‘I didn’t want you to think we were conspiring against you!’ Atlas shouts back. ‘Trying to get you to join the Coalition—’
‘But that’s exactly what you were doing.’
Atlas shakes his head. ‘I know that’s something you have to choose for yourself.’ He puts his hands on my shoulders. ‘Everything I said last night and – and all that other stuff …’ He blushes. ‘I meant every bit of it. I promise.’
‘And what if I’d stayed on Wyvernmire’s side?’ I say carefully.
He holds my gaze. ‘That would have been … difficult. But I still would have loved—’
He stops abruptly and lets his arms drop by his sides as his face turns red. I swallow, willing him to finish the sentence.
‘Dr Seymour just received a message from the Coalition,’ he says instead. ‘Wyvernmire’s on her way back here and they’re readying themselves to attack. They don’t know about the alliance yet because Dr Seymour’s dracovol won’t reach them until tonight. But it means they’ll get to Bletchley before the Bulgarians do.’
I nod.
‘There’s something else.’
I look at him expectantly.
‘The Coalition has located your sister.’
My heart stops.
‘I sent out a search request a couple of weeks ago, using Dr Seymour’s dracovol. The news came back with today’s message. She’s in a government-run home in Blenheim with other children evacuated from London.’
Atlas takes my hand. ‘When we’re out of Bletchley,’ he says, ‘we’ll go and get her.’
My heart thumps loudly in my chest.
I sent out a search request a couple of weeks ago.
Atlas was searching for my sister before he even knew I was going to change sides. He was searching for my sister while I was trying to break the code that would make sure the rebels lost the war.
‘Why?’ I whisper.
Atlas shrugs. ‘Families deserve to be together.’
I melt into him, my arms round his neck, and he lifts me off my feet as I kiss him.
‘When the Coalition gets here, how are we going to escape?’ I murmur, my lips still on his.
Atlas smooths my hair back. ‘Your cousin had an idea.’
I don’t ask him how long he and Marquis have been secretly discussing escape plans. Instead, I let him lift me on to one of the desks and kiss me more deeply and as his lips find my neck I stare over his shoulder at the open log burner, at the eggs as hot as coals inside—
‘Atlas!’ I say.
He jumps, his hands retreating as if my skin had scalded them.
‘I’m sorry,’ he says, swallowing hard. ‘I got carried away—’
I roll my eyes. ‘No, not that,’ I say, half wishing he’d put hishands back where they were. ‘The eggs. And the dragonlings. We’ll have to get them out tonight, with Karim.’
He nods several times, like a drunk person trying to understand simple instructions. ‘We haven’t got time to be …’ He gestures to the desk beneath me and I smirk.
‘There will be other opportunities,’ I say innocently.
He blushes again. ‘So tomorrow we go to our shifts as usual, and wait for the rebels.’
