“They’re not risking her,” Caius replies. “She’s bait. They’re using her to flush out the opposition, take them down. They want to force a coup and then destroy it on camera. They also want to prove what a century of perfect genetic lines does to a person and why the Night Hunt is wildly successful in infiltrating political systems. Final proof their system works.”
Dahlia: “And if it doesn’t?”
Caius’s voice is colder than before. “If it doesn’t, they have two backups lined up. All women. All expendable. All with enemies who will pay to see them hunted and executed on live television. The stakes are raised. It’s no longer the way of old. The Board and the Funders are willing to drop the guards to ensure they come out on top. That means noncompliance is a death sentence and any sign of rebellion will be put down.”
Julian stands, stretches, then sits again. “So we kill them. Before the Hunt.”
Bam bares his teeth. “Or maybe… we huntthem.”
Rhett finally looks up. “They’ll be ready for us. The campus is crawling with Funders’ private security, especially since the Vicious Kings backed out. The Board has shields on every email and camera.”
Caius says, “I’ll get you a list of vulnerabilities. But you need to act now. Make it public, make it so dirty that even the Board can’t clean it up before the Hunt.”
Eve looks at me. Her hand is steady, but her jaw trembles. She’s not scared for herself. She’s scared for every girl who will come after.
I put my hand over hers.
Caius’s voice drops. “You’re on a timer. Don’t fuck it up. I will provide whatever support I can, up to and including my cousin and his people. Gotta go. O needs help.”
The call ends with a click.
No one speaks for a long time.
Julian walks to the window, stares out. “They’re using Marcus’s daughter because she’s the highest-value target. If we take her out, it will destabilize the whole plan. If not, they just won the grand prize in the ultimate nepotism.”
Dahlia glances at Eve. “You know what you need to do?”
Eve nods. “I’ll monitor her in between classes. If someone can get me in hers, that would be even better.”
Isolde breathes through another contraction, then looks at the group. “We can’t let them do this again. Not to anyone.”
Rhett’s voice is hard. “We won’t.”
I squeeze Eve’s hand. “I’ll be right there with you, baby. No way you’re doing this alone.”
Julian scoffs. “Since she’smygirl, I’ll be the one to monitor her, got it? Eve you can be her friend, but if any of you decide to fuck with what’s mine, I’ll kill you. Got it?”
I roll my eyes. Julian is probably the worst of us all and I half-believe him, except for the fact that we’ve been friends since we were in diapers. “Sure, bud.”
The old hierarchy is gone. There’s no more leader, no more followers. Just a pack, and a clock ticking down.
I look around the room, at the bodies hunched over, ready to leap.
We’re not the Board’s monsters anymore.
We’re their fucking extinction event.
Epilogue: Eve
Aweekhaspassedsince we all met in Bam’s kitchen. It’s been filled with more meetings, more planning, finding out everything we can about Amara Marcus.
But this morning, Colt texted me and told me to be home at dinner and to wait for him.
The porch light at the cabin is off. There’s no sign of him. I stand at the threshold with my key in my palm and the words I want to say fossilized in my chest.
Waiting is for chumps. I need to pee.
I open the door.
