“Practicing.”
His arms slithered around my back. I thought of the other day when he’d gotten hard while we danced. How he’d constantly said inappropriate things to me. The times he’d brought his lips so close to mine they almost touched. His fingers slid lower, just grazing the area where my lower back rounded out to my ass, and I knew in that moment that Altair did want me. That the stars had been right the entire time. And that maybe, just maybe, I wanted him too.
“Ready to go?” he asked, his eyes landing on my mouth.
A dangerous and desperate thought crossed my mind.Kiss me.
“Ready,” I breathed out, trying to focus my thoughts. We could die tonight, I didn’t need the thought of Altair’s lips distracting me. He only smiled wider at whatever face I’d accidentally made, pulling me further into him as darkness encircled us.
We appeared in the field just before the wards for the rebel base, and I let Altair weave his fingers through my own as he tugged me past the cloak. Commander Maitoza was waiting, her uniform as pristine as ever. Her face brightened, lifting as she saw us.
“Well, don’t the two of you look exquisite. Are you ready?”
Neither of us said anything, only walking towards her. She didn’t seem to mind, just turning and heading for the prison. We arrived all too quickly, the tension from minutes prior gone, replaced by terror and nerves.
When we reached the second door, Altair bent low and gathered the thick, red silk of my dress, carrying it for me so it wouldn’t get stained with grime. Commander Maitoza chuckled at the action, earning a glare from Altair. unfazed, she walked to the end, where the suffocating stench clung to the Harmens.
“Both of you must stand. They need your exact heights and builds,” the commander boomed, her voice losing its calm edge.Within the cell, the Harmens stood, their faces grim. Perhaps they knew this was the end. Their usefulness had run out, and we all knew what happened when someone was no longer valuable to those with power.
I pictured a puppet with its strings being cut. A queen on a chess board knocking down a pawn.
“Come closer.” They obeyed the commander, stepping forward. The flickering light from the torches made it hard to see, so I cast my stars, the sight of them a comfort within the awfulness that the situation permeated.
“Azazel, how your father and mother will weep at your betrayal,” the man—Adam—said. Altair ignored him, moving all of the fabric from my gown to one hand so he could remove the two vials from his pocket. I took one, letting my fingers glide down his arm, trying to reassure him in any way I could, but he didn’t even glance at me. His face was like carved stone, unmoving and unfeeling.
“Remember,” I said shakily, “you have to focus on their every detail. Their skin, their eyes, their nose, their mouth, their ears. Even their bodies—their shadow marks. If we miss even one feature, we’re done for.”
The two of us uncorked our vials simultaneously, tipping the contents into our mouths. I did my best to completely scan Jenna Harmen, looking at every tiny imperfection. I felt my hair shrink in time with my eyes, my nose thinning out and my arms growing. Suddenly, the dress became tighter, my breasts nearly spilling out of the top.
When I was positive I’d gotten every detail, I held out my hand, looking the women in the eyes. “I need your ring.”
She gaped at me, tucking her left hand against her chest. “No!”
“You will give her your ring or you will die slowly,” Maitoza boomed, making even me jump in surprise. Jenna Harmen letout a soft sob, tugging her ring off her finger and handing it to me through the bars. I took it quickly, not wanting her to get a hold of me.
“You’re all monsters,” Adam Harmen said, tossing Altair his ring before tucking Jenna into him. I wanted to argue, but how could I? I knew what I was.
Turning to face Altair, I saw he had done perfectly, matching Mr. Harmen down to the small freckle above his lip.
“Smile for me,” I demanded. He did as he was told, grinning wide, and I sighed. “You forgot your dimples.”
“Shit,” he hissed, grabbing his cheeks.
“There’s no fixing it now, but that’s okay. I’m sure people don’t often smile at these events.” Not when they were celebrating death and enslavement. Or maybe that was exactly what made them smile.
“You both did wonderfully. Don’t worry, this will be a success.” Commander Maitoza was beaming, her hands clasped in front of her. Altair only growled towards her, grabbing my hand and leading me away from the cell.
“If we die, the loss of this war is onyou,Commander,” he said just before we exited the prison.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Nova
“I read today that the core families all have castles in the Naqi District. No one says it out loud, but I think they see themselves as royalty, even though they aren’t.”
-From the journal of Nova Tershetta, 9248 AS
Castle Altair was not at all what I expected. Maybe it was because I’d seen Castle Zade and assumed each looked similar, but, regardless, I was stunned.
