Lucy vanished into the corridor, leaving the sound of her heels ringing in the silent room for a long minute.
"Sigh! I'm officially frustrated with you," Bick said, turning to Thomas with a look that was no longer friendly.
"Seriously, what is your secret?" John demanded, leaning over the table. "Why is the princess showing so much interest in you? She literally just gave you her portion of a high-grade meal. That's like giving away a bar of gold."
"Perhaps it's his 'mysterious' superpower," Jacob laughed harshly, though his eyes were burning with a humiliated rage. "Or perhaps she just felt empathy for a stray. You heard her—she donated it. Like a scrap for a beggar. Hahahaha!"
Thomas felt a familiar, dark heat rising in his chest. It was the same cold fury he had felt back in the interrogation rooms on Earth when a suspect pushed too far. He looked at Jacob, resisting a sudden, violent urge to reach across the table and crush the boy's throat.
