stopping any questions before they could be asked. “Because I want to rule the world. I want to walk into any room on the face of the planet and be the most powerful man there. Everyone wants power, everyone. Anyone that says they don’t is either resigned to the fact they’ll never have it or lying to themselves. I’m just willing to do whatever is necessary to get it.”
“Why me?” It was the one thing I couldn’t work out. “There are other Vivids. You could use any one of them to achieve the same thing.” There had been so many people sending me messages; surely some of them had tried to go public with their own ability to glow, despite the unrest and the fear. Davis was surely aware of each and every one.
The look that twisted his features then was so grotesque and full of rage that I wondered how far gone his mind was.
“Because you dare to defy me!” Spittle flew from his mouth as he roared, his hands clenched into fists. Some of the people around him shifted uncomfortably. Zara’s mom took a tiny step away.
“Pay attention, Evelyn.” His breathing quickened as he visibly tried to calm himself. “You’re supposed to be a smart girl. You get that from me, you know. I just told you what my ultimate goal was. I intend to be the most powerful man alive, but what’s the point if I don’t have you? I can’t very well say I am if you continue to defy me. You get that from your mother.” He wagged his finger at me, eyebrows raised, as if he were telling me off for kicking a ball inside the house.
“Don’t you see? It all started with her. Joyce made me what I am—made it possible for me to do what I do. She gave me the greatest gift, my ability. Then the bitch ran off on me!”
“Because you threatened her. Threatened me!” For the first time, I let him get to me, my own anger rising. He smirked, just a tiny twist of his mouth. Josh’s hand landed on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze that was both comforting and restraining.
“I simply explained to her what needed to happen next. She could’ve been by my side, my queen, as I built my empire. You could’ve been my princess. But that bitch chose to run. So this is how it has to be. She started it, and you’re going to end it. Kind of poetic, don’t you think?”
“You delayed finishing your masterpiece of machinery for poetry?” I scoffed.
He didn’t like being mocked; his hands curled into fists. “You are the fruit of my loins. How could I move forward without your submission? I mean to have supreme power over all things, Evelyn! Including you! It has to be you!”
When he was done with his little tantrum, we all fell into silence for a few moments. Davis’s entourage shuffled farther away from him; even his armed guards threw cautious looks over their shoulders. With them all spread out a bit more, I noticed another familiar face.
“Karen?” My eyes widened, and I slapped my palms on the table and pushed myself up. The woman who was in charge of my training and testing at Melior Group, the one who was as excited as me about the science side of Variants, the one who’d been kind to me—she was right there, standing at Davis’s side. Was she there against her will? Had he kidnapped her in an attempt to get to me? Maybe he was blackmailing her?
Karen smiled at me, her lips a thin line, but it was Davis who answered my unspoken questions. “I assure you, Karen is here of her own free will. We’ve been working together for a long time. You see, we have the same goals when it comes to empowering the Variant community. She’s been quite the useful resource.”
He smiled at her, and she beamed, wide-eyed, as if she were a puppy and he was dangling a piece of chicken in front of her.
I couldn’t believe it. I’d been half-convinced Victor Flint was the mole in Melior Group, but Karen had the highest level of clearance too. She could just as easily have gained access to all the information that was leaked.
I’d been fooled again. Was I so desperate for friendship, human connection of any kind, that I blindly trusted anyone who showed me any kindness?
“What do you want, Damari? How exactly do you think this