“What? You two are so obviously head over heels with each other!” Grandma said. “I’m just surprised it took you so long!”
Hunter chuckled. “We were both blind to one another, I guess. But at least one thing was always certain. We’ve loved each other in more than one way, for years.”
“And now you’re taking it further,” Grandpa replied, grinning. “Does your mother know, Kale?”
I shrugged. “Um. We didn’t really get to talk about that.”
“Oh, she’ll be thrilled,” Grandma said. “She won’t see it coming, though. For years she’s said there was no way in hell her little witch and Aiden’s wolf pup would ever get together.”
“Aiden’s what now?” Aiden chimed in, clearly amused.
I sensed nothing but love coming from him and Kailyn. They were already used to Hunter and me hanging out all the time, since we’d practically grown up together. In fact, they seemed less surprised than Hunter and I were, when we first told each other about how we felt. They’d probably seen it coming.
“Wolf pup. I said wolf pup,” Grandma replied.
“That’s a full-grown wolf you’re looking at, sweetheart. One hell of a man, and an even greater wolf. Kailyn and I raised quite a warrior!” Aiden said, beaming with pride.
“He’ll always be a pup to me,” Grandma grumbled. “Just like Kale will always be the little curly thing that held on to my leg whenever I walked out of the sanctuary. I refuse to let the passage of time change that for me.”
“Aww. Grandma Corrine is getting emotional,” Hunter replied, stifling a laugh.
“You’ll see what it feels like when you get to my age,” Grandma said.
“You don’t look a day past twenty-five, honey. I don’t think you’re getting the right message across,” Ibrahim said, also struggling not to laugh.
“Yeah, but I feel at least two or three centuries old on the inside,” Grandma said.
Lumi cleared her throat. “Let’s all get past this Strava mess and see how old we feel then.”
And just like that, the fleeting moment of humor went away, as the harsh reality set itself back in, heavier and more uncomfortable than before. We had a way of laughing in the face of danger and misery, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain a high spirit for more than a minute or two.
“It’s all in the hands of our Perfect friends,” Kailyn said, wearing a sad smile. “All we can do now is wait. Our resolve is in here, somewhere. We just need to find it, hold on to it, and never let it go.”
“Mom’s right,” Hunter replied. “We’re all here together. And we’re getting out of here together. We’ve got too much to lose, and I have some dates to go on with Kale. Can’t do jack squat if we’re stuck in this place.”
His words warmed me up on the inside. I locked my arms around his torso and held him close, taking deep breaths and nearly getting drunk on his natural scent. His words rang true in my heart. We were all together again, though not under the circumstances I would’ve hoped for.
Even so, it was up to us to change these circumstances and end this debacle, once and for all. For the time being, our success, our shot at freedom, was in the hands of our Perfect and Faulty friends. I couldn’t help but think about them, wondering where they were and what they were doing. Araquiel, Herakles, Nathaniel, Uriel, Deena, and Angelica were basically our last—our one and only—hope. If they failed, we were all done for.
Douma
We were collared and placed in separate glass boxes, but kept in the same room. At least we could talk to each other as we waited for Ta’Zan to eventually come around and gloat. It was in his nature, especially since both Raphael and I were physically superior to him. Ta’Zan had always taken pleasure in keeping us under control, and I knew it bugged him to see Raphael and me exhibiting free will. Under this illusion of victory, Ta’Zan was bound to show up. He hadn’t had the last word just yet.
The room we were kept in was dark, the diamond walls covered in a thin, smoky film designed to block out the natural light. White beams were mounted on the ceiling, casting a cold glow and giving me the sense that I was in some kind of animal exhibition—and I was one of the prime specimens on display.
There were computer screens and a plethora of medical tools and devices mounted on one table, and I knew they were all meant for us. I recognized the tens of feet of slim cables. Ta’Zan used those to read brainwaves and vital signs, connecting the body to his computer screen.
“Well, at least we’re together,” Raphael quipped, clearly not as affected by our circumstances as I was.
I’d hoped that we’d be imprisoned in the diamond dome along with the outsiders. I’d done enough damage to be deemed an ‘enemy,’ like them, even after he’d reset me. But Ta’Zan wasn’t going to let me off the hook that easily, and I hated being away from Dmitri like this. It made our plan a bit more complicated, and we’d already been dealing with several unknowns. It was just another bump in the road, but one I’d partially expected. I was now facing two possible outcomes, if the outsiders escaped: either they came to get us, too, or they left us behind.
Personally, I would’ve left us behind because it would help the group more than lingering around to get us. But the pain in my heart told me that wasn’t the scenario I was truly hoping for. Dmitri would never leave this place without me—that much I knew for sure.
“I wonder what they’re doing in there,” Raphael added, noticing my silence.
“They… You mean Rose and Ben?” I asked, my voice low.
“Mm-hm. They’ve brought each other up to speed by now. Despite being stuck in the dome, I’m pretty sure they’re all happy to see each other.”
“It’s worthless if they don’t get out of there,” I said.
“We should’ve been in there, with them,” he replied. “But Ta’Zan doesn’t want us fraternizing with his enemy, not even after we’ve already betrayed them. I kind of knew he’d do something like this.”
“Yeah, me too. What do we do, then? We can’t stay here,” I murmured. “The collars aren’t enough to keep us down.”
“But these glass boxes certainly are,” Raphael said, then banged his fist against the glass wall. It didn’t even budge or hum. No matter how hard he hit it, the glass’s molecular structure would never allow us to leave, unless programmed by Ta’Zan. Or Amal and Amane. They probably knew their way around this stuff. “We can’t walk out on our own.”
“We have to find a way,” I said. “We can’t be here when the explosive charges go off. You remember the blueprints of this place, right? You know where Araquiel is planting the bombs.”
Raphael nodded. “We’re smack in the middle of a hotspot. It won’t kill us.”
“But it’ll tear us to shreds. By the time we recover, we’ll be back in a glass box, with no means of escaping. Besides, Ta’Zan is looking forward to cutting our heads off and indoctrinating us again. I can’t have that. I can’t lose myself like that. I won’t!”
“Hey, hey… Take it easy,” Raphael said, softening his tone. “I know what you’re going through. I understand the fear of losing your memories, your personality. Everything that makes you who you are. I get it. But you can’t let it cloud your judgment.”
I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my long, black hair. My own head felt heavy, and a crackling node was forming between my shoulder blades—the burning need to spread my wings and take flight. An anxiety attack was just around the corner, unless I found a way out of this place. Raphael was right, though. I couldn’t cave in like this. Dmitri and his family, his friends… they needed me.
“Remember, Amal and Amane are with him. They won’t let us rot in here,” Raphael added. “They need us. They all need us.”
