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could do with it?
    She frowned. “You think…you think I can touch someone and tell them to do something and they’ll do it? Just like that? Even against their will?”
    “Yeah.”
    She knew what Seth could do. Sort of. She looked at Micah. “What about you? Do you have…powers? What can you do?”
    The corner of his mouth lifted in a half smile. “You’ll see. That’s going to be the fun part.”
    Fun part? There was a fun part in all of this? He’d lost his mind right along with her.
    Seth looked to the sky. “Look, we don’t have the time right now and I wish there was another way, but we need to do this. Now. ” He raked Devon with an intense glance. “And you need to be able to permit it. No matter how much it hurts.”
    She bit her lip and nodded.
    Micah resumed his position across her legs. She gasped when Seth sat next to her, grasped her wrists and pinned them down on each side of her head. He leaned across her chest, effectively anchoring her to the ground and blocking her view of Micah.
    She bit her lip. Hard. Now she had two large men touching her, holding her down. She was completely helpless. At their mercy. She wouldn’t be moving unless they wanted her to. Or…unless she told them to? She was still struggling with that one. And they were going to cut into her. The slice on the back of her neck began throbbing in earnest.
    “Med school, you said?” Seth asked. He was looking right at her, even though he addressed the question to Micah.
    “Yeah,” the other man answered. “Relax, okay?”
    Seth’s features were drawn in harsh lines, his dark eyes bore down into hers. His short dark hair fell forward, making him appear vulnerable. But it was just that, an illusion. He was determined and focused. Relentless.
    “Okay, this is not the most sanitary of—”
    “Christ, Micah, if we don’t hurry and get out of here germs will be the least of our problem.”
    “I’m sorry, Devon.”
    She tensed at Micah’s low words. She curled her fingers into Seth’s hands, around his wrists. He was so warm, so strong. She let out a shuddering breath, and then drew in a sharp gasp at the searing pain she felt all the way to her feet. It was a sharp—deep, savage tearing. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, felt the moisture leak out the sides and concentrated on the heavy warmth against her, but nothing had ever hurt so much before in her life. And she was going to be sick at any minute. Why couldn’t she pass out?
    Oh God, she couldn’t do this.
    “Breathe, Devon.”
    The words had sounded like they’d been forced from him, harsh, guttural. Her name in his deep voice snapped her eyes open. His had gone almost black, his jaw was clenched, a muscle ticked in his temple. If she didn’t know better she’d swear there was moisture in his eyes. Tears? From him? For her?
    “Breathe,” Seth rasped again.
    She groaned as she exhaled, tried to relax muscles drawn taut and failed.
    “This one’s different,” Micah said. “I think…it’s powered electromagnetically by her muscles. They’ll know the instant I take it out.”
    “Doesn’t much matter,” Seth ground out, his gaze fixed on hers. “They already know exactly where we are. Do it. And fucking hurry. ”
    She flinched, went rigid. She tried, as hard as she could, but she couldn’t hold it in. She screamed and then sagged into the hard ground when Micah said, “Got it.”
    She was shaking deep wracking jolts throughout her entire body, and she couldn’t stop, couldn’t move, not even when Seth let her go to look at the small device Micah held out.
    “I really never had a chance, did I?” she asked. Her own voice was thin, barely audible.
    Seth’s expression said it all. She’d really been a prisoner, as she’d feared, like she’d always known deep down. And she still didn’t know exactly why. Just like everything in her life—even the slightest hope that she’d finally be free—had been nothing but an illusion.
    She watched as