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Will he hurt me? Be mad? Put me back in the dark?

I turn around, trying to pretend I didn’t just eat them all. He knows I did, so I offer the empty container. Maybe he won’t be mad? Maybe he’ll give me more?

All he does is smile.

“Will you be my friend, boy?”

It physically hurts to remember that. The air is siphoned from my lungs as my heart pangs against my ribs.

I have no idea if it’s real or something the creature inside me conjured up.

But I can’t ask if it really happened.

Someone is screaming, and it isn’t either of us.

24

Saren

The sudden cries from outside the tent jerk me out of my rage.

Ryx wastes no time taking advantage. He knocks the bar away from his chest, shoots to his feet, and runs out of the tent. Hundreds of exposed emotions enter my psychic range, tempting me to take—to feed. My appetites are almost insatiable lately, and even though I siphoned some from Kane, it isn’t nearly enough. I need more.

Gunfire pops, the sound far too loud for my comfort, and that alone keeps me levelheaded.

I can’t get lost to the hunger right now.

Clutching my broken arm to my chest, I inch out of the tent and shiver in the wicked breeze. It’s the first time I can really glimpse my surroundings. My mind is clear and not weighed down by the drugs.

An encampment has been erected in what appears to be a narrow valley. Parallel peaks border each side, a shotty, ancient highway cuts through it, and judging by the potent mastery signatures infecting the space, the rebel forces have been discovered.

Matthias must have come for me.

Stomach lurching, I quickly seek cover and sprint towards it. My bare feet sink into the thick snow as the wind drags icy talons down my exposed torso. It’s impossible not to shiver, not to feel the cold dry out my tongue. New Grove is temperature-controlled, never reaching above eighty degrees. The realization I won’t survive in this current condition nearly knocks me to my knees.

I hunker down behind a vehicle, throw up my mental shields, and brace to be found. The longer I wait, though, the louder the distress calls get. The surges of terror, hatred, and longing for escape are impossible to ignore. These people are fighting for their lives and failing. I bite my cheek, torn between escape and something far more dangerous.

My chances are better here than they are back in New Grove—that’s for damn sure. If Matthias brings me back, I’ll never be able to fulfill Patryn’s wishes. He will take me as a mate, rape and hurt me—forever a puppet and prisoner.

I’ll never be able to fix what I broke. And while these people haven’t done me any kindnesses, I can’t just ignore the slaughter happening on the other side of this truck. I sit with my indecision for too long.

A Medial has discovered my location, their mastery a weak nudge against my mind.

I shove off the ground and move, my legs sluggish and stiff from being in that fucking cage. When a Telex enters another’s mind, an instant sense of wrongness hits. Or maybe it’s my own trauma pushing the feeling through me. Regardless, I lash out and hunt down the Medial. Maybe a handful of yards away from my position, my mastery latches onto his first emotion.

Pride. He’s proud to be here, doing this, killing them.

I rip it from his brain and eat it.

While I steal more from him, I spot colors I don’t recognize. New Grove wears navy. Always blue. These Telex are wearing blood red and silver. Thick metal bands hang around their necks. I’m not sure what they're for, but they stand out. Once my prey is completely consumed, I use my telekinesis to toss his corpse aside. Those fractured bones in my arm snap back together with a satisfying crack.

I test my range of motion for only a few seconds before running straight into the fight. Chaos erupts around me. Crimson stains coat the snow while bullets ricochet off vehicles and rocks. Bodies drop left and right. Both the enemy and my people. The thought makes me hesitate. Who even is the enemy? Them or us? Ryx or Matthias?

I shake it off and thrust out my palm. Violet energy swirls around my fingertips. Five Telex lift in the air, their guns ripped from their grasp and necks snapped, all with a single thought. A beta woman screams nearby, sprinting away from me. Whoever these Telex are, I don’t recognize them as being from any community I know of. Ivory Hill wore emerald.

I also can’t find a single alpha among them. Betas and omegas make up their forces, the latter tending to stick close to their convoy. And even that seems odd. Armored vehicles, all equipped with a circular device on top of the hood. Frowning, I seek out more of these invaders, stealing emotions and memories as I go, all the while blocking oncoming bullets with my mastery. The more I consume, the stronger I get.

I’m lost to the madness when I hear a familiar voice bellow. “GET SALEM TO SAFETY!”