I showered and spent the rest of the day lying in bed, thinking of our kiss. The way my body had felt alive. The feel of Hal’s body against mine. It wasn’t long until a different kiss filled my thoughts—the one in the clouds with Collin. How at the time I hadn’t wanted it to end. I pushed the thought away. There was no comparing the two. Collin had kissed me because he needed to, for the Press. Hal had kissed me because I asked, because I had wanted to kiss him, despite my contract and the consequences. Hal saw me; there was a freedom in that, which I knew I would never find with my Mate. The shadows around my room shifted, and the sun began to descend in what felt like no time, prompting me to pull myself from the confines of my bed.
A soft knock sounded. I shoved my wrist under the scanner as I opened the door. Lo made her way into my room.
“I’m happy you messaged me. I got worried,” Lo said, sitting cross-legged on the floor. “What happened to you the other night? I didn’t see you leave that Pond place. It’s weird how the tables move, right? Gregory went to the restroom and couldn’t find our table on his way back. You were right about the food. I had this thing called soup. It was so good.”
“Yeah, the food was really good,” I said absentmindedly as my black box dinged and I retrieved my meal. I sat next to Lo on the floor. “Tell me about your initial meeting,” I said, desperate to get Lo talking—to focus on something other than my own thoughts that bled into one another with no delineation.
“Well, I went to some older woman named Mary for my prep appointment. She wasn’t creepy like your bird ladies. She was fine, very chatty. Talked about some upcoming dinner the Elite were all in a tizzy about. She sorta rushed me so she could tend to her other clients, I think. I also think she messed up on my gown. She said my proposed Mate noted he loved green. But Gregory commented that my gown was very bright.”
I bit my tongue, hard. Thebird ladies,who had told me to do nothing, just get close to Collin. What kind of tizzy were the Elite in now? How many knew about what Collin had done? The elimination. And Gregory liked green, just the green of another woman’s dress that night.
“But the dinner went well, I think. I made him laugh. I thought he got bored since he was gone for so long, but like I said, he just got lost. He said the room always confuses him. But he can’t help coming back for the view.”
The view of someone, I was sure, who told me that was her favorite place in the whole city.
“Anyway, I haven’t heard anything from him yet. I hate to ask, but can you find out if it went well? I know he’s your birth brother, but he’s so hot. His blue eyes. It’s a shame your eyes aren’t both that blue. His are so dreamy. Also, why aren’t you wearing your lens?”
The lens that represented what the Illum demanded of me, something I couldn’t avoid forever. I caught my lip between my teeth, the lip Hal had licked as he held me against him.
“Emeline, hello?” Lo waved her hand before my face. “Are you listening to me?”
I shook my head. “Sorry.”
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
Yes, so much had happened. I opened my mouth but stopped.
We will eliminate anyone who threatens our progress.
I couldn’t tell Lo. Even if I wanted to, and a part of me desperately did, I had made my choice to go below. That didn’t mean I had to drag her down with me. I wouldn’t risk her safety.
Lo’s warm hand pulled me from my thoughts as she laid it on my knee. “Emeline, are you okay? You can tell me whatever it is.”
I took a deep breath, meeting her blue eyes.
“There was a dinner last night,” I told her. I wouldn’t tell her everything, nothing that would endanger her, but like Violet had said, we were in this together as Defects.
“Do you think the dinner is why Gregory hasn’t reached out?” Lo asked, scooting closer to me.
“It’s highly possible. A hologram of an Illum named Tabitha was there. And so was Collin.”
No one had told me to keep the events to myself. The last time I shared information, Violet had gotten hurt. Badly. That was me telling an Illum information a Minor had told me. This was different. I was warning a Minor of what the Illum and the Elite were up to. This was protecting my own—not seeking information from above.
I blew out a big breath, my eyes finding her wide blue eyes.
“Don’t repeat what I’m going to tell you.”
Lo’s spine straightened. “Okay.”
“Lo, the Illum are looking for Defects who are working against them. They’re going to be watching us. Whatever you do, don’t go see Becca.”
“Okay. But who would work against them?” Lo asked, leaning toward me.
“People who are unhappy with how things are. People in the Underworld.”
“The Underworld?” Lo asked, her brows knitting together.
“Where the Majors live. They don’t live in Low Town, they live underground. Listen, they captured a sympathizer, the guy who whistled at me before we got on the Pod that day. You remember him?” Lo nodded. I took a steadying breath. “They killed him.”
