Page 10 of Destinies of Diamond
Drones rushed around us, checking my victims over. Bell hummed thoughtfully at the results he was receiving. “Not very. Just a tachyon manipulation drain. The effects should wear off in a couple of hours, at most.”
“Wonderful,” Commander Trevor said. “Take everyone to the infirmary and make sure there are no complications.” He turned toward us once again. “Are the five of you injured?”
“No, Sir,” Brendan replied steadily.
“Then clean up, get dressed, and report to my quarters. I want to speak to all of you privately about this incident.”
With that, Commander Trevor turned on his heel and stalked out of the shower room. Professor Strange glared at us one last time and followed him out. The drones levitated the other students off the floor and into the locker room. Finally, Dr. Bell left as well, without saying a word to us.
Now that we were alone, I allowed myself to break down a little. I buried my face in my hands, shaking, trying to figure out what was going on. “What am I doing? How could I lose control so badly?”
Knox wrapped his strong arms around me and pulled me close. Even if we were both still naked, the touch no longer held anything sexual. “You’re not superhuman, Selene. Everybody makes mistakes. And this doesn’t even count, really.”
“How can you say that? I knocked out over a dozen people because I couldn’t use my power properly!”
“Yes, but it’s understandable,” Pollux replied gently. “You’ve been through a very stressful experience. It’s normal to have some side-effects.”
The trip to Eos had been more stressful than he realized. Leaving aside my weird new relationship with Jared, I’d been cut off from my power for over a month. Now that I’d actually sat down to take note of it, it occurred to me that it had been stupid to think that would end well. Between my absence and my pregnancy, it was a minor miracle I hadn’t done permanent damage to anyone.
“You’re right,” I whispered. “It’s normal. But I’m not convinced there won’t be other incidents in the future.”
“Put in a request to go see your mother,” Brendan suggested. “I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to have you on Terra, and she’ll help you realign your core a little more. But whatever you do, don’t mention it to anyone else at the academy. It’s much too dangerous.”
Remembering Sphinx’s earlier words, I nodded. I didn’t think Commander Trevor had anything against me, but I couldn’t take the chance—neither with him nor with anyone else. I’d keep my pregnancy a secret and discuss it solely with my mother.
I could only hope it would be enough.
****
Wesley
“There’s no way Prince Brendan was the one who drained all these students like this.” Titus leaned against the dean’s desk, vibrating with barely restrained fury. “He’s always been much too in control of his power. It’s the girl, that Terran bitch. It has to be.”
“Please control your language,” Prince Archibald drawled. “And be careful what you state. You are aware that you’re accusing my nephew—a member of the Chimera royal house—of being a liar?”
Titus recoiled in shock. “I apologize, Your Highness. I didn’t mean for it to sound offensive. I’m sure Prince Brendan has the best intentions in the world. But that’s just it. He’s noble enough to want to protect her and take the blame for the incident himself.”
“Maybe, but we have no proof,” Archibald said. “Believe it or not, Brendan had quite a temper when he was younger. He’s more than what he seems. And the relationship between the Grand Chimera Unit and the Harpy Squad has always been volatile. If the Harpy tamers made an unpleasant or insulting comment, it’s entirely possible that he might have lashed out.”
Titus frowned, but no longer seemed as convinced of his previous arguments. “I see. Perhaps I was mistaken and I jumped to conclusions. Again, you have my humblest apologies.”
“It’s quite all right, Professor Strange. I always appreciate the insight of my staff members. Now, if there isn’t anything else, I’d like to talk to Commander Trevor for a few minutes.”
Titus bowed lowly. “Of course, Your Highness. Long live the dynasty.”
With a polite, military salute, Titus departed. As soon as he was gone, Prince Archibald got up from his desk and walked up to me. Flicking his fingers, he summoned a drone to pour us both some drinks.
As the drone gave me a glass of liquor that cost almost as much as my metallic hand, Prince Archibald continued the conversation. “What’s your take on this, Wesley? Was it the girl?”
I nodded. “I’m almost sure of it. She was visibly upset and her heartbeat accelerated even more when Prince Brendan made his so-called confession. The others were nervous too. They would have reacted very badly if we hadn’t accepted His Highness’s words as true.”
“That’s not very surprising. I suppose this was always going to happen. Selene Renard is very powerful and she’s had an accident before, in Professor Strange’s class. In any case, this works well for us. As you know, I’ve already made arrangements for you to be in charge of her new assignment. But now that she has a real, palpable problem, you can get to her a little easier.”
To buy myself a little time, I took a sip of my drink. Using my technological implants, I carefully tempered my response. This was not the first time he’d made the request, and I knew I had no choice but to obey. If I didn’t, things would end up even harder for Selene and the rest of the Grand Chimera Unit.
“I’ve ordered them to report to me in the officers’ quarters once they’re decent. I can speak to her then.”
“Excellent,” Prince Archibald said, absently swirling the smoky liquor in his glass. “I’m happy to see you’ve surpassed the misgivings you had with this plan.”
