Page 154 of Rite of Unity

The door behind him banged open, and my eyes flew wide as he straightened, backing up several steps.

A man in brown stalked in, missing the guard’s jerky movements—or ignoring them.He moved efficiently to a tray in the corner.I hadn’t seen it, too focused on the chair beneath the low yellow spotlight at the center of the room.

He wheeled it to my side and finally looked up at the guard.“You can go.”

The guard narrowed his eyes at the nurse, but thought better of whatever he’d considered saying and turned to stand outside the door.

“Asshole.”The nurse grumbled under his breath.

Warmth leeched into my frozen limbs.I hadn’t had room for anything but terror, but a tiny trickle of hope crept in.Perhaps this would be a fair hearing after all.

The man in brown lifted a vial, flicking the end.Inside a glass cylinder was a dark purple liquid, and at its end, a large needle.He flicked it again, and a drop of liquid beaded at the tip.

“I’m happy to answer any questions,” I breathed.

He ignored me, never looking my way as he moved to stand behind me.

Rough fingers gripped my head, turning it sideways, and a sharp sting bit into my neck.I gasped as fire raced down my shoulder and arm.Screaming, burning, agony chased it straight to my heart.It banged painfully against my ribs, and my right arm seized, jerking in the restraints.My eyes rolled back in my head as my whole body shook, my back bowing off the chair.

My head was thrust to the other side, and the process began again.

I was a shaking, sweating mess by the time the worst of the pain had subsided, and my eyes slid closed as I slumped back against the bitingly cold metal.

Visions swam in and out of focus, and voices came in blurry, unrecognizable waves.

Bright light pierced my retina as my eyelid was peeled up.

“Can you… me?”

I tried to lift my head.

“Too much.”

“What?”I croaked.

But the men weren’t talking to me anymore.

I struggled, finally managing to open my eyes.

“Hello?”A man in a long coat turned to face me.“Ah!There she is.”

I blinked furiously, trying to clear the crust from my eyes.

“Can you answer a few questions for me, Miss Veil?”

I tried to nod, but my head felt like it had been swapped for a boulder.

“Good.”He clapped his hands together, making me jerk in my restraints.The men behind him crowded closer, all of them standing over me.

“The night you went on your date with Mr.Hale.”

I swallowed thickly.

“Can you tell us why you left his company and your chaperone?”

My hazy mind turned over the question.It wanted to answer, to be helpful, but it wasn’t sure if they were asking about my run through the middle streets or later that night.

“I…”