Jennifer Armentrout: Cursed

I felt sick knowing he’d been peeping in on my immensely private thoughts.

“But it’s all okay now.”

“I don’t understand why you’re doing this.” I hated the way my voice broke, the way my whole body shook.

“You know, telepathy isn’t my primary gift. None of the mind tricks are. I picked up a few new talents at the Facility.” Catching my reaction, he smiled. “Oh, yes. The Facility did come in handy. You see, those who are gifted—like us—are able to obtain more gifts under the right cultivation. But my first gift?

Well, why don’t I just show you?”

Morbidly fascinated, I watched him tug one glove off his hand. Still smiling, he picked up one of the dead rats. Within seconds, it started squirming and squeaking. My mouth dropped open as my heart thudded painfully fast. “You—you can bring back the dead.”

“Just like your little sister.” He threw the rat into the wall, making a sickening crunch. It didn’t move.

I felt sick. “You and I have a lot in common.”

“No,” I whispered.

Calmly, he pulled his glove back on. “But we do. You see, I’m like your sister—”

“You are nothing like her!” I screamed.

“And you are just like my sister.” Slowly, the smile faded from his face. “All of this started over ten years ago. And it’s funny how small the world is.” He brushed a clump of damp hair off my forehead. I tried not to flinch, but I couldn’t stop the reaction. “I work—well, worked for the Facility. Not anymore.”

“Really?”

Theo’s hand snapped out and circled around my arm. “You can stop struggling. You’re not getting out of this.”

I bit down on my cheek. “Please let me go.”

Theo glanced down, frowning. “What a nasty cut on your leg. No wonder the rats are circling us.”

My stomach churned. I couldn’t afford to think about that. “Why are you doing this?” My voice rose to a hoarse whine. “Who made you do this? Cromwell? The Facility?”

He looked up, meeting my eyes for the first time. “Actually, your father.”

My heart skipped, missed a beat. “No.”

“Your father wasn’t a good man.”

I started pulling against the pipe, whipping my head from side to side. “No! You’re lying. No!”

“Now, stop. You’re only hurting yourself.” He grabbed my arms. “You wanted the truth. I gave you the truth. Your father was a money-hungry bastard who would’ve sold his soul if it fattened his pockets.”

I kicked out at him, missing by a mile, but my lack of coordination didn’t keep him from getting pissed off. He grasped my leg, digging his gloved fingers into the cut. I opened my mouth to scream, but all that came out was a tremendous sob.

He slammed my leg back to the cement floor. “Your father was going to sell Olivia to the highest bidder. How do you think the Facility even knew about her? It’s a more common practice then you think.

Parents love their kids—even if they are giant freaks—but money always talks.”

“You’re lying. My dad never would’ve done something like that.”

“You have no idea. Did you know your great-grandmother was gifted? No. I see that you didn’t. She was a healer and not afraid to use it. Your father did a lot of research on gifts. He learned that the trait is typically passed down, and those newer generations sometimes are even stronger—look at me when I talk to you!” He pressed into the gash until I did as he ordered.

I bit down on my lip until I tasted blood.

His grip relaxed. “He knew there was a good chance that his children would be gifted. I think he hoped it would be you. Yes, he was in contact with us long before Olivia came along, but as you grew older and showed no gift, he needed another kid. He didn’t understand that he just needed to wait a little longer on you.”

My heart was breaking, even though my mind rebelled against what he said. And then it happened. I felt a subtle brush behind my eyelids. Nothing like Theo’s barbaric mind-reading skills, which made me want to vomit. I thought I imagined it, but the presence remained, lingering on the fringe of my consciousness.

Parker ?

I couldn’t be sure, but I freaking hoped so. I started mentally saying Mr. Theo’s name, and that I was in some kind of basement. Hoping and praying that Parker—not Mr. Theo—was tinkering inside my head… and that I wasn’t losing my mind.

“I don’t know what he planned to do with your mother. Maybe she was in on it. But did you know what he wanted done to you?” He turned my face so I had to look at him. “He wanted someone with my… gifts to handle the transaction. Your father was supposed to hand over Olivia for quite a bit of money. He wanted me to make you believe Olivia had died.”

“No, no, no.” I twisted away from him, tears of anger and fear rolled down my face, mixing with blood. This couldn’t be true. It just couldn’t be.

“Yes. I came to handle the transaction, but your father had a change of heart. He didn’t want to give her up, and I don’t think he planned on your mom putting up such a fight over it. Either way, it didn’t matter in the end.”

I stilled. “The accident… it was you.”

“The accident was just an accident.”

“No. It wasn’t. Cromwell—“

“Cromwell is a liar! The accident was just that—an accident. A freak accident that I had thought would’ve worked in my benefit since your father was no longer a part of the picture. I hung around after the accident, waiting to see what the Facility wanted me to do. You see, they hadn’t told me what Olivia’s gifts were, and at the time, I didn’t care. And then I saw Jonathan Cromwell snooping around.”

“Sucks for you, huh? He ruined the Facility’s plans.” I gasped out, hating this man with every fiber in my being.

He smirked. “You have no idea, do you? I could care less about Olivia and her gift. And I care even less about the Facility. I don’t work for them anymore.”

I stopped struggling. “What do you mean?”

Theo’s stare met mine, and I shuddered. I’d always heard about people looking crazy, but I’d never seen it—not until now. “After I saw Cromwell hanging around, I knew something was up. Then when his boy kept coming back, I grew even more curious. This was my chance. See? I didn’t really have any loyalty to the Facility. I only stayed with them so I could keep an eye on Jonathan. Once I saw his interest in you, I left the Facility and got a job up here, where I could keep closer tabs on him. You’d be amazed at how far you can get with a little bit of mind control. Then you showed up. Perfect.”

“Why?”

“My sister was older than me. So bright and beautiful, but she was gifted with a terrible curse.”

Ice slithered through my veins.

He leaned in so close we almost touched. “She could kill with a single touch of her hands. Julie never wanted to hurt a single person, but she couldn’t help it. She never could.”

“Oh, my God,” I murmured.

“Did you think your desire to see those files was all you?” he asked. “I put that need in you. I wanted you to see— to know—what they did to my sister.” He paused, and my temples started to pound. “Of course he scratched out everything about me. Couldn’t live with his greatest failure.”

“Get… out.” I struggled for air. My head felt like it would explode. His lips twitched, and the pressure eased off. “I can’t let him succeed. Not when he failed my sister. That’s the why of it, Ember.”

“Cromwell? But he didn’t have anything to do with the project!”

Theo barked a short laugh. “Cromwell lets you know what he wants you to know. It’s always a half-