Cate's palm rested against Shetty's cheek.
Shetty's face, twisted with fear, froze the instant they made contact.
"Look at me." Cate's voice trembled slightly. She did not force her way through Shetty's memories. She wanted this woman to say it herself.
Shetty raised her head woodenly and met Cate's reddened eyes.
"Why?" Staring at the face that had once given her so much warmth, Cate asked through gritted teeth, "Why did you try to break Lucian and me apart? Why did you want to kill him?"
Shetty's lips parted slightly, her voice devoid of emotion. "Because he's an uncontrollable variable."
"I wanted to leave you with no one." Shetty revealed her true intentions. "I wanted to put you back in a position where I was the only person you could trust. Only when you were isolated and helpless, when you felt the whole world was rejecting you, would you willingly serve me and become the most obedient tool in my hands."
Cate bit down hard on her lower lip.
A tool.
So that was what she truly was in Shetty's eyes. Nothing but a sheathed blade waiting for its owner to draw it.
At last, anger overwhelmed the sorrow in her heart, and Cate's fingers abruptly tightened.
"What did you want me to help you do?" Cate raised her voice. "What did you want to use this tool for?"
"Control. There are large numbers of difficult-to-control Supes imprisoned in the underground facilities at Godolkin University. They're extremely dangerous and won't cooperate with the research. I wanted you to use your mental abilities to erase their will to resist, so they would obediently lie on the operating table and cooperate with my experiments on living subjects."
"What experiments?" Cate pressed. She already had an inkling of the horrifying answer.
"Collecting large