Birthright

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

It seemed, at least to Kray, that the man entering their block brought death. And after almost an hour of panic and despair, Kray was no closer to accepting that fate than he'd been weeks ago, even when the likelihood of death had been less certain. Now, it filled his future, distorting everything else until he was suffocating on the certainty.

The sound of the metal door opening was the first thing he heard, followed by heavy footsteps that increased in volume as they approached him. He didn't have to lift his head to know they would stop upon reaching his cell. He sat on the icy floor in a corner of his room, still trembling; he couldn't stop the quaking.

A soft whoosh as the glass barrier went up. Steelboot grabbed his arm, and Kray tried to shrink away from his relentless grip. His small cell was no longer a space of confinement; it was his only sanctuary.

"Don't." He tried again to pull against the large man's strength. "Leave me alone!"

If Steelboot was surprised by Kray's uncharacteristic resistance, he didn't show it. He lifted him from the floor until he was balanced precariously on shaky feet.

Out of desperation, Kray leaned forward and put all of his strength into pushing the man away. Instead of blocking the attack, Steelboot shifted to the side, clasped him by the back of the neck, and used his own momentum to propel him toward the corridor. No matter how much he tried to lock his knees or twist his body out of the way, the man's ruthless strength overpowered him completely.

Despair washed in hot, suffocating waves over him. "Let me go. I don't want to go. I don't want to die."

Orkoy, Jude and the other boy watched silently. They were all pressed against the back wall of their small cells, their bodies frozen and their eyes filled with terror and relief. They were relieved that it was Kray being led away, relieved that they would live another hour, another day longer. Relieved because there was still hope for them. He couldn't blame them. A sick part of him had felt the same way when Carter had died.

Steelboot led him out of the block and dragged him toward the lab. Every step brought Kray closer to the door and sent fire streaking through his vessels. It took his fear-addled mind a moment to realize that his emotions had mingled with the Sen releasing into his system.

The growing power inside him, so attuned to his mental state, seemed to fluctuate erratically as his feelings grew more unstable. Worse, the more he burned, the harder it became to control his emotions, until he was certain he would explode if he didn't find an outlet.

So he did the only thing he could think to release those emotions. He opened his mouth wide and started screaming. The noise reverberated around the wide space of the hall, taking on a hollow, unearthly quality that vibrated in his eardrums. He shouted until his throat began to sting, until there was no breath left in his lungs.

Before he could inhale again, Steelboot's free hand whipped up to his mouth, pressing so tightly that no sound could escape. Kray bit down on the gloved hand and his teeth sliced through the tough leather, sinking into the flesh underneath.

A hiss escaped Steelboot's lips. The hand over Kray's mouth squeezed tightly, grinding viciously against his teeth to coax his mouth open. The pain startled him into slackening his jaws and Steelboot shifted his hand.

"If you bite me again," the man whispered roughly near his ear, "I will break your teeth."

Even more afraid, Kray stopped struggling.

The door before them burst open and Doctor Greene came rushing toward them. "What's wrong with him? Why is he shouting?"

"He says he's going to die."