Jax confirmed it with a heavy voice. "Is that really you, Echidna?"
Echidna responded with forced enthusiasm. "Ta-da! Yup, the one and only! Pretty adorable, don't you think? Come on, you have to admit I have definitely surpassed Tempris on the cuteness scale here... right?"
Jax knew she was trying to lighten his mood. But what was playing out in front of his eyes was far beyond what humor could fix. A girl the same age as Tempris, maybe younger, being treated as nothing more than raw material for someone else's ambition. His voice came out low and cracked. "This is just..."
He couldn't form the words. All he could do was clench his fist until his knuckles turned white.
