“Uh …” The confused reply drifted over. “I mean … she just walked in there? I only just started the timer—”
Sato closed the door, cutting off the man’s response. He drew her away from the door before releasing her and sucking in a sharp breath, his eyes drifting back to the front of her dress.
“Kalen,” he breathed. “That’s Kalen’s power.”
Isobel blanched. “What?”
“It’s a side effect. You’re borrowing power—fuck, you could get Theo’s, or Moses’， or mine, or—”
“I knew you had an illegal ability. What is it?” It was easier to cling to facts than to let the panic sink in.
She could go feral.
His attention snapped to her face, his expression darkening. “You want something from me, Isobel?” His hand landed on her neck suddenly, his thumb stroking up the column of her throat. “Give me something first.”
His touch reminded her of when he had gripped her neck while thrusting his tongue viciously into her mouth.
“And then you’ll tell me?” She couldn’t help swallowing.
He felt it. His lips twitched, his grip tightening slightly. “If it’s worth it.”
“I … don’t have any secrets.”
“Well at least you’re getting better at lying.” His grin curved a little further, his canines catching on his bottom lip like he was trying to bite it back. “Let’s start with what else happened with Niko.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You wanted to know what he said. That means there was more he could have said.”
She considered him, realising she was leaning into his hold … but Sato had already offered to surrogate for her, so at least he wouldn’t be insulted by her body’s reaction to him.
“I think I learned my lesson spilling secrets,” she finally said.
He was already shaking his head. “That’s not how it works. Secrets suffocate and die in Dorm A. Spilling them to outsiders is what will get you killed.”
“Fine.” She shrugged. “But only because you obviously know all about it. Whatever happened to you in the hotel, it happened to Niko in the bathroom when the chain dug into my skin.”
Sato grew very still, his voice lowering to a low, grating timbre. “Niko surged? What did he do?”
“Nothing really.” She looked down, busying herself by trying to brush off the line of dust along the front of her dress. “Just got really still … and licked, um … the chain.”
“Have you showered?” he asked, his tone suddenly neutral.
“No?” She pulled her head back a little, trying to read his expression.
“I don’t want his fucking saliva on your skin.” His casual tone broke, a growl riding his words. “I’ll tell you what my ability is if you let me erase it.”
“Why?” She was shivering, goosebumps popping up all over her skin at the feel of his influence pushing through her.
His oleander scent was smoking and burning, his emotion a slow crawl of poisonous mist, seeping possessive fury into her pores until she was wearing him like a cloak.
“Because either you let me erase him, or I go back to the stage and cut out his tongue on live television,” Sato whispered in his broken, husky voice, his eyes pools of soft darkness.
She swallowed, but it was painful, her throat threatening to close up in panic. “That’s not funny, Sato.”
“Isobel,” he breathed, leaning down until his face was an inch from hers. “I’m not joking.”
“You’re scaring me.” She tried to side-step him, but he followed, backing her into the workbench.
“You’re lying,” he returned quietly. “I know what you smell like when you’re scared of me. I even know what you taste like when you’re scared of me.”
She pushed against his chest, but instead of it shifting him, it shifted her, the world blurring around her again as her back suddenly hit the door.
Sato turned, still standing by the workbench, a slow, dangerous smirk lifting the corner of his lips. “You aren’t reversing time for me,” he said, wiping a hand over his mouth to erase the emotion on his face, leaving his expression carefully thoughtful. “Only everyone else.”
“Kalen is that powerful?” she squeaked, her heartbeat thundering. She was holding that power inside her? Why couldn’t she feel it? Other than the warm prickle against her chest where the gemstone had appeared, she couldn’t feel anything at all.
In fact … even the prickle seemed to have faded.
She pulled her neckline down again, realising that the yellow gemstone was no longer glinting and leering, the colour fading to a normal, dulled amber.
“Time’s up,” Sato suddenly said, appearing before her, his eyes on the gemstone. “No more rewinds. Turn around, Carter.”
She obeyed before she could really think it through, and by then, it was too late. The second she bared her back to him, he was working on the concealed zipper of her dress, tugging it all the way down to her waist. He spun her around again, the dress still in place, though it hung awkwardly off her shoulders now.
He seemed restless all of a sudden, his hands disappearing into his pockets, the material bunching as he formed tight fists and shifted his weight, teetering on some kind of action that he ultimately held himself back from, rocking back as his dark eyes swept over her.
“What is this?” she asked, curling her fists around the thin straps of the dress. “Why do you need to do this?”
“Cian told us you’re seeing dead people.” He sucked in a deep breath, his restless gaze finally settling on her face. “And I know you saw my dad. What did he tell you, hm? Did he tell you nice things? Good things?”
“He told me you would hurt me. He said that other Alphas try to hide their animal side, but he taught you to embrace yours.”
Sato’s expression tightened, and his shock pierced her chest before he managed to rein in the emotion.
“That’s right.” He brushed a finger down her clenched knuckles, almost teasing them into relaxing and releasing her grip on the straps. His influence was confusing, his oleander scent cloying, so sweet and seductive. She had to clear away the fog of it all and remind herself quite forcefully that Sato was dangerous.
“I’m not all there.” He tapped against the side of his own head. “I have impulses, and they’re difficult to control. You’re supposed to belong to me, and my impulse is to claim you in every way possible, even though I don’t want you. I refuse to share. I refuse to be told who to mate with, who to belong to. But the impulse …” He gripped her hands, guiding them away, and then he slipped his fingers beneath the straps of her dress and tugged them down over her arms. “You didn’t get lucky with me, Carter. I’m your curse now. You’re going to have to learn to live with me the same way I’m learning to live with you.”
“How exactly are you learning to live with me?” She sounded breathless as the top half of her dress fell away, catching at her waist. It revealed her thin, lacy bralette and the entire length of the gold chain embedded into her skin.