. “You're going to have to suck at this.” She turned down a long hallway leading to their rooms, practically dragging Sasha behind her.

“I'm seventeen! Of course I'm going to suck at this. But how am I going to get through it, Gen?” The enormity of the last hour was sinking in. Sasha didn’t have it in her to become an assassin. Yes, her gift was perfect for it, but she wasn't. And judging by her sister’s reaction, the training would be brutal.

“We’ll get through it together, Sasha. I will not leave you to do this on your own.” Imogen shoved her through her bedroom door and closed it behind them. “Strip down to your underthings. We have work to do and not a lot of time to do it.”