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It meant he was closer to fulfilling his role, closer to hearing all those whispers kept from him.

Dinner was a lush spread of delicacies imported from Ivory Hill. The messenger from the superior community, Alori Crandl, kept staring at Saren. Gooseflesh pimpled down his arms, and the constant press against his mental shields made it hard to eat. He wasn’t great at keeping those walls up, only having learned how over the past year. Alori was persistent, though. She was a beta who looked about thirty, with icy blonde hair and deep violet eyes. Wearing the typical emerald green uniform he’d always associated with that community, she was as intimidating as he'd expected. Long nails tapped over the tabletop as her mastery pressed and pressed against him.

Swallowing a bite of steamed white fish, Saren was tempted to push back. She was testing him, and he wasn’t sure why. Idle chatter filled the room, and not for the first time, he wondered what this was all about. Now that he was sixteen, the council must’ve deemed him no longer a child. If he were whole, he’d be easily swayed by the potent pheromones in the air, and submission would have been instinct rather than a choice. He wanted to squirm in his seat.

He risked a glance in Patryn’s direction down the long rectangular table and met a firm glare. His guardian’s warning still rang in his thoughts.

“Keep the boy out of your mind and do not let anyone in.”

By the First Seer, he was trying. Sweat pooled under his arms and gathered along his hairline from the effort. It also didn’t help that Matthias sat on his immediate right and kept squeezing his upper thigh. Bile coated the fish as it slid down his esophagus.

Matthias had been his personal tutor for some time, showing Saren how to torture and manipulate. He could make anyone do anything he wanted, now. A tiny push and that was all it took. One single thought from him could change a person into a puppet. He hated it with all his heart. By now, he would’ve thought he’d have grown mental callouses from it all, but his mind was soft and bleeding.

As if sensing his discomfort, even through his shield, Alori leaned forward in her chair and spoke.

“Weren’t you slotted to become the Maven, Matthias?”

Saren’s tutor squeezed his leg so hard he bit his own tongue to keep from crying out. “Indeed,” he said through gritted teeth.

“We have a red-haired lad in Ivory Hill, too.”

Saren subtly slid his right hand off the table to grab Matthias’ wrist. Hoping that’d get the man to stop hurting him. “Is that so?”

“He’s shown real promise with precognition. Isn’t it true that Saren here has only achieved it once?”

Saren’s heartbeat stuttered in his chest as he quickly wet his lips. Matthias inched his hand lower, cradling Saren’s inner thigh now. Oh, how he wanted to scream. But Patryn gripped his fork, Horris watched Saren’s every minor twitch, and everyone else ate in practiced silence. He swallowed hard.

Matthias smiled at the messenger, all teeth and ego. “Would you like a demonstration? Saren is exceptionally talented,” he purred. “Go on.” He glanced down at Saren, rubbing his thumb over his leg. “Show her.”

Patryn said nothing.

Horris grinned.

Eran and Viktor seemed intrigued, but also didn’t speak.

Lilah made her thoughts known. “Yes, find out what Alori intends to tell Ivory Hill’s council.”

The messenger went eerily still, then shifted her gaze to Lilah’s. The women held each other’s stare for long seconds before Alori sniffed and waved her hand. Stomach knotting, Saren pleaded with his eyes, but Matthias only continued to stroke his thigh.

How was he meant to tap into that mastery? The last time was years ago, and he was lost in the haze of power-lust. High from his feed and desperate to prove himself. Now, he was terrified of failing and, worse, horrified by what Matthias would do to him if he did.

The man hadn’t crossed any major boundaries, yet. Still, he’d hinted at it many times. Whether it was a longing stare, fingers grazing down his back, or hushed whispers of how seeing Saren torture made his heart race. At that moment, Saren wanted to run. Run hard and fast back to the estate and Ryx. Because Ryx would know what to do. Maybe he’d finally found the secret entrance to New Grove. Maybe he’d have a way to escape.

“I…,” he started. “I…don’t know if I can.” The words were soft and only meant for his tutor, but everyone heard.

While technically he possessed the mastery, it’d never been the subject of his lessons. Matthias prioritized mind manipulation, feeds, and telekinesis. He pushed Saren to his limits until Patryn had to carry him home because he couldn’t stop trembling from the adrenaline. If he tried to see into Alori’s future, he’d have to let down his shields. The entire council would have access to his mind.

“You can and will,” Matthias growled and pinched the sensitive skin just below his groin. Saren yelped that time, and the fork that Patryn was gripping bent in his fist.

“B-But—”

“It’s quite alright,” Alori said smoothly. “This isn’t meant to be a competition, Matthias. Our Maven will one day have to work with…this one.”

Lilah seemed displeased as she sat back with a huff.

“May I be excused?” Saren asked the table.

“No,” Horris finally said, gesturing at the now-cold plate of fish. “Finish your meal. We have more matters to discuss.”