Chapter 20 · Heart Switch

"Stop fighting it, Tess. Just go to sleep," Silas’s voice drifted through the speakers, sounding bored, like he was reading a grocery list instead of watching me die.

I couldn't even scream. My throat felt like it had been lined with wet concrete. I was strapped to a slanted metal table, arms locked down by magnetic cuffs that bit into my wrists every time I flinched. The inhibitor drug was pumping into my veins through a thick needle in my forearm, and it felt like liquid ice, freezing my blood, shutting down my brain, and killing every spark of gravity power I had left.

"You... fucker..." I managed to wheeze. It wasn't a word, just a wet rattle in my chest.

Silas stepped into my line of sight. He looked too clean. His suit was crisp, not a single wrinkle, while I was covered in grime and sweat. He leaned over me, his shadow swallowing me whole. He didn't look angry; he looked disappointed.

"You had such potential, Tess. A gravity-wielder with a grudge? You were the perfect brand," he said, tapping a tablet in his hand. "But you got soft.