Amber
Aknock on our door at three AM had Rylen and I scrambling out of bed. We’d already decided that we couldn’t go to sleep naked anymore, because we had to be ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. Hearing that knock sent my senses into overdrive. Rylen had the door open in half a second.
Top stood there, looking grave. “We’re on code red alert. The Baelese know there are bases communicating with one another. They intercepted England’s and they’re under attack now. It’ll take a lot more effort for them to get here if they’re suspicious, and based on their contact it seems like they’re still buying our ruse, but we’re on alert just in case.”
“Fuck.” Rylen ran a hand through his hair and paced. “What does this mean for their mating season? Will they cancel it?”
Top pressed his lips together. “So far as I can tell, it’s still on. They’re only allowing the bare minimum, though. So only about thirty percent of their soldiers will be out of commission.”
Rylen huffed out a breath. “It’ll have to work.”
“They figured out the Pig Latin pretty fast,” Top said. “But they only mentioned hearing one line in their comms—the one from England.Prepare for war.”
“So, they know something’s coming,” I said. “But maybe they don’t know when, or from where.”
“That’s my hope,” Top said. “In the meantime, I’ve added soldiers to more lookout points. If you hear the base sirens sound, you get straight to the hangar,” he told Rylen, then looked at me. “And you go straight to the clinic.”
“Yes, sir,” we both said.
It was hard to fall back asleep after that. We spooned, with Rylen pulling my back tight against every inch of himself. I tried, and failed, not to imagine the sirens going off.
“Five more days,” Rylen whispered into my hair.
I held tight to his arms.
Five more days.
