Page 52 of Dark Night of the Soul

He circled the room, watched my eyes track his movements without turning my head. I noted it. I noted that he noted it.

“It was something to behold. The way you moved. Without hesitation. Without thought,” he said.

I remained silent.

“I’m told your mother, though… she was different.”

A wild spurt of anger shifted through me.

“Took her longer to acclimate, but then the surgery was different from yours. More invasive.”

Something dark twisted inside my chest. I hated that he brought up my mother. That was sacred ground.

But instead of lashing out, I said, “How long did it take her?”

Sebastian stopped, then turned to face me. “You’re curious. Interesting.”

“How long,” I repeated, my voice flat.

He liked that I was unemotional.

“A few weeks,” he said. “You? Hours.”

I kept my face impassive. No reaction. That, too, impressed him.

“You altered me,” I said.

“We refined you.” Pride swelled in his voice.

He said this like it was something to be celebrated. A victory. Like I was the prize. He stepped closer, close enough that I could smell his cologne. Clean. Expensive. Unnecessary.

“You still feel,” he said. “That’s important. We didn’t want a blunt instrument. We wanted a precise one.”

My fingers curled on my knees. He noticed.

“But now,” he continued, “you won’t hesitate when it counts.”

“And when does it count?” I asked, my gaze flicking up at him.

Sebastian smiled. “When we tell you.”

I held his gaze. Let my face remain neutral. Let my pulse stay even. I felt the truth of it settle into place.

“You expect me to cooperate,” I said.

“I expect you to function,” he replied.

“And if I don’t?”

Sebastian tilted his head, studying me with open curiosity.

“You already did,” he said. “When we tested you. You didn’t resist when it mattered.”

I considered that.

Then said, carefully, “You tested my speed. Not my loyalty.”

Amusement flickered in his eyes. “Well,” he said after a moment, “one thing at a time.”