I bit my cheek to keep from asking about Tair. I couldn’t see him in the future-blobs, but something told me he was still alive, and asking Darren about him was the first way to change that. I’d usually suck up or try to appease him, trying not to set him off, but Darren was already off his rails and nothing I could do was going to bring him back. At least, not anything I’d be able to live with.

“Feeling better?” Darren asked.

Better than what? Somehow I kept the sassy answer off my lips. My best chance was getting him to pity me. If he still could. I faked a whimper. “My head hurts.”

“I wonder why that is?” A lock of hair fell over his brow as he leaned closer, pressing some chilly device into my temple. Hard.

I held my breath to keep from breathing him in, but I already knew I was toast. The smoking, blackened kind.

Darren knew I was hiding something and he might play nice for a while, but pity wasn’t on the table right now. He’d gouge the secrets out of me.

Reaching for the pages only drove a few more nails into my brain. Was it the drugs or the exhaustion or something else? Either way I was trapped here with him. Only the drugs coursing through my system were giving me any kind of calm at this point. Without them, I would’ve flipped already.

I might still flip anyway.

“What’s wrong?” Darren actually sounded like he cared. That was why he’d fooled me once upon a time. I knew so much better now, but my options were either play along and buy some time or cut to the chase and start with some actual cutting.

Between those stellar possibilities, I’d play along. “I don’t know. I just want to rest.”

“You can rest later.” Darren said. “After the show.”

Sickening waves rolled through my body, but I couldn’t not ask. “What show?”

“Wait and see.” Darren gave the most unsettling grin I’d ever seen. I would’ve shrunk away from him, but I couldn’t do that with all the ties holding me flat to the table. The future wouldn’t cooperate and show itself, but I knew I wasn’t going to like Darren’s surprise.

And please don’t let it involve Tair.

“Bring her along,” Darren said. I twisted my head, only then realizing that there were other people in the room. Maybe I was more out of it than I thought? Or I just couldn’t turn my head that far.