“Thank you,” I responded absentmindedly.
“Fertile blessings.”
I nodded at him, crossing the threshold, staring at the stars beyond the glass. They twinkled magnificently, not a cloud in sight, and with the moon’s absence, they painted the sky with a glittering display. The doors behind me closed, but I didn’t care as my gaze didn’t leave the stars above the glass ceiling. They looked so free, so unencumbered by rules or restrictions. Shining without fear.
A noise to my right caught my attention, and I realized I wasn’t alone.
“Hello, Mate.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
COLLIN LOUNGED IN THE POD, HIS ANKLE PROPPED OVERhis knee. If I glittered like a star, he was the darkness that blanketed the night sky. My breath caught as my body grew too warm. In the space of a heartbeat, the memory of his body against mine heated my skin. His sapphire gaze drank me in, from the sheer skirt of my gown to the plunging neckline, like maybe he was plagued by the same thought. I shook it away, standing tall.
“So it’sMatenow?” I asked instead of saying hello. Something about him made me unable to be proper. I wanted to shatter his control, find out who he really was underneath his polished exterior.
“It is what you are,” Collin informed me, his eyes traveling up the sheer bodice of my gown, “and it is less personal.”
He met my gaze. The Pod lurched forward, and I flung my hand out against the glass, attempting to balance myself, and widened my stance.
He perched on the edge of his seat as if ready to catch me. “Do you intend to sit?”
“I was told the fabric wrinkles easily and not to sit unless I have to,” I told him. “You wouldn’t want your pet to look unkempt, would you?” I smiled innocently.
An exasperated sigh escaped him, and he rubbed his temples.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of arriving with you?” I asked. The stars and buildings swirled around us as we made our way through the clouds.
“We need to discuss our situation before this ball,” Collin said. “I told the Illum that you have been actively spying for us the last two weeks, and that is why we didn’t have any public appearances. That you felt it would hinder your ability to get information. You need to sell that story to the Elite.”
“And what information did I supposedly give you?”
“You don’t need to worry about the details. The Elite, while nosy, know their place. Just act the part.”
I huffed. “All about appearances.”
Collin’s jaw bulged. “This is not about appearances. You could be eliminated for your actions. Do you comprehend that? Do you understand what it feels like to watch people be eliminated?”
“Thanks to you, I do,” I snapped.
Collin leaned back in his seat, away from me. “Just follow their rules and the narrative.”
“What do I tell them about not being drugged by you?” I asked viciously.
“Many don’t know anything about the surface,” Collin told me.
“So you lie to the Elite too,” I spat.
He stared at me, and I fidgeted under his gaze. “Think of it as selective truth.”
I paused. “My HI said my supplements were altered to calm me after that night when you . . .”murdered someone.
“Yes, as a kindness to lessen the shock of seeing that. But your supplements were never to be altered like the others. I wouldn’t let them drug you, Emeline.”
“Why not?” I asked. “Why treat me differently than the other Defects?”
The Pod shot up into the sky, sending me off-balance. I grabbed uselessly at the glass. Collin was behind me in an instant, his firm hands at my sides, steadying me. His warm grip burned straight through the thin fabric. The Pod slowed at a line of Pods hovering ahead, depositing Elite into the sky.
Collin released me quickly, putting space between us. “Does it matter? You wouldn’t believe me.”
