[What he really wants, is to push her up against the wall behind them. Wants to use whatever force he has left in this place, even if it is of a physical kind, to make her see. To make her agree.

The Darkling takes a step closer again, closing the tiny distance he'd made between them and his eyes dart from her hands on her throat to her face, eyes flashing.]

Yes, what they do is worse. Fjerda kills us in horrible ways, but Shu. They use Grisha for experiments. I've seen- [his voice drops even lower, a hoars whisper close to her ear,] Corporalki forced to heal eviscerations on their comrades and failing, Heartrenders crying as they force other Grishas lungs from their mouths. I've seen Squallers set ablaze while they desperately try to put the flames out with the wind, only to be set alight again. And again. And again.

[Intimate, like nothing else, as he keeps whispering in her ear. Like he doesn't want them to be overheard.] And that's just what they do for fun. Shu Han is desperate to gain the Grisha power for themselves, to grant it to those they trust. They are tearing Grisha apart with sharp knifes and chemicals to find the source of it.

What I did to you was- [he hesitates for a beat, taking a deep breath as if steeling himself.] A mistake. I should have asked. I'm sorry, Alina.