An Isle of Mirrors (A Shade of Vampire #88) - Bella Forrest Page 0,5
A little woozy, perhaps,” Soul said. “Listen, your vampire biology sustains the shard and the glamoring power, but if you overuse it—if you force yourself beyond your physical limits—stuff like this is bound to happen. You will never reach the peak of your ability this way. Take it easy.”
Thayen scoffed. “We don’t have time for me to take it easy.”
“Deep breaths, come on,” I told him. “You just need to take a moment and find a better approach, that’s all. You caught her for a short while, so we know there’s a possibility you can control her forged spirit, despite yesterday’s attempt. You’re capable of more than you can imagine, Thayen. But we can’t risk you hurting yourself in the process.”
I pulled out the chair across from the doppelganger, and he sat down, carefully measuring his breaths. He’d already accomplished something incredible in proving that the clones weren’t as immune to his glamoring as we’d thought—Isabelle’s clone had been impressively good at resisting him the first time around, but on his second try he’d managed to find cracks in her defenses. We’d all seen her break into a cold sweat.
“There is hope,” I whispered in his ear. “If you keep poking, she’ll eventually cave in. You just can’t damage yourself, because if you’re our only way of finding out what she and the other clones are up to, then we absolutely need you awake and healthy.”
Thayen smiled. “Roger that.”
“Feeling better?” Soul asked, then gestured to the clone. “She’s stable.”
“Screw you,” the doppelganger shot back. She gave Thayen a nasty look. “You’d better stay away from me, freak.”
I chuckled softly. “I think you hit a soft spot.”
“Oh, I most certainly did,” Thayen said. He wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with the back of his sleeve and repositioned himself in front of the table. Facing Isabelle’s clone, he placed his hands on the table. “Time for round three.”
“Just don’t overdo it,” Soul replied. “We’ll try as many times as needed until she breaks.”
“I am totally on board with that,” Thayen said and took another steadying breath.
Isabelle’s clone didn’t look too comfortable in her seat. He scared her. She probably hadn’t thought he’d have such an effect on her. This was as new to her as it was to us, which meant that her superiors—whoever they were—didn’t have a full grasp of what Thayen’s glamoring entailed. That shortcoming could work in our favor going forward, provided we got even a snippet of useful intel from this creature.
I understood Thayen’s time-related frustration. Isabelle was still missing, and we weren’t likely to find her anywhere in The Shade. The faster we broke the clone down into some kind of submission and cooperation, the better our odds of saving my cousin. Isabelle’s double was restless, but Soul pinned her down, his hand clamped on her shoulder. “Sit still,” he said. “Let loose, Thayen.”
“No,” the clone mumbled, her fear obvious. “Stay out of my head.” A smirk fluttered across Thayen’s lips.
“I think her defenses are weak,” I said.
That was all Thayen needed to try again. I could almost feel the electricity surging and charging the air around us. The hairs on the back of my neck tickled, and I felt the need to inhale deeply, as my head felt suddenly lighter than usual. I was closer to Thayen as he used his ability this time, and I seemed to be reacting to it. It was an interesting sensation, as if my fingers were mere inches away from lightning itself. If I touched it, I would be thrown back against the wall—or at least that was what it felt like.
I stayed completely still while Thayen opened himself up and pierced through the clone’s resistance. She grunted, dry swallowing as he dug deeper. She started shaking, but he didn’t let go. Soul had been right. Thayen was getting better with each use of his power, and it showed in the speed with which he was dismantling the clone’s defenses.
“Tell me, who sent you?” he asked, his voice as cold as a winter storm. It sent shivers down my spine, spreading over my skin like frost across the glass in the middle of a sudden blizzard. “Speak. I want the truth.”
“No…” she blurted, shaking. She was under tremendous pressure, her shoulders lowered and her fingers twitching. It was as if Thayen had dumped a truck on her back, and she was struggling to keep it from crushing her.