Warrick sits at the head of the mahogany table, composed as ever. His gaze lingers on Mercy approvingly, but when it reaches me, disappointment sharpens his expression. Until he catches sight of my atrocious outfit.
“You made an effort,” he says with a pleased smile. “You must want something.”
“Mercy isn’t a soldier,” I say, bypassing any formalities. “You’re sending her to the Forge to punish me. She could die out there!”
“She’ll be trained,” he replies. “We will see if she possesses your hunger.”
“I’ll go with her,” I say, immediately. “I’ll look after her.”
Sullivan speaks before Warrick can refuse. “It would reflect well on you to send both girls. The Supreme Director may look upon your decision favorably.”
There is a gleam in Warrick’s eyes. One that unnerves me.
“I have a different plan for Haven,” he says. “Ender Vale was recently promoted to the role of Commandant. A big accomplishment for him, being only twenty-one. He will oversee the entirety of the military institution.”
I frown. What does Ender Vale have to do with anything? I know little about the Supreme Director’s son except that he is an accomplished soldier and quite easy on the eyes. Sometimes, he graces his father’s side during official announcements. Raven hair fluttering in the breeze, full lips tight in a practiced scowl.
“Okay,” I say slowly. “So, about me going with Mercy, I thi?—”
“You’re engaged to him,” Warrick says abruptly. “He arrives tomorrow.”
My grip tightens around my fork.
Mercy gasps, and Sullivan stiffens.
“You wouldn’t dare,” I say between clenched teeth. “You hide me away like a secret, and I am to believe you paired me with the son of the most powerful man in New Foundry?”
A knife lifts from the table, hovering inches from Mercy’s throat. Warrick is a Kinetic. He has the power to manipulate objects in his surroundings. With one raise of his hand, he has put my sister’s life at risk. It isn’t the first time he’s used his powers to threaten me. And it never gets any easier, watching my sister’s eyes widen in fear.
He knows that she is my weakness. The one person I will always protect, no matter what.
“If you defy me,” Warrick says calmly, “your sister pays the price.”
Fear locks my spine. I wouldn’t put it past him to slaughter Mercy to teach me a lesson. After he killed our mother, I expected nothing less.
“Haven accepts the engagement,” Sullivan says, answering on my behalf.
Sullivan warns me to keep my mouth shut with a pointed look. But I have no intention of mouthing off to Warrick, not when he holds my sister’s life in his hands.
Warrick lowers the knife, and it flies across the room, falling back into his palm. He uses the same blade he had pressed to my sister’s throat to cut into his steak. Blood oozes out of the corners, puddling beneath the slab of meat.
“You are not fit for the military,” Warrick says. “Just like your mother, you are incapable of being loyal.”
The words hang between us, harsh and unrelenting, and for the first time in years, I feel the weight of everything I’ve lost. My heart bleeds like an open wound at the mention of my mother.
He wants to force me into this marriage to punish me for years of defiance. He knows that Mercy won’t survive the Forge.It is known for its brutality. It carves away weakness, replacing it with cruelty. And that is assuming she survives till graduation.
Warrick wants me to break, but I won’t give him the satisfaction.
I refuse to let him win.
chapter
two
Haven
Ihaven’t moved from my bed since I learned of my engagement. Mercy lies beside me, close enough that I can feel her warmth. Gossamer curtains drift down from the canopy, shielding us from the world. We used to share a room when we first arrived, huddling under the fluffy, eggshell-colored duvet, gripping each other’s hands so tightly we left behind scratches.
