Power(84)

“That’s so yesterday,” I shot back, sounding like the teenager I still was. “But I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”

“Fine, yesterday, uh huh,” she said, taking pains to cover her annoyance. I could see it anyway, just creeping out at the corners of her eyes. “Let me tell you what’s today—I don’t need you alive for very long.”

“Then kill me,” I said.

“Not yet.” There was a gleam of triumph in the eyes as she said it. “And before you get any ideas about escaping using those Wolfe-powers of yours, be aware that we outnumber you so badly that you’ll have your brains dashed out quicker than you can summon the will to stitch your skull back together. And believe me, plenty of us here would be glad to do that.”

“So I’m bait?” I asked. I glanced around the room, took the temperature. They were angry. “For what?”

She laughed like I was an idiot. “Sovereign, of course. We just have to wait for him to come save you.”

I blinked. “You want to lure him here? Why?” My head swiveled, looking for some explanation in the crowd’s faces. There wasn’t one, but I caught some self-satisfaction breaking through the fury. “There are easier ways to commit suicide.”

“Let’s just say we’re ready for him,” Claire said with a certain amount of satisfaction.

“He’s otherwise occupied right now,” I said, and tested my bonds. That only took a second, and I was satisfied that strength alone was not going to get me out of this.

“Because he surrendered and you have him bound up in chains?” Claire rolled her eyes. “Please. If he’s not already roaring his way here, he’ll be along as soon as your crew of merry morons informs your headquarters that your plan went sour. He can’t possibly resist the opportunity to ingratiate himself to you by saving you when you’re in distress.”

I felt my skin crawl at that one, and I’m pretty sure I made a face. “Ugh.”

Claire smiled at me. “What’s the matter? Still resisting your inevitable fate? You could do worse.”

“Yeah, like Weissman,” I said, playing a hunch. Her face went dark immediately, fury descending on her as though a curtain were closed over her expression. “Ooh, looks like I hit a soft spot. And this time I don’t even have a broken leg to play with—”

She took two steps forward and smacked me one right across the face. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt, but I’d been hit worse. I smiled a bloody smile at her and she hit me again, a little harder this time. I stopped the smile because I was just pissed now, and I gave her the full venom of my eyes as I rolled my head back around.

“You can look at me like that all you want,” she said, voice low. “You look because you’re impotent to act.”

“I’m not technically capable of impotence,” I said.

“You talk the best game,” she said, smarmy and vicious at the same time, “but you are constantly in over your head. You pick fights you can’t win, and when luck comes to your rescue, you add a notch to your belt and think you’re the best.” She snorted. “You’re nothing, little girl. Your luck is gone. And your boyfriend—when he comes to rescue you, which should be soon—he’s gonna die.”

“You call Sovereign my boyfriend again, I’ll kill you.” I let that loose with all my anger. All of it. People in the front row took a step back and everything. I’ve got a good resting bitch face, that’s no secret. But when I put my game face on, even people who have never met me before apparently take notice.

“You’re going to kill me?” Claire said, and shook her head, letting out a little laugh that let her show just how pitiful she thought I was. “Sweetie, you are tied up to the point you can’t move. Your friends just ran—just left you behind, and you’re surrounded by the most powerful people in the world.” She leaned down, just a little, to look me in the eye. “So … why don’t you tell me, short of Sovereign coming and trying to save you, little princess—how you’re gonna … kill me?” She let that little snorting laugh again. “Poor little girl, all alone.” She turned her back on me.

“Hey, Claire,” I said, and I could hear my voice change. A thrum of nervousness ran through the crowd. “A girl like me doesn’t wait for some boy to come save her. And for the record—I was gonna kill you even if you didn’t call Sovereign my boyfriend again. Harper?”

Claire turned slowly to me. “Who the hell is Harper?”