Hanging there like a blade.
And her eyes.
Looking at me like I hold the answer to everything.
I swallow the lump rising in my throat.
She’s too young for this.
Too young to know what kind of world she was born into, what kind of father I lied about every time she asked.
I smooth a curl behind her ear.
Fake a smile.
Try to keep my voice steady.
“Of course he did, baby,” I whisper. “He… he loved you before he even met you.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
It’s the first lie I ever told her.
And every time I say it, it breaks me a little more.
She nods, content for the moment. Her eyes drift closed again.
But the damage is done.
Because now I can’t stop seeing Vael’s face when he wakes up.
The way his eyes snapped open and went straight to me.
The anger and confusion andhurtthere, all wrapped up in one impossible look.
He doesn’t know.
Hecan’tknow.
Not yet.
And not just because I’m not ready.
Because if the Alliance finds out about Nessa’s hybrid genetics, they won’t see a child.
They’ll see an experiment.
A weapon.
A threat.
I know what happened to the other children like her.
The ones who didn’t make it offworld in time.
The ones who disappeared.
