“Well, Hawkins is a different case. He incited someone a couple years ago, and it cost him a lot of people’s trust.”
I blink in shock. “Who did he incite?”
“His girlfriend.” Gray pauses as if deciding whether to go on. “He incited her to jump to her death.”
The air leaves my lungs in a sharp gasp. I search for any signs that he’s joking, but he’s dead serious.
“On purpose?” I demand, still reeling.
“According to Hawkins, it was an accident, but not many people believe that. Ev and Neema, in particular. They don’t buy his story at all. But Zoe was their best friend, so their judgment might be clouded when it comes to her.”
“What does Hawkins say happened?”
“He says they were arguing, he and Zoe. She told him she couldn’t stand the sight of him or something, and apparently he lost his temper and said,Fine, then jump off the fucking cliff if you don’t want to see me anymore,and…” Gray trails off. “It was a thirty-foot drop. Zoe didn’t survive.” There’s another pause. “It’s hard to imagine how he could’ve ‘accidentally’ compelled her to jump off the ledge.”
“Incitement can happen by accident,” I hedge in, but Gray doesn’t look convinced.
I suddenly feel an odd kinship with Hawkins, because if his girlfriend’s deathwasthe result of spontaneous incitement, I can sympathize.
“Anyway,” I say, changing the subject, “should we begin?”
I expect a playful remark, maybe a wink, but he only grows more serious. “Before we do, I need you to promise me something.”
“What is it?”
“I’m training with you because I trust you, but you have to promise you’ll never use incitement on me without my consent. That’s my only caveat.”
My mouth falls open. “Of course I promise. I would never do that to you.”
“Good. Then let’s start. We need to decide on a command for me. How about…” He flashes a cocky grin. “You can incite me to undo my pants.”
“I amnotinciting you to do that.”
“You’re right. I’ll do it of my own volition.”
I snicker. “I don’t think Karra will like that very much.”
Speaking of Karra, when Gray’s comm beeps a second later, I have no doubt she’s the one messaging him. He leans forward to check the screen, then sends a quick response.
“Sorry,” he says.
“How about…” I examine the table. “I’ll order you to pick up that water glass.”
“That’s boring.”
“And spill it over your head.”
“Now I’m listening.”
I grin. It’s so easy to be with him. He’s fun.
“Okay.” I rest my hands in my lap and take a long, steadying breath. “Let me try to clear my head and harness the gold. It might take a minute.”
Minds are such annoying, complicated things, because they’re not just a jumble of thoughts. They’re echoes of the past and running fears about the future. The mind is never, ever silent. Even when you’re meditating, the brain is working, synapses firing back and forth while you sit there with your eyes closed under the illusion that you’ve completely stilled your mind.
I inhale slowly, trying to do what Hawkins always instructs in the Temple. Clear it all out. Everything but the gold dust. It doesn’t come naturally to me. I’m used to pushing my way into the black void, opening a path while the negative frequency of the target mind tries to repel me. And if I’m tapping into the positive frequency, it’s an even smoother ride. I’m welcomed right in and invited to link.
With this new frequency, there’s no easy path. It’s entirely about concentration and harnessing energy I never even knew existed.
