“You’re pretty. Just like Charlotte was.”
Was?
She tilts her head, studying my neck wound. “Are you lycan?”
The alarm clock rattles on the desk, causing me to jump. Emilia skips away, joining the line of girls who wait to wash their hands in the sink.
“Don’t be alarmed,” my partner whispers. “We’ve seen several girls like you come and go. Levi has a type.”
A type? Oh no, I think it’s far more complicated than that.
I reach for another handful of yellow blooms. “What’s your name?”
“Fawn,” she answers.
“Do you know what happened to her? The last girl who looked like me?”
“The doctor has these . . . pets. If someone displeases Levi, they are given to the creatures. For them to feed on.”
The disturbing words circulate in my mind the rest of the day.
Waiting in a dinner queue, I try not to imagine Charlotte’s last moments as a bowl of soup is set on my tray. The cafeteria is silent, save for the clinking of spoons and dishes. No one looks at each other.
Taking a deep breath, I find a vacant seat next to my cell neighbor. Several minutes pass before she speaks to me.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbles, gathering a spoonful of tomato soup. “His augment is abhorrent.”
I nearly spit out my mouthful. “Who, Levi? What do you mean?”
Without warning, a guard slams his fist down on the table between us, splashing the hot soup on the woman’s lap. Both of us grimace as he barks out, “No private conversations.”
I hold my breath as he bends over the table. The other girls avert their eyes, biting down on their lips. Some of the soup splashed upwards, splattering my acquaintance’s chin and cheeks with tiny red speckles.
“Now take off your uniform and clean up your mess.” The barrel of his gun hovers between us. For a moment, I consider wrapping my hands around it and taking matters into my own hands.
The woman next to me gives me a cautionary look, as she loosens the ties on her shoulder straps.Don’t.
Exposed to the entire room in just her underwear, she sinks to the floor, bunching up the thin fabric of her dress. The guard hums to himself, satisfied. Then, he leaves us.
I remain still as she reaches under the table to retrieve her spoon, dropping her voice to the lowest decibel. “Remember what I said. Hold fast, no matter what they put you through.”
Chapter 40
AXE
Through our bond, I call out Vessa’s name. Her emotions are strained. She can’t answer me, but I feel her desperation in the way she clings to her heartline like a fraying rope.
After two and a half days of searching and receiving only a small, insignificant update from Tesni, I nearly lose my temper.Fucking witches. I need to shift again. Urgently. For hours, my wolf has been drilling me with exasperated demands.
I inform my Sentinel about the rogue’s assault on the Tilaak, opting to keep the information on Vessa’s whereabouts disclosed. Tesni questions my tone, but I profusely dismiss her concern. I need her to stay focused.
At twelve hundred hours, Nell approaches my office with her mother and a plate full of food. I’d be lying if I said my stomach hasn’t been growling all morning. But how can I eat anything at a time like this?
She places the chicken thighs before me, snatching my tablet. Internally, my wolf groans. I open my mouth to refuse, but she cuts me off with a scold. “We’ll do the talking. You do the eating. Got it?”
Finally caving to the hunger, I nod.
Daphne clutches what appear to be Vessa’s notes. Her northern accent is thick with distaste when she speaks. “I understand that the oracle’s journal has been destroyed.” She bites her lip, shaking her head. “You should’ve come to me sooner. I could’ve told you that trying to understand this book is a waste of time.”
