A whistling sounded as the person lifted the top of the dumpster and dropped their trash inside. The moment they turned away—I had a perfect view of their black boots—I wiggled out as silently as I could. They were going to get back inside through that door, and I would save myself a ton of time if I could secretly follow.
Whoever it was, I was guessing he was a man from the size of his back and shoulders. An unfit man who huffed and puffed during the short walk to the door. He didn't bother to look around once as he used a key on his belt to open the door, disappeared inside, and let the door swing back on its own.
Stupid, stupid move. Uriel would have kicked his ass if he saw that.
Doors were to be shut by a person, not their hinges. It was a big rule of his. Hydraulic openings like these gave your enemy time to lurch forward and catch the door just before it shut.
In this situation, I was the enemy.
I caught the door and held it for a moment, giving the man time to be long gone, and then I slipped inside.
Doing what the resistance guy had just failed to do, I closed the door firmly behind me, hearing the click of the lock before I moved away from it. Now I was inside the jail block, searching blind, and I needed to be quick about it. Who knew if Uriel intended to return to my room and follow through on hispromises?
A deep shudder ran through me. A few years ago, the idea of spending the night in bed with him, of spending myfuturewith him, would have been a dream come true. Stupid, foolish, brainwashed teen that I was, I'd genuinely thought I loved him.
Boy, had I been wrong.
What I felt for Jordan and Rafe... that was as real as it came. Not that I'd ever admitted it to them—certainly not to Rafe—but the longer I was away from them both, the longer they were in danger because of me, the more certain I became.
Iwasin love. With both of them.
And to hell with leaving my loved ones to suffer at the hands of Uriel and his crazy radical faction. I'd find Jordan—and hopefully Rafe—and we'd get the fuck out of here. Screw saving the world, that wasn't our responsibility. We were too young and way too inexperienced. This was a job for King Felipe and Queen Jacinta... if they were both still alive.
Guilt washed through me, churning my stomach. If Felipe didn't survive, then it was my fault. Logically I knew the Society had relished the opportunity to take down so many royals all at once, but I still couldn't shake the feeling of responsibility. Would things have happened like that if they hadn't been targeting me? Would Rafe's dad be safely home with his kids?
Questions that would never be answered, even while the guilt continued to eat me alive.
A sound ahead of me made me pause, then I pasted myself against the wall and prayed that the shadows would help me blend. When no one came around the corner and the sound faded away, I breathed a sigh of relief. I needed to hurry the hell up and find Jordan, not dwell on my own melancholy thoughts.
Shoving my emotions aside, I worked my way through the building systematically. I relied on the training that Uriel had drilled into me foryearsand remained undetected. Silently, I searched countless rooms untilfinallyI found the one I was looking for. Or rather, the occupant I was looking for.
"Jordy!" I exclaimed in a hushed cry through the meal slot as I recognized his shadowy form. In reality, as dark as it was and as hunched over as he was, it could have been anyone. But I knew it was him. I knew that wasmyNew American prince. "Jordan, it's Violet!"
He was sitting with his back to one of the smooth concrete walls, his arms draped across his bent knees and his head hanging low. His dark hair seemed longer, hanging in limp, dirty strands in front of his face and obscuring it from view.
When he made no sign of having heard me, I grew worried. Had they damaged his hearing?
I needed to get in there. I needed to touch him and know that he was still okay... as okay as could be expected if he'd suffered a fraction of the atrocities Uriel was capable of.
"Hang on," I told him through the meal slot, my voice only slightly louder than the whisper I'd started with. "I'm coming to get you out."
I worked quickly with the pin I'd found in the alleyway, and moments later the door to Jordan's prison swung open and I rushed inside. My knees hit the floor in front of him, and I reached out to touch his arms, not hesitating for even a second.
Stupid. I should have known better.
The second my gloved hands touched Jordan's skin, he flinched violently away and curled in on himself defensively.
I breathed a curse, biting my lip as I mentally chastised myself for such a dumb move. Only an idiot would think the Society had just tossed him in a cell and left him alone for weeks. Considering what they calledtrainingfor me... I shuddered to think what they'd have done as punishment to a crown heir.
"Jordy," I whispered again, sitting back on my heels and folding my hands in my lap to stop from trying to touch him again—even though every fiber of my being needed to reach out and feel that he was still alive, still breathing, stillmine. "Jordan, it's me, Violet. Can you hear me?"
He flinched again and shuddered, but it was all I needed to reassure myself that he could, in fact, hear and understand me.
"Jordy, we need to get you out of here," I told him in a gentle whisper, licking my lips to hold back the choking sense of urgency flooding through me. "We need to go, now, before they realize I've left my room."
No response.
"Jordan, please," I begged him, letting that edge of panic slip into my tone. "Please, we need to go. Now. Come on." I stupidly reached out to him, intending to take his hand and coax him up.
