Page 238 of Shifting Hearts 1
She never answered.
“Stay away from Cass,” Sonia warned. “For some reason she hasn’t noticed you yet.”
“I need her to notice me. Otherwise, she won’t change me.”
Sonia’s growl was sharp. “You don’t want this. It isn’t a life, it’s a curse. It’s lonely.”
Morgan touched her arm, soft. “It won’t be lonely. I need immortality, Sonia.”
“Why?”
“You wouldn’t understand. It’s the only way.”
Sonia stormed out, but I could still feel Morgan’s fear. Her pulse thundered every time she saw their speed, their strength.
The missions dragged longer, harder. Sonia formed an alliance with Reeves to stave off the boredom. It wasn’t love, just survival. But she asked him to look after Morgan. Natasha, as she called herself.
And he did.
Still, Morgan couldn’t kill. She couldn’t even help with the killing. There was a brute of a boy and a cruel girl who clearly ruled this batch, the champions, always chosen to deal death. When they noticed how Sonia and Reeves seemed to favor Morgan, they hated it. They started running to Cassandra with whispers behind Reeve’s back.
Reeves managed to talk his way out each time, shielding Morgan without making her a target, but Cass was beginning to notice her. And then one night, she gave the order. Timothy and Luka were to ambush her.
They beat her so viciously I could do nothing but watch. The helplessness burned. I already despised this life, and it had only just begun.
Lena, the Den’s mother, was the one who found her, cleaned her up. I didn’t know her, meaning that she had died a long time before we found them.
The ones we saved that night, those forced into this brutal duty, they weren’t here anymore. Still, I wished I could thank her, for what she did for Morgan.
“This isn’t a life for you, child,” Lena whispered, stroking her hair. “You are so gentle. I’m with Sonia, you should leave.”
“You know I can’t,” Morgan whispered back. “It’s almost over. Just a few more months.”
Lena’s eyes filled with tears. “Not everyone gets changed, my child.”
Morgan frowned. “What?”
“Only the strongest. You can’t kill. You’re too gentle. Reeves and Sonia can only lie for you so long. Cass will see the truth. And those two, Timothy and Luka, are exactly what she wants. They’re already loyal. You need to leave.”
I saw the tears welling in Morgan’s eyes. She hadn’t even realized the truth until then.
“I shouldn’t have said that,” Lena whispered, voice trembling. “I could be punished for this.”
“I can’t leave,” Morgan said, choking back the tears. “She’ll hunt me down. She’ll kill me.”
“You won’t survive here either, unless you’re a Watcher.”
Morgan blinked. “What’s a Watcher?”
“A witch,” Lena said softly. “A rare one who doesn’t even know what they are. Cassandra would change them in a heartbeat, whether they wanted it or not. Do you have one of those hidden somewhere?”
“She has twenty-five,” I muttered bitterly. “They’re just not awake yet.”
Morgan only shook her head.
“Why did you come here, child?” she asked.
“I had no choice,” Morgan whispered. “I ran out of time. I need immortality.”
