Page 47 of Dark Prince's Captive

She swallows again.“And you do it all with your mind.”

“How else?”

She lets out an incredulous laugh.“Um… with heat, radiation, electrical energy, mechanical forces, chemical reactions?Utilizing actual laws of physics?”At my blank stare, she says, “Never mind.So how do the others’ powers work?Like Vitai’s?How did he heal me?”

“It’s the same principle,” I say.“We all manipulate matter to some extent.He’s good at recreating the bonds within and betweenasha.”

“Whereas you’re good at dissolving them,” she says, and the way she’s looking at me—the way everyone has looked at me all my life—leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

I can actually heal a bit too, though I’m nowhere near as good as Vitai, which is why I prefer to rely on potions and such.Not that it would matter to her.My own mate is afraid of me.Of my power.Like they all are.

And she doesn’t even know the extent of it.

Instead of sounding soothing as I intend, my declaration comes out angry.“I’d never harm you, Elsie.”

“Only other living beings?”

“It harmed you,” I bite out.

“It was just a sting.I’ll admit that stung a hell of a lot more than a wasp, but it wasn’t necessary to melt the worm into a puddle.It wasn’t his fault.It was mine for stepping on it.”

“It hurt you,” I say a tad louder, a tad more angrily, because it’s my duty to protect her.

A wry laugh tumbles from her mouth.“That was nothing compared to what I’m used to.Believe me, I’ve been through much worse.You just destroyed a poor, innocent worm for the misfortune of having crossed my path.”

My mind is hooked on the first part, on her declaration of having been in pain before, “much worse” pain.

“Worse such as?”I ask with deceptive indifference.

Maybe if I pretend not to care, she won’t be scared to tell me, and then I can hunt down the people who hurt her and give them a slow, torturous death.

“It’s…” She frowns.“Itwasnothing.”

My senses go on high alert.She’s hiding something from me, something serious.I feel it.I know it.

“Tell me,” I coax in an amiable tone, suppressing the violence that churns in my stomach before she catches a hint of my vicious intentions in my voice.

A speculative look comes over her features.“If I tell you, will you tell me why someone tried to kill me last night?”

I was going to tell her anyway—after I fed her—because it’s vital that she understands the dangers of our life.However, it’s not beneath me to let her think otherwise if it serves my purpose.

“Deal.”Let her think she’s won this round.“But you’d better tell me everything.”

Her laugh is uncomfortable.“Everythingmay take a while.”

My gut tightens with a nasty foreboding.“I’ve got time.”

“Let’s just say there’s no life-threatening condition I haven’t had.I was dying from the day I was born.”

The words hammer in my skull.

Life-threatening.

Dying.

I clench my teeth to suppress the rage that rolls through me like a freak wave on a full moon tide.“What did you say?”

She shrugs, making light of it.“Autoimmune diseases, cancer, you name it.”She bites her lip before continuing.“In fact, I should be dying as we speak.Only, I feel great.”

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