“What’s going on?” I asked, hating how my voice broke halfway through the question.
Blake’s expression was blank, while Archer took up his position as sentry by the door.
“We need to see the extent of your abilities,” Sergeant Dasher explained, moving to stand behind the two men. “Inside of this controlled room, you’ll be able to use the Source. We know from our previous investigations that you do have some control, but what we don’t know is the extent of your abilities. Hybrids who have successfully mutated can react just as quickly as a Luxen. They can control the Source just as well.”
My heart skipped. “What purpose does this serve? Why do you need to know? I’m obviously a successful mutation.”
“We don’t truly know that, Katy.”
I frowned. “I don’t get it. Earlier you said I was strong—”
“You are strong, but you’ve never consistently used your abilities or done so without the hybrid who mutated you. It’s possible that you’ve been feeding off his ability. And a hybrid may appear to have successfully mutated, but we’ve discovered that the more one taps into the Source, the more evident the instability in his or her mutation becomes. We need to test for any type of unpredictability in your mutation.”
As his words sank in and made sense, I wanted to run from the room, but I was rooted to the floor. “So you want to see if I basically self-destruct like…” Like Carissa, but I couldn’t say her name out loud. When he neither confirmed nor denied it, I took a step back. A whole new horror rose to the surface. “What happens if I do? I mean, I know what happens to me, but what about…?”
“The one who mutated you?” he asked, and I nodded. “You can say it, Miss Swartz. We know it was Daemon Black. There is no need to try to protect him.”
I still wouldn’t say his name. “What happens?”
“We know that the Luxen and the human he mutates are joined on a biological level if the mutation holds. It’s not something we understand completely.” He paused, clearing his throat. “But for those who turn unstable, the connection is voided out.”
“Voided out?”
He nodded. “The biological link between the two is broken. Possibly due to the fact that, in those cases, the mutation wasn’t as strong as suspected. We really just don’t know everything yet.”
A shudder of relief rolled through me. It wasn’t like I didn’t have a sense of self-preservation, but at least I knew if I blew up, Daemon would still be alive. But I stalled, not wanting to go into that room. “Is that the only thing that breaks the link?”
The sergeant didn’t respond.
My eyes narrowed. “Don’t you think I have a right to know?”
“All in good time,” he replied. “Now is just not the time.”
“I think it’s a damn good time.”
His eyebrows shot up in surprise, further angering me.
“What?” I said, throwing up my hands. Archer stepped closer to me, but I ignored him. “I think I have a right to know everything.”
His surprise faded, replaced with a cool expression. “This is not the time.”
I held my ground, hands curling into fists. “I don’t see there being any better time.”
“Katy…” Archer’s soft warning was ignored, and he moved closer, his chest almost against my back.
“No. I want to know what else can break the link. Obviously something can. I also want to know how long you really think you can keep me here.” Once the lid came off my mouth, there was no shutting it. “What about school? You want an uneducated hybrid running amuck? What about my mom? My friends? What about my life? My blog?” Okay, my blog was seriously the least of my worries, but dammit, it was important to me. “You’ve stolen my life and think that I should just stand here and take it? That I shouldn’t demand answers? You know what? You can kiss my ass.”
Whatever warmth had been in Sergeant Dasher’s expression seeped away. He stared back at me, and in that moment, I realized I probably should’ve kept my mouth shut. I had needed to say those words, but the hard look he gave me was frightening.
“I don’t tolerate foul language. And I don’t tolerate smart-mouthed little girls who don’t understand what is going on. We have tried to make this as comfortable as we can for you, but we all have limits, Miss Swartz. You will not question me or any of my staff. We will let you know things when we feel it’s the appropriate time and not before. Do you understand?”
I could feel every breath Archer took, and it seemed like he stopped, waiting for me. “Yes,” I spat. “I understand.”
Archer took a breath.
“Good,” the sergeant said. “Since that’s now settled, let’s move on.”
One of the men at the monitors pressed a button and a small door opened to the training room. Archer didn’t let me go until I was inside the room. Then he did.
I spun around as he backed toward the door, my eyes going wide. I started to ask him not to leave me, but he looked away quickly. And then he was gone, closing the door behind him.
Heart pounding, I darted my eyes around the room. It was about twenty feet by twenty, with a cement floor and another door on the opposite side, and the walls weren’t padded. Nope. I wouldn’t get that lucky. The walls were white with scuffs of red. Was that…dried blood?
Oh God.
But that fear trickled away as awareness kicked in. The rush of power was tiny at first, a rush that felt like tips of fingers were trailing down my arms, but it grew quickly, spreading to my core.