Page 114 of Stand: Part One

Sid’s chin snapped up at my words, a deep frown in his brow as he processed my revelation. I couldn’t imagine all the medical and professional opinions he was forming in his head, but I was willing to bet it would be fascinating to comb through.

After a few moments, he shook his head and slid his eyes back to mine.

“And how did he react after you said those words?”

My body involuntarily shuddered at the memory of the most sickening smile I’d ever seen split Darren’s face in two. He’d come so hard after I said those words, the animalistic roars from his throat bouncing off the walls and ravaging my ears.

I’d never seen him come apart like that—to unravel so viciously from his triumph over me. And it terrified the absolute shit out of me.

“Like a seasoned cocaine addict experiencing his first taste of meth.”

Sid sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, quietly cursing under his breath.

“I get what he’s trying to do,” I added. “He thinks if I say it enough times, eventually I’ll start to believe it.”

Sid nodded. “It’s a fair theory.”

His choice of words didn’t go unnoticed. Theory. And that was all it was, just a theory. It didn’t mean it would come true. Saying those words felt like I was swallowing battery acid, but I knew eventually my tongue would adapt to their taste whether I wanted it to or not.

My only hope was that my emotional response would never grow any further than passive indifference to those words rather than the hopeless desire I knew Darren was gunning for.

“Yeah,” I murmured, looking back down at the medical tray. “And it’s going to remain a theory.”

Sid followed my vision, frowning slightly at the tray like it had offended him. I watched as his hands turned into fists at his sides, his knuckles turning white as he clenched them. He actually looked…angry.

Shit.

“They’re just words, Sid. They can’t have that much power,” I offered, hoping to resolve some of his clear discomfort.

He tilted his head to gaze over at me, his brow softening as he looked at me with obvious pity and concern. And I fucking hated him for it.

“Sid. Don’t,” I warned. I didn’t need his fucking pity. In fact, I didn’t even know why I said anything at all. Maybe I just wanted to know what he thought about it, and now I had the answer I never should have asked for.

“Jaden, I—” Sid abruptly turned away as another one of his aggressive coughing fits interrupted his words, his elbow covering his mouth as he stumbled halfway across the room.

“Jesus, Sid, are you okay?” I asked, my feet ready to hit the floor to help him.

He nodded but continued to cough a few more times before he finally caught his breath with an odd wheeze and straightened.

“I’m fine, Jaden,” he muttered with strain. “I think I just accidentally inhaled my own saliva. I do it all the time.”

I frowned at him. I had done that before too on many occasions, but I don’t think I ended up coughing that bad or for that long.

When Sid was finally settled, he cleared his throat and took a deep breath before his eyes eventually centered back on the medical tray. With a sigh, he moved toward the sink and thoroughly washed his hands before drying them.

“Sorry about that.” He cleared his throat again. “I want you to consider something, Jaden, and I hope for your sake, you’ll figure out how to properly wield it.”

I frowned as I watched him toss the paper towel in the trash and fit himself with a pair of latex gloves.

“Wield what?”

“The power Darren keeps giving you.”

I cocked a brow. Power? After what I’d just endured, I wasn’t feeling very powerful. More like the exact opposite. Like my battery had been drained in a single night. It would replenish eventually, but right now, I didn’t feel like fighting for an immediate charge.

When Sid noticed my frown deepen, he took another step forward.

“Darren clearly wants something from you, something he hasn’t obtained yet, and it’s something only you can give him. And now, it seems he’s gotten to the point where he’s willing to settle for something artificial if he thinks it’ll ultimately lead to the real thing. Do you know what that sounds like to me?”