Page 325 of The Curse Trilogy

I start to fling him across the room, but my powers aren’t working. Nothing is working. I’m exposed, shaking, and completely unable to even move a pen with my mind. My body is drenched in a fever as everything evades me, even my invincibility.

“Who are you?” Greta demands.

“I’m the man who is about to exterminate your filthy breed now that I have completed my little experiment.” His eyes turn back to me, their vile glow burning brighter. “What’s wrong, Araya? Gifts on the glitch?”

“What’s wrong with my gifts?” I growl while moving to be in front of Greta.

“It’s sweet how forgiving you are, Araya. Just yesterday you might have enjoyed watching this bitch die, and now here you are guarding her. But to your point about what I’ve done to your gifts, well that’s all attributed to her,” he says while opening the door to reveal Symphony - hooded, eyes blazing a different blue, and completely dilated pupils.

“That’s not her gift,” I almost whisper as she joins us in the room.

“It wasn’t. You see, through my many experiments, I learned something very crucial to changing our lives going forward. The gifted don’t have some sort of special powers burning inside their bodies idly. As a scientist - a brilliant scientist - I discovered hybrids have a completely different section of their brain. If you unlock certain portions, you control your body in different ways. You can even control your savage, which as you’re well aware, is when you’re at your strongest. Symphony’s brain had the capacity to be fully unlocked, it just took some time. Also, I’m her counter.”

“That’s impossible. You’re ungifted,” I scoff.

His eyes narrow as his fury shines through with Hell’s promise of burning flames awaiting me for my snarky remark. His lips tighten as he takes in a breath, and then his eerily calm tone chills the air around us when he continues.

“I’ve always hated that classification… ungifted. They might as well have called us unworthy, unnecessary, unlovable, unfit to be cared about… the list goes on and on. A hybrid without a gift is crucified from the time they’re born until their span ends, but a gifted hybrid forgets what has been done to us by their kind.”

Suddenly Greta flies against the book case as Symphony uses her mind to send her sailing. She thuds to the ground unconscious, her body distorted. I can tell there are several broken bones, and I’m praying Brazen doesn’t arrive. My text pleaded for him to hurry, and now I’m terrified about what Ty will do if he shows up to be my hero.

“She wasn’t my counter, but she is now. I am the one she wants. Not Clay,” he growls.

Clay? Oh fuck. Clay is her counter. Why isn’t she going for him though?

“How did you manage to do that?” I say while easing to the window.

“Don’t even think about it. If you jump, I’ll just have her whirl you back in here.”

I take a deep breath while moving back across the room.

“What do you want from me? If you’ve completed your experiment, then it’s obvious you’re not here for my blood. Why are you here?”

“Because I want you,” he growls, and he cracks his neck to the side before his pupils dilate too. “I can have two counters, and I’ve always wanted you.”

Holy fucking shit. No. No. No.

He pulls a gun free, and I feel the sting before I hear the tranquilizer being shot. This shouldn’t be affecting me. Dark patterns emerge from nowhere as they toy with my groggy mind. There’s no sedative strong enough to subdue a gifted hybrid, so why… do… I… feel… so… sleepy?