Page 249 of Vameer

“Yes.” I pull the gun from my waistband, and the humans recoil. “But if you need a demonstration.”

I reach across my body, aim at Volik’s shoulder, and shoot.

People scream.

Volik clenches his jaw. And I turn the gun on myself, placing the muzzle against my bare chest where my shirt is open.

I pull the trigger.

The cobalt bullet buries itself in my chest muscle.

The people closest to us use their feet to push their chairs away.

I cheated a little with my gravito catching the bullet before it went too deep. My heart would push the bullet out, but we’re on a schedule.

Volik slowly turns his head to look at me. But I keep my attention on the room of humans.

My left hand is still holding the other item, so with the hand holding the gun, I use my fingertips to dig into the bullet hole.

The barrel of the weapon bounces some as I work. And people at the other end of the room duck, like that will help them if I accidentally fire the gun while doing this.

A few are still trying to push their chairs farther away. But the man sitting next to Navy Suit has been frozen since we walked in, his pen hovering an inch over a notepad.

He can’t tell where I’m looking. But I hold eye contact with him as I dig for the bullet.

There’s a bit of a squelching sound, which hurts like hells, but I keep my face blank.

Volik’s bullet pushes out of his arm and drops to the floor, as mine finally pops out of my chest. The wounds instantly seal themselves.

Still gripping the gun, I pinch my bullet between bloody fingers. “Understand?” I tap the barrel of the gun to my temple. “This doesn’t hurt us.”

Reaching out, I drop the gun and bloody bullet onto the table.

“This is an outrage!” The oldest man balls his fists on the table.

I turn my head to him and mimic his voice perfectly. “You have not seen outrage.” I switch back to my own voice. “This is more than a reminder. This is a warning.” I lift my left hand and hold it out over the table.

Then I release my hold and my gravito.

We all watch as Johnson’s head thumps onto the conference table.

“Oh my god.” Someone gags.

“We are many. And we have only ever retaliated.” I push power into my voice, trembling the walls. “We may seem separate. Divided by your invisible lines in the dirt. But we are not.”

Volik starts to list coordinates. Several coordinates. From all around the world.

“Those are secret locations,” Navy Suit grits out.

“Are they?” Volik keeps his tone even. “Many of you were not alive for The Trials, but there was a lot of information left behind. And I would share it with you. But it is highly classified.”

Tension builds as Volik and I slowly let our gravito fill the room.

The air becomes heavy with power.

“Remember how you feel in this moment,” I rumble.

Volik’s gravito starts to seep from his eyes in black tendrils down his cheeks.