It had been too plain how much they cared.
“What do I do? Reed. What do I do?” Brick asked. She trembled. Dirt from the plants shook out of her hair, falling like soot.
“Let her go,” Nate said. “Let Agatha go.”
Brick shook her head. “Nate—”
“Look, she’s going to kill her!” Nate shouted.
“They’ll keep her,” Brick said, wretched and soft.
Pixel held completely still, rigid with fear. Tears ran down her face, and she shuddered with swallowed-back sobs. Juniper’s sharp tool dimpled her skin when she shook her head. “Nate. I don’t wanna stay.”
Alden had warned them. And they hadn’t listened.
Nate had to fix this. He had to help her.
There was only one way to do it.
“I know, Pix.” Nate watched her so he wouldn’t have to see the look on Reed’s face. “But you don’t have to stay alone.” At the first sound of growling protest from Reed, he kept talking. Raised his voice. “Agatha’s right, and we can help her. We can help ourownkind.”
Reed fell silent.
Tinkering had always come easily to Nate, but he’d never done it like this. Severed a thin wire, a warm thread between his heart and another. It hurt far more than being bitten by the jagged edge of a live wire.
Agatha met his gaze, and he lifted his chin, daring her to question him.
“There’s a reason our blood heals,” he said. “A reason they fiend for us. We’re better, Pixel. Andthisis where we belong, not hiding.” His voice broke, and he hoped Agatha would attribute it to relief and not the pain of his ribs curling in on his heart and crushing it. “Not with thieves.”
Brick lifted her knee from Agatha and fell toward Reed, reaching for him as if blinded. At the edge of Nate’s vision, Reed caught her close, and they pulled each other to stand. Clumsy. Shaken.
Betrayed.
Go. Run.
Nate held Agatha’s appraising gaze. He swallowed against the tightness in his throat as she stood, elegant even with her mouth bleeding and her clothes stained with wet dirt.
“I’m sorry things had to come this far for you to choose the path of wisdom,” she said, tone faintly dubious.
She doesn’t believe me. Not yet.
Reed said nothing, and Nate tried to breathe evenly. It was almost as bad as the squeeze of sickness around his lungs. He’d expected an argument or a plea, but Reed had already given up on him. Believed in his betrayal that quickly.
“You don’t get to decide for her.” Brick spat each word out. “She’s with us.”
“She never belonged toyou,” Agatha said. “Wearranged for her to be smuggled out of Gathos City.”
“That’s a lie.” Brick sucked in a breath. “We found her on the street.”
“Of course you did. The shipment they hid her in never arrived where it was supposed to. She’s fortunate you found her, but that doesn’t make her yours.”
Pixel hiccoughed and hugged her arms tightly at her middle. “They’re my family! I’ll run away! I’ll find them. I won’t stay with you. It’s scary down here.” She dissolved into tight, mournful cries.
“Brick, you can’t keep her safe.” This time, Nate’s words were true. None of them could save her once she came of age and the sickness rose up. Not Reed. Not Brick.
This is the only way.
“This is safe? Hooked up to a machine?” Brick asked.
