and asked me to help you. Otherwise, I would have let you fend for yourselves.” With that, he skips away.
Archer couldn’t help me directly, so he was helping me remotely.
Zero! I don’t want to like him. Not after everything that’s happened. But I do. He’s a good guy, and maybe...maybe he truly cares about me, not just my decision. Or maybe I’m deluded. How am I ever to know?
Sloan and I gather our meager belongings, don our new coats and make our way outside. The air is as bitterly cold as I remember, despite the bright rays of light and warmth spilling from the sun, but with every blast of wind, our clothes actually heat. I scan the surrounding sidewalks for Archer... Killian. There’s no sign of either boy.
Archer can’t approach me until I invite him back. Killian can show up at any time.
As promised, a black sedan waits at the curb. As we step forward, the back door opens without outward assistance. I hesitate only a moment before sliding onto the cushioned leather seats.
The partition blocking us from the driver is shaded, hiding our identities. And his. A fact that makes me nervous, but I say nothing, merely remaining on alert. Get to the airport, get to the States.
We motor forward, soon twisting and turning along a thin, treacherous road that offers no railing to prevent a plummet over the side of the mountain. There are signs posted along the way.
Light Brings Sight!
Might Equals Right!
We HART You! Humans Against Realm Turmoil!
Don’t Believe the Lies! Realms Are Simply a Way to Control You!
Sloan looks away from the window and sighs. “What are you going to do after you buy your beach house and learn to surf?”
“Stuff myself on Twinkies and Ding Dongs and finally figure out my eternal future.” And it’ll be easy...maybe. There will be no one to pressure me.
She gives me a double thumbs-down. “I’m going to marry the first unsuitable suitor I can find.” She spreads her arms and throws back her head, laughing. “Granny will be soooo ticked.”
“Did she really try to force you to marry some old fart just to save her estate?”
“Oh, yes, she surely did.” Anger and bitterness twist her expression. “One day, I’m going to burn down the ancestral estate. But I don’t want to discuss my revenge.”
Afraid I’ll try to change her mind? “No prob. You were boring me, anyway.”
She snorts. Then she shifts nervously in her seat and rubs her hands over her thighs. “So... I wanted to wait until I had my head wrapped around the details before I talked to you about this, but, well, I’m too eager. I have new Laborers. My TL is Deacon, and my ML is Elena. She visited before my shower, and afterward I actually called for my TL. Just said, I’d like to speak with someone from Troika, and he appeared.”
I go on higher alert. “And?”
“Myriad offered me a house of my own design, any car I desire and a hundred-thousand-dollar bonus deposited straight into my bank account. For my Everlife, I’m to train as a Laborer.”
My heart flutters. “Did you accept?”
“No, but for the first time in my life, I’m actually thinking about it. I’m not sure Many Ends is as bad as we’ve heard, but if there’s a remote possibility, well, I need a new Everlife plan.”
“What did the Deacon guy offer?”
“Same thing Archer offered Clay. Family, aid whenever requested, you know the rest.”
“You interested in that?”
“Are you kidding? I hate my family. Why would I willingly sign on for another one? But, girl, Deacon is hot, so of course I said I’d think about it. I’m considering allowing him to plead his case...in bed.”
I roll my eyes. “You’re as bad as Killian.”
When the car stops, I peer out the window to see a line of caves—the airport? Seriously? In one of the caves, I can make out the nose of a plane, the wings retracted to fit inside the smallish hole.
“I think we have a talent for going from bad to worse,” Sloan mutters.
“Agreed.” Up ahead, there’s a long stretch of flat ice. Most likely the runway. Seems perfectly safe.
The door swings open, but this time it’s courtesy of a man—the driver.
“Hallo, Ten.” Killian smiles at me, slow and wicked. “So good to see you again.”
Butterflies dance in my stomach a split second before anger mows over them, shredding their wings. I glare up at him. “Your actions led to the death of my friend.”
His smile vanishes. “Clay is