I shrugged. “He’s just excited to see me.”
His eyebrows lifted, but his tone stayed dry, neutral. “Who is he?”
“He’s…no one.”
Tension vibrated in every line of him, and his gaze traveled toward Jayden, studying him the way a cat would contemplate a mouse.
I reached for Lucas’s hand, where tremors served as evidence of the stress still coursing through his body. “He was before you. He’s not a threat.”
“Everything is a threat,” he murmured.
“Lucas?”
He shook his head—a tight, jerky movement. He was teetering at the breaking point, struggling to hold himself together the same way I’d nearly dissolved when he wanted to leave me to chase down Jack Miller.
One step closer, I pressed our joined hands to my heart. “Picture the trees, okay? They’re tall. The rain is warm and smells of cypress.”
His forehead dropped to mine. “Things are about to get so much worse, Sophia. Whatever happens, promise me you’ll stay safe.”
“Soph?” Jayden’s worried voice hissed across the yard. “You coming?”
“Promise me,” Lucas said, more urgent now.
“I promise.” I squeezed Lucas’s hand. “You ready?”
With the tiniest nod, he followed me toward the side entrance. Jayden knocked in the series of rhythmic rapsrequired after curfew, and the door unlocked from the inside. We stepped into the main hall of Defiance headquarters.
Lucas snorted in disbelief. “Fucking hell. No wonder we could never find you. This is genius.”
Inside, the place glowed with warm light. Several soldiers lounged around the common rooms on either side of the hall, snacking or chatting. Lucas glanced at the metal covering the windows.
“Don’t let them see you,” I whispered as people peered at us. He pulled his hood further over his face.
Luckily, none of my friends were nearby, or I’d have been inundated with questions.
“General’s still working,” Jayden said. “I’ll let you head that way. I have to get back outside.” He paused and placed his hand on my shoulder. “I’m glad you’re safe.”
Nodding his way, I dragged Lucas toward the staircase. My stomach twisted with nerves and questions. What would Theo do when I brought a Blood Colonel into his office? Was Lucas right? Would Theo really arrest him?
After a slight hesitation that Lucas clocked at once, shooting me a knowing look, I knocked on Theo’s door.
“Remember what you promised,” Lucas murmured.
I ignored him.
The familiar “Enter!” turned my hands clammy.
I poked my head in. “Theo?”
He stood at his desk, absently flicking a pen on the edge, but his body stilled. He closed his eyes while I opened the door.
“Theo, it’s me.”
A rough breath escaped him. “Soph?”
Neither of us moved once our eyes met. It took several seconds before his attention shifted to the person attached to me. Lucas had his hood raised, but he glared at Theo from theshadow underneath with undisguised hatred. Theo gripped his knife.
I hauled Lucas inside with me and closed the door. The lock turned with a loud click.
