I remembered it like a person would a face, recalled hearing it when I’d been in Medical. The Warden was far scarier than I’d have expected, especially because she didn’t look toward me.
Anxiety tore through me, but I tried to remain calm, to not let on how she rattled me.
Charles moved his gaze to her nametag, some of the color draining from his cheeks. “You should know better than to risk this…”
“The thing about risk is that it is always balanced against reward. In the past, your family has been quite useful, that’s true, but you have started to believe you are beyond reproach. You have forgotten who helped you get where you are. The way your father and you have hidden 1 shades shows you have forgotten who you owe so much to. I would call that biting the hand that feeds you.”
“Maybe there was a misunderstanding,” Charles said, his tone having lost most of his attitude, as if he’d just realized how much trouble he was in. “I’m sure I can look into it and resolve this.”
He was clearly trying his hardest to get around admitting any guilt. He wanted to pretend he had no idea what was going on but really wanted to help us fix it.
“Where is the housing unit?” The Warden asked without giving him any room to wiggle free.
He let out a long, slow breath before his shoulders dropped. “It’s in Arizona, an hour outside of Phoenix. I’ll write down the address, then contact them to release the shades in question to you.”
“No need,” she said. “My team will be there to transport them, and the reaction of your guards doesn’t matter. If they wish to fight, that will be their mistake. We will take what we want, including any research done with those illegally procured shades.”
Charles opened his mouth as if to argue, but quickly shut it. He wasn’t in a position to make any demands. I doubted he gave a damn about the shades or the guards—he probably only cared about saving whatever research he could.
Kit rose as if to leave, so I followed suit. It seemed we’d finished our job.
“Wait,” the Warden said.
Kit went still, tension rising. “Warden?”
“This was a very large breach of trust, and I don’t think Mr. Hemslock here truly understands how serious it is.”
“I do,” Charles said, but he wasn’t submissive. He was biding his time.
I knew men like that, had grown up around them. Charles would play a part to get back to his life, then he’d no doubt double-cross them just as soon as he thought it was safe to do so. It was how men like him thought.
“He needs a reminder of our power and why betraying us is a bad idea.”
Kit closed his hands into fists, which had regained their human form. “I don’t think that is necessary.”
The Warden gave Kit an empty look, one that lacked sympathy or understanding. “Are you refusing a direct order?”
Kit pressed his lips together, the expression odd. It appeared helpless, something I’d never associated with him before. He turned his gaze to me, and I offered a slight shake to my head, a plea for him not to do whatever the Warden wanted him to do.
I didn’t know what it was, but I knew it was bad.
“Of course not,” Kit said, his voice having lost any feeling in it. He turned back toward Charles, Kit’s hand shifting into the claws from before.
Charles tried to pull backward, but the cuffs kept him from doing so. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Be still.” Kit dropped his tone the commanding one.
Charles did so, his fight and fear leaving until he appeared almost drugged.
“No,” the Warden said. “What use is a lesson if he can’t remember it?”
“He’ll remember it based on what he loses. There is no good reason to make him suffer more than he needs to,” Kit answered.
The Warden said nothing back, rather just stared at Kit as if waiting for him to do as he should.
Kit turned his gaze back to Charles, not moving for a moment, before nodding. When he did so, Charles woke, blinking slowly before resuming his struggles.
“What did you do to me?” he asked, panic bleeding through his voice.