struck like fangs and sank their poison bone deep. “How disappointing. It didn’t
take as long as I thought it would. You’re not a strong as people think, are you?
Add a little pressure and you break.”
Hatred boiled over. “Fuck you!”
Flash’s screams peaked. The mocking laughter and taunts picked up volume
as Ellery stalked forward. “Not interested.” He covered the distance between us
between one blink and the next. He was so close, the warmth of his breath
brushed my skin. “However, there’s something else I want.”
Every instinct protested his nearness, and I scrambled back, barely realizing
that the invisible force holding me in place was gone. Even as the fire and screams faded to phantom echoes, Ellery’s laughter followed.
The only good thing my frantic movements produced was my flashlight. I
grabbed it and swung out, my intention to embed it in Ellery’s skull. Instead, there was nothing there. Off balance, I fell forward.
Kayden’s voice broke through my panic. “Take a breath, Cyn. Focus. ” It faded in and out. “He’s just playing with you. ”
Right, this was not real. It’s in the past. Already done. Flash was beyond saving. I got to my feet, my body shuddering as I tried to piece things back together. The dark rippled around me, then disappeared, only to be replaced by a
shockingly bright light. The change was too abrupt, and I threw up an arm to shield my eyes.
“Playing with you? Interesting choice of words.” The words were casual.
I dropped my arm and blinked frantically, as the world resolved into focus.
No more alley, no more darkness, no more dirt walls. Instead, Ellery sat across
from me in a nondescript chair in an empty, blank room, watching me with a taunting half-smile.
The worry that he could hear Kayden pinged across my mind, but there was
nothing I could do about it. Not yet. Right now, I didn’t dare take my attention
away from him.
He watched me like a coiled snake. “What do you think you’re doing, Cyn?”
I pressed my lips tight, refusing to answer. My mind spun through various scenarios on how to get the hell out of here. This was my mind, right? So, whatever this was, it wasn’t really him. It couldn’t be him because something about him wasn’t right. I just couldn’t pinpoint it.
“Are you sure?” His eyes narrowed and he leaned forward, resting his arms
on his knees. “How much do you really know about psychic abilities? You spent
so much time running away from yours, you’re nothing but a babe in the woods.
I, on the other hand…” He leaned back with a smile. “I’ve got quite a few tricks
up my sleeve.”
Shaken by his apparent ability to read my mind, I tried slamming up my mental walls.
His corresponding laugh left me floundering. “You really think that will
work? It was such an epic failure last time. Nothing’s changed. I’m in your mind, bitch. Too late to lock the door now.” He stood, and behind him, his shadow shuddered and stretched. “You’d be amazed at what the mind can
accomplish.”
The walls wavered, then steadied.
But he didn’t appear to notice. “Every time I acquire a new ability, I play with it, stretch it, then merge it with the ones I already hold. I can break you into little pieces and reform you into exactly what I need.” His smile widened and the
evil lurking inside began to seep out. “And no one, not you, not that dick Shaw,
or even the almighty Delacourt, can stop me.”
Maybe he could break me, but there was no telepath in his list of victims, so
he had to be lying. It was a wafer-thin hope to hold on to, but I’d take it. His rising maliciousness sent a tremor through my shoulders, but I lifted my chin, refusing to submit. “You sure about that?”
Something sneaky and sly stared back. “You’re going to do what I want you
