Page 5 of Sin

“Mind your own fucking business,” I snarled, earning me a punch to my side with Mike’s free hand.

But I couldn’t help the ache Mike’s words started within me. Because on some level, he was right. London hadn’t come to visit me in almost six months.

I told myself it was because he was busy working with the Legion, but it was a lie. I knew why he’d stopped.

The man hadn’t spoken to me since our fight at our friend Bennett’s wedding this past March.

“He’s really quite something,” Mike said, his voice filled with a grin. “So pretty. I like pretty things.” The hand which had punched me now caressed my exposed cheek, and I grimaced. Seeing my expression, he gripped my chin, painfully forcing my head to face him even more.

My anger roiled at feeling so defenseless. Was this the justice I’d brought upon myself? Was this what I would have to bear from now on to atone?

As if sensing my defiance, Mike dug his fingers into my skin, hard enough to draw blood.

“What would that boy of yours think of you,” Mike continued with a sneer, his voice lower even while his buddies’ laughter intensified, “if he knew what sort of things you’ve done for me? The way you scream so prettily when I—”

All sound seemed to cease, as if the room was blanketed in white noise.

My blood thrummed wildly.

My wrists burned.

Behind my lids, all I could was Mike’s cruel face. Then it morphed to London looking at me with so much disdain that I couldn’t breathe. If it was a memory or something my mind had conjured itself, I couldn’t tell. Reality and fantasy merged in these cells. And as London’s face morphed and twisted back into Mike’s taunting one, I finally snapped.

“Shut up! Shut up! Just shut your fucking mouth!”

I still couldn’t hear, couldn’t even think over the sound of my blood pounding in my ears. My head screamed, my skin burned, and wetness dripped from my nostrils. Blood. My nose was bleeding. But despite the mayhem going on within me, I knew I’d pay for mouthing off this much at Mike. He was going to fucking kill me now, I knew it.

My body tensed as I waited for the strike of his fist to meet my face in punishment.

Only, it didn’t.

I didn’t have time to brace myself as Mike dropped me like I was on fire, and my eyes jerked open in surprise as my body hit the floor. Hard.

Mike just stood there staring down at me in horror. His hand traveled to his face, prodding at his lips with shaking fingers. Shaking. Mike was shaking.

At first, I didn’t understand what was happening as Mike started frantically clawing at his lips, but… His mouth. His mouth didn’t open.

Slowly, as if in a trance, I glanced down at my wrists. Smoke rose where the cuffs circled my skin, clouding the air. The faint hiss of the cuffs stalling hit my ears, and the green light proving the cuffs were on shuttered before blinking out.

I sucked in a sharp breath as the full force of my power stormed through my system, speeding my blood and heating my skin.

Gaping, I brought my wrists closer for examination. Raw skin ringed each wrist, and only then did the pain hit me.

My breath caught, and as the heated metal cuffs continued to burn my already damaged skin, my eyes watered in undeniable pain.

In the back of my mind, I knew Mike and the others were shouting. Well, as much as they could with their mouths sealed closed. But I couldn’t focus on them as my brain short-circuited.

It was like I’d overloaded my body and it was just now catching on.

I thought I was screaming, but I couldn’t be sure at first.

My screams continued even when several guards burst into my cell. Everyone was yelling then as they took in the scene, and I wondered what they saw.

Four guards tearing at their sealed mouths in panic, the half-dressed prisoner screaming in agony on the floor, the smoking cuffs melting skin, the fallen glass bottle of oil now shattered on the ground…

It didn’t matter what they saw. One of the guards noted the absent green light on my cuffs and rushed over.

My screaming didn’t stop until, with one swift motion, his boot kicked the side of my head.

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