were at the Choosing ceremony. We got separated in the panic when everything went insane. I won’t go back to school without her.”
“We’re looking for Vara, too. We need her help.” So she was out here. We didn’t even know if she was still alive. This was looking more and more desperate.
“What’s going on?” Arthur raised an eyebrow, and I rushed to explain about the video, as well as why we needed Vara.
Arthur frowned by the end, and said, “I know she can get that video out. But we have to find her first.”
“If you text her the video, could she broadcast it from there?” Delmare asked.
“She doesn’t have her phone.” Arthur took a cell phone out of his pocket and waved it in the air. “This one was hers— she asked me to hold onto it tonight, because her jacket didn’t have any pockets. Otherwise, I would’ve contacted her by now.”
“Do you have any idea where she might go?” Kiara questioned.
“If she couldn’t make it to the school, she’d hide out at the news station,” Arthur said. “They’d let her in, but it’s on the other side of town. I’ve been trying to work my way over there, but it’s hard on my own.”
“It’s our only shot. Can you take us there?” I asked.
Arthur nodded. “If we fight together, we should be able to force our way through.”
“Lead the way.” We followed my brother out of the alleyway. I hoped Vara was still alive. We needed her to make sure this video got out.
I kept my magic at the ready, expecting another monster to leap out at any second and tear us all to shreds. As we got closer and closer to the other side of the city, that became an even bigger possibility. The crowds increased. The screams grew louder, and more blood was poured over the stones. People pushed us aside as they darted by, scattering in all directions. Arthur and the rest of us stuck to the outskirts, trying to remain unnoticed by the monsters themselves. I knew we had a job to do, but my eyes kept wandering over to the battles. I watched as monsters tore fae apart and feasted on their bodies with zealous fervor.
I heard the scream of a tiny girl. I wanted to go and fight, but as I moved toward the sound of the girl’s cries for help, Kiara grabbed my arm. “No. We’re on a mission. We have to get that video out. It’s the only way to stop this.”
My throat tightened, but I was the White Rose right now, not Emma, so I forced myself to turn my attention away.
“There’s the news station.” Arthur gestured toward a square building in the middle of town. It was surrounded by rubble, and looked deserted.
The five of us ran for it. We found the doors locked— Arthur began hammering on it, crying out, “Let us in! For the love of the gods, let us in!”
Someone unbolted it from the other side. I nearly collapsed in relief when I saw Vara.
Arthur basically did. He flung himself upon his mate and kissed her, and she wrapped his arms around him in a loving embrace, two mates reunited.
It made me lonely for Ethan. What was he doing out there? Was he still okay?
“I thought… I…” Arthur could hardly get the words out.
“I don’t have a scratch on me. I’m safe,” Vara said as she touched his face. She waved her hand and said, “Come inside.”
We rushed into the news station as Vara locked the door behind us. Papers lay scattered across desks, and cameras were set up at the front of the room near a broadcast studio. It looked like a madhouse in here— coffee cups were overturned, and computers were still on from people working on stories in the middle of the night. It appeared everyone had left in a great hurry. I’d never thought the White Rose would walk willingly into a news station, yet, here she was.
“Most of the reporters are out filming the chaos,” Vara explained. “I came back here to hide seconds ago. I think I’m the only person left in the building.”
Vara turned toward us. “You don’t have to conceal who you are, Emma. You’re safe with me. You must need my help, or you wouldn’t have come here.”
I slowly pulled off my mask. “How did you know it was me?”
Vara smiled slightly. “I’ve been following the White Rose story since it started. Once I got to know