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  Phoenix sat up straight. “It can be done. I’ll just need some time. We’ll have to get her out of the palace and then out of the city. It’s risky, but I agree with you, Kyan... and Adam. It’s the only way. Lillith has to be stopped.”

  He looked at me. “I know what she’s done.”

  “You’re one of the few.”

  A tear fell from Kaia’s eye, but in the end, she agreed to go along with it.

  Julia’s hand squeezed my own, and her dark eyes said more than her mouth ever could. She was on board.

  They all were.

  And they understood the consequence of both success and failure.

  Adam spoke up. “I’ll shoulder this burden, Kyan.”

  I shook my head. “No. They could track you. It has to be me. I’m a ghost here.”

  Phoenix backed me up. “He’s right. It must be him.”

  “You shouldn’t be placed in this position, Kyan.” Adam argued.

  “No, I shouldn’t. But it’s my plan. I’ll take the responsibility for seeing it through. Just give me a fighting chance. Help me get her out of here. Just help us. Look, I know you’re a Lesser, but you have privileges that we’ve never had.” I looked pointedly at Kaia. “Please, do what you can to keep me off the radar. You’ll be helping free, not only Abby Blue and her baby, but all of the Lessers. Help us.”

  Phoenix and Adam went to work at a nearby table with some sort of large comm. I just hoped they knew what they were doing.

  LESS THAN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS. WHAT could I do? I hadn’t slept. I’d stayed up all night pacing the floors, trying to figure out how to get her out of that mess—out of the palace, out of Vesuvius, out of Greater territory.

  Nothing. I’d come up with nothing. Every possibility I could even entertain was shot down by fact. The fact was Vesuvius was well guarded, high-tech, and the chances were almost zero I could even get her out of her room without someone noticing, let alone the palace or the city.

  I threaded my fingers behind my head and growled in frustration. I could try to do it, but we’d be caught. I’d be dragged out and shot, and Abby would be locked back up and dead within twenty-four hours.

  My comm buzzed on the table.

  Thank goodness there was someone out there smarter than me. Someone had a plan. The comm was from Adam Kelley, Abby’s father.

  YOU HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO GUARD HER. INSIST THE CLINICIAN REMOVE HER FROM THE PALACE AND TRANSFER HER TO THE MED FACILITY FOR TREATMENT.

  Got it.

  Before I could re-read the comm, it had disappeared. They were covering their tracks, and mine.

  I pulled my boots on and grabbed my gun. The second comm came through, this time from my superior.

  ASSIGNMENT DETAILS: YOU WILL GUARD ABIGAIL KELLEY.

  The details of her location, medical status, and security threat level were included in the comm as I scrolled further down the text. They considered her a high-level threat. I wondered what they considered me. Had they considered me at all, or simply accepted me as one of their own?

  The gun was heavy across my shoulders as I made my way out of my room, down the steps of the building, and onto the street.

  Polite nods from passers-by who respected and trusted their guards fueled my footsteps.

  If the others couldn’t pull it off, I’d go down fighting for her. And at least make the citizens question their leadership.

  I wanted to scream, “Why the separation? Why are there Lessers? We all survived! No one person is superior to any other.”

  No one ever thought. That was the problem. They followed. They cared for comfort, normalcy, and prestige. As long as they could live obliviously in their carefully constructed world... that was all that mattered. It was pathetic, disgusting.

  The palace loomed atop the hill ahead. Maybe it was all in my mind, but it felt like the building itself was daring me to defy it.

  I kept walking, climbing that hill until I reached the side. The security door was as heavily guarded as the other entrances and exits. A tall, thin guard with close-cropped hair checked my comm and credentials against his own information before logging me in and providing me an access pass to the palace.

  That tiny piece of plastic warmed in my hand as I made my way through the hallways and up the staircase.

  I knocked on her door before sliding the key.

  Click.

  Click.

  Click.

  Click.

  All high-security doors had four locks. They’d only unlock in succession to safeguard what was behind them.

  I eased the door open and stepped into the room. She should’ve been asleep. Not that it was early. Dawn had come, and it was as light as it would get outside. The sun was hidden beneath thick clouds.

  She sat near the window, looking out over the city. When she turned her head to look at me, her face lit up. Who was she expecting?

  Nervously, her eyes flitted around.

  I’d tried to get into the guard control center, but that was a place I didn’t have clearance to access. When I was questioned, I just blew it off as being new and not knowing my way around. If I could’ve gotten in there, I would’ve known for sure if she was being monitored. If she was, it was likely it was only by video, not audio. But we had to be careful.

  “Vivian—my clinician, I think she called herself at one point—said she’d return this morning. I thought you were her.”

  “I’ve been assigned as your guard today.” I stiffened my posture. Pretend it’s not Abs.

  “I didn’t have a guard yesterday. What’s changed?”

  “I only know that I was assigned here, Miss Kelley. I’ll stand here near the door. Proceed with your daily activities.”

  She snorted and then muttered. “Daily activities. Daily Inactivity.”

  A moment later, the locks disengaged. The servant woman scanned me briefly before rushing into the room carrying a breakfast tray. When she set it on the small table nearby, none too gently, juice sloshed over the edge of the cup. If the servant noticed, she didn’t care. She’d already marched passed me, security card at the ready. The locks sounded a second later.

  Unlock.

  Lock.

  Abby didn’t waste time. She stood up, stretching languidly, her bump even more pronounced than it had been the day before. Is that possible?

  Now, that worried me. How much time did she have left, even if the Greaters didn’t take the baby surgically?

  I watched her move toward the food. She inhaled deeply before settling into her seat and arranging things where she wanted them. She savored the sweetness of the juice before biting into the small loaf of bread situated on a delicate plate.

  She ate and drank it all. Hungry girl.

  My girl always had an appetite, and I loved it. There was nothing worse than sitting with a girl who’d pick at lettuce as if were a dangerous animal poised to attack her thighs.

  I thought she was going to wash her hands in the sink, but she was running. It wasn’t a second later that all she’d eaten came back up. I rushed to her side and held her hair, rubbing her back. A few moments later, the worst of it seemed to have passed.

  Was it something she’d eaten?

  Was this in the plan? Making her sick?

  What if it threw her into labor?

  “Are you okay? Should I call for assistance?” I hated the charade. Pretending she was just another assignment was pure hell, but what could I do?

  “Viv—”She didn’t get to finish the thought before she was sick again. She held her stomach tightly.

  The locks disengaged across the room, and a woman I didn’t recognize stepped in. “Abigail!”

  The dark-haired woman rushed over to assist.

  “Name?” Time to play the part.

  “Vivian Cordell. I’m her clinician!” If the woman wasn’t so flustered, she might have hit me with her bag.

  When the nausea finally subsided, she helped Abby clean her face and teeth before ushering her to the bed.

>   I checked my comm. Vivian was, indeed, the clinician. She was the one who had the authority to have Abby moved into the med facility downtown—at least I hoped that was the case. We needed that authority.

  “How long has she been vomiting?” The woman demanded.

  “It only just started. She ate breakfast and seemed fine. Then she became violently ill.”

  Abby moaned, clutching her stomach. “So sick.” She choked. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. She swiped the back of her trembling hand across it.

  “She needs fluids.” The woman hurriedly opened her bag and rifled through the contents, testing Abby with each device and instrument inside.

  “Do you want me to call for a pitcher of water?” I offered, hoping Vivian took the olive branch I was thrashing in her face.

  “She wouldn’t be able to hold it down. I can’t treat her here.” Vivian was frustrated.

  “Can she be moved? To the medical facility—where you could treat her?”

  Vivian looked at me like she’d enjoy running me through. “I’ll initiate the request, but I don’t know if it’ll be granted.”

  “They can’t expect you to care for her properly from this room, can they?”

  Angrily, she packed her instruments away and grabbed Abby’s hand. “Ab-by, I’m going to request that you be transferred to the medical facility in the city.”

  Abby nodded. “Please, help me,” she asked. “Help my baby, Vivian. Please, don’t let them hurt her.” Abby glanced at me, her eyes steeled. There was a fierceness in them I hadn’t seen before. Did she know the plan?

  Vivian pointed at me. “Lose that gun and get over here. Now!”

  I shrugged off my weapon and rushed to the bedside.

  “I need a moment to request the move. Please, watch over her.”

  Acting as if the situation were awkward, I eased onto the bed, sitting beside Abs. My eyes locked onto her blue ones. In our periphery, Vivian paced, frantically typing on her comm, but my eyes never left those blue pools.

  My comm buzzed in my pocket.

  TRANSFER AUTHORIZED. MOVE HER QUIETLY OUT THE BACK.

  The message disappeared completely.

  A few moments later, Vivian’s shoulders relaxed. “Good news.” She approached us. “You’ll be moved to the medical facility for observation, Abig—Abby.”

  I stood. “There’s a rear entrance that would be ideal. There are fewer people to maneuver around and through. We can get her there more quickly that way and with fewer obstructions.”

  Vivian nodded. “Of course.” She turned her focus onto her patient. “Do you think you can sit up?”

  Abby nodded. “I think so.”

  Smiling slightly, Vivian patted Abby’s hand. “I’ll return in a moment with a wheelchair. Then your guard can show us out. There should be a transport waiting for us.”

  “Can you comm the transportation department with the information?” Vivian asked me.

  “Of course.” I retrieved my weapon and typed the information carefully.

  She left the room.

  When an incoming message arrived, it was a simple confirmation from the transport team. They were waiting. That was fast. No, that was Adam.

  I walked toward Abs. “Do you know?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know details but figured you were up to something.”

  “Not just me. Someone’s orchestrating this from the outside. I got a comm from your father.”

  She winced, pressing her palm against her right side. “I don’t know what’s wrong. I honestly don’t know.” Watching her hold her breath against the pain, I moved to her side.

  “What’s happening?”

  Abby winced again. “I’m not sure. I keep getting a strange pain on my side.”

  My eyes widened. “Is it time?” My heart skipped a beat; it might have stopped for a second.

  “I don’t think so.” Tears filled her eyes. “Do you think she...” Her voice broke so she started again. “Do you think the baby’s okay?”

  I put my hands on her bump. Screw surveillance. I didn’t know if they were watching or ever had been, but I was tired of that crap. Let them look. Let them listen.

  “I think she’s strong like her mother. She’s fine. You vomited. Maybe you just pulled something.”

  She sniffed and wiped her tears away.

  I hugged her tightly to me. “It’ll be okay. It’s almost over.”

  “It is,” she said, pulling away from me. The tone in her voice was off. It said she didn’t think we stood a chance.

  “Hey. Look at me.” When she did, I held her gaze. “We’ll get out of this. We’ll go home.”

  “Home? Every home you’ve ever known has been obliterated, Gray.”

  “No.” I shook my head fiercely, gritting my teeth. “You are the only home I’ve ever known. I won’t lose you. I’ll fight to the death, but if it’s the last damn thing I do, I won’t let them win. Not this time.”

  “I love you.” Abby hugged my neck hard. Her hot breath fanned my skin, and for a second, I was baptized in her scent: apples and sunshine.

  I let her go at the sound of the door locks doing the same.

  There was reluctance in her blue eyes. Like me, she was afraid of what would happen if she didn’t, but more afraid of what might happen if she did.

  Vivian entered the room with a wheelchair. “Your chariot.” She tried to joke.

  Abby offered a small laugh. “Thank you, for everything, Vivian.”

  Assisting Abs into the chair, I made sure she was comfortable and draped a small blanket over her lap before opening the door for the two ladies.

  I took them down the hallway, further into the palace, and then toward the back of the structure. “There’s an elevator just ahead.”

  Abby’s eyes got big. I knew she’d ridden in one before, but she wasn’t fond of them. She definitely wasn’t comfortable. When Vivian pushed the elevator button to summon it to our floor, I squeezed Abs’s shoulder.

  I HELD MY BREATH THE entire way down. It was only one floor, but a giant, heavy, metal box suspended by a rope or wire wasn’t something I put my faith in. I gripped the bar beside me with one hand and my side with the other. The pain across my stomach completely freaked me out. It wasn’t labor pains. At least, it didn’t feel like what Vivian had described.

  I just hoped little bean was okay in there. She kicked lightly as if to let me know all was well, and I calmed down just a fraction. It was a much-needed fraction.

  We exited the metal box adjacent to the exit. The palace was about to spit us out.

  Is Lillith aware of what’s going on?

  Why is she letting me out of here?

  How can she not know?

  When Gray swiped his plastic card through the door, it opened automatically. The sun was hidden behind thick, gray clouds, but the daylight alone blinded me. It had been so dark and shaded in the room.

  I blinked, letting my eyes adjust to the outside world again. The smell of smoke hung thick and heavy in the air. A giant vehicle loomed nearby. “Medical Transport” was plastered on the side. Oh, lovely.

  Vivian wheeled me toward it with one hand, her other waving wildly at the occupant. He exited the vehicle. What strange hair. It was long and green and hung in twisted, fuzzy ropes. Okay, so my first thought was long, green wooly worms.

  “Hello. My name’s Asher. I’ll be transporting you today. I’ve been instructed to transfer Miss Abigail Kelley to the medical facility.”

  Vivian smiled. “Yes. Those are your instructions. I’m her clinician, Vivian Cordell. I’ll accompany Miss Kelley.”

  The man, Asher, paused. “I have no authorization for you, Vivian Cordell. My instructions indicate that only her guard is to accompany her.”

  Vivian dug her heels in. I could feel her hands tense on my shoulders. “I won’t allow her to be transported alone. She’s been very ill and may need medical attention during transport.”

  Asher seemed shaken, but only for a
moment. The cool calmness slid back onto his face. Was he not allowed to give Vivian a ride?

  Gray sighed. “I’ll authorize it.”

  Asher typed into his comm.

  Good grief, it took too much time getting permission for every little thing to make progress. How had the Greaters survived this long? Who gave them permission to freaking breathe, or to wake up in the morning?

  Soon, Asher’s comm dinged, and he smiled. “All is approved. Thank you, guard.” Asher opened the side door of the vehicle. It was long and slid down the vehicle’s surface. He stepped inside and maneuvered a wheeled-bed onto this metal platform thing. The platform was like everything else—my worst nightmare. It began to lift itself out of the vehicle, carrying the bed toward me.

  “I can walk, I think. No need for all that.”

  “No, Miss Kelley. I have strict instructions.” Asher protested.

  I hated instructions.

  Instructions were awful.

  They eased me out of the chair and put me on the bed, strapping me down.

  “For precaution while in transport.” Asher explained.

  I hated precautions, too. And straps.

  They both sucked.

  The metal platform jerked as I was lifted into the air and then moved mechanically into the vehicle. The pain in my side hadn’t eased up, and my hand tried to rub it away.

  Asher stayed by my side until Gray and Vivian were seated on the long, padded bench beside me.

  Vivian held my hand. And while that was nice, I wanted Gray’s.

  When we were situated, Asher assumed his position in the vehicle’s cab, and we took off. Slowly easing down the hill, we left the palace, and hopefully Lillith, behind us. Let her stay in her palace. I’d take a dirt-floored shack over that place any day.

  When we neared the gate, a voice flooded the vehicle. “Exit authorization, please.”

  Asher stopped and typed something into his comm.

  “Authorization received. Please proceed with caution.”

  We were out! Gray and I had made it! We just had to find the others and get out of there. For the first time since I stepped foot in that place, I had hope of leaving it.

  As we passed through town, I watched the Greaters strolling along, blissfully unaware. The designers of the city had spared no space; most buildings seemed sandwiched together, save for a small, flat square lined with what looked like a thousand Greaters. “What’s happening there?”