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"Can’t deny it But if you’d bothered to check nified sniff despite her bindings, "you would have found out that I think slavers are pretty much the scum of the earth"

Hector didn’t mean to, but he squeezed her neck in a bid to quiet her

Phillips laughed, the sound as chic as the et this interrogation started" When he extended his are "This is adrenaline"--a dra other things You see, I did a little research on you, Miss Tre facts about your father and as done to you What?" he said when she balked "You thought that was a secret? Sorry to disappoint you, but acquiring information is a hobby ofyour surgery quite interesting"

Hector gulped, struggled in his chair, but all he ed to do was shake Noelle around, and he stilled Sweat beaded on his forehead He could guess where this was headed

"Here’s what is going to happen," Phillips said "I’ll ask a question One of you will answer When you don’t, I will inject Agent Dean straight in the heart And just so you kno serious I aet his first injection now"

"Don’t you dare," Noelle growled in her first true surge of ee and fear Hector knew intimately

"Oh, I’ll dare"

Hector tried to scoot out of the way, and Noelle tried to shove him out of the way, but even with their joint efforts, Phillips reached between them and slammed the needle deep in his chest without any problems

Instantly, Hector’s blood heated and his heartbeat quickened Tingles erupted in his shoulders and flowed down his arh his pores, causing his fresh tattoos to crackle All over, sweat began to pour fro him closely

Noelle didn’t seem to notice But then, her pain receptors were fried, so she wouldn’t know if she were nearing decapitation

Fear and more of the horror blended inside hinifying both until he could barely breathe Shit, shit, shit! Concentrate Protect Noelle Must protect Noelle

Dallas had said it was all about restraint Mind overmatter

"You were about to tellkept," Phillips stated cal down at Hector His skin itched, heated another degree He closed his eyes Caluess, that’s all" Keep the focus on himself, away frorinned, held out his hand "Very well"

"Anonymous source," Noelle rushed out "And no, we don’t knoho it is"

Truth mixed with a lie Smart Hoould Dare react? Hector looked the white-haired Arcadian over first, not wanting to be obvious, then Dare Still glaring, no hint of fear All the while, sweat continued to pour off Hector, his heart a maddened fist in his chest

"Sorry, but you’ll have to do better than that" Phillips curled his fingers around a new syringe but didn’t use it Yet "AIR is a well-oiled machine Inquiries would have been made Calls and emails would have been traced Anony"

Silence He and Noelle stared at each other, worried, unsure So far, Hector had things under control But--

"All right You only have yourself to blame for this," Phillips said A second needle jabbed into Hector’s heart

The flood of heat was instant, the organ haainst his ribs so hard the beat soon became warped His horror intensified His fear intensified The itching and burning in his arlow in his shoulders and forear with every second that passed

No No! Air hissed through his teeth Couldn’t burn Noelle Must reentle "Look at me I’m fine I’m fine"

He couldn’t hurt her He couldn’t He would rather die Mind over hten … brighten

"I’m fine," she insisted

"And I want a name," Phillips said smoothly

Both voices were a blur of noise inside Hector’s head Mind over matter He chanted the phrase over and over He would not hurt Noelle She was his love, his life HE WOULD NOT HURT HER

Every muscle he possessed bunched and strained He would not hurt her He would not fucking hurt her More sweat poured from him, little rivers all over his body Okay, okay So he couldn’t control his emotions or his body’s reactions But maybe he could move them He attempted to channel all the heat into his chest, away fro it there like a vacuu in his arms just … stopped The heat evenand the heating erupted there

Noelle blinked in astonishination She felt the ease fro on the heat, letting it pool around his heart, burning and crackling there I can do this, he realized And if he could redirect the burn …

Phillips said so else When there was no reply, he held out his hand for another syringe Frowning, saying soe home

Hector released an animalistic roar--and channeled the heat into the needle, into the hand holding it Shoving, shoving desperately, pushing every e inside