Page 52 of Rite of Unity

I stood at the top of the outer wall, not looking down.I gripped the cuffs of the man Corrine had handed over.A rebel sympathizer with three confirmed reports.I squeezed tighter to still the shake in my hands.

“Please,” he said from under the hood.My stomach turned.“Please.I want to see outside the wall just once.”

My jaw tightened as the cameras zoomed in, capturing my face from every angle.Sweat rolled down my back, but I straightened.

“Michael O'Brian.You have been found guilty of rebel sympathizing.”

“Please,” he whispered a third time.“Grant a dying man's wish.”

The shake in my hands was back and I yanked him toward the edge by his cuffed wrists.He staggered, one foot nearly slipping.My hold tightened, keeping him upright.Below, something had already scented him.A shriek split the air and the mass of bodies below surged and clawed at one another, heads thrown back, mouths open.

I glanced down at the dark stain spreading rapidly down his leg and blinked several times.

“For your crimes, there is only one punishment.”

He'd stopped begging.Stopped fighting.The stone in my gut bottomed out.

“By order of the Covenant States, I carry out this sentence.”

I released him, not looking away as the hood flew from his head and wide eyes never found the horizon he had so desperately wanted to see just once.

My hands flexed at my sides, jaw tight, as one camera watched my face and the other followed Michael down.The shrieking pitched higher, feverish, animal.A wet crack silenced it before the feeding sounds rose up to replace it.

I looked up, into the camera.

“Let this be a lesson to all those considering aiding rebels.Your neighbors will report you, and wewillcome to deliver justice.”

***

Friday hadn’t come soon enough.We were finally at the end of the public trials.Soon, I’d get to spend time with them, to actually get to know them.

That thought appealed to me—with some more than others.

I straightened my tie, ran my fingers through my hair, and shook out my hands.

Turning, I stepped into the room and every eye found me.Some people were intimidated by attention.Not me.The nation had watched my first diaper change on live television.

“Welcome guests!”

The room cheered as I stopped at the center.My gaze snapped to a pair of gray eyes already watching me.I smiled.

It was easy to imagine her as my bride when her gown was the loveliest shade of white I’d ever seen.They were all wearing white.But there was something different about the way Maryn’s inky black hair contrasted with it so sharply.Her skin was so pale that her bare arms were almost lost between the edge of her sleeve and her gloves, but it only added to her allure.

“As you know, Trial Four is different from the others.This is your chance to tell me if I’ve made a huge mistake in choosing one of these women.”

Chuckles around the room, but Maryn’s mouth turned down, and I was reminded of Trial One.Cruel, she had called it.

“But,” I said, cutting off their laughter.“No matter which lady you send home, know that I chose each one with intention.Each lady possessed some great quality that I know will make an exceptional wife for a man in the Covenant States.”

I turned to the projection on the wall as the lights dimmed.

Rankings poured down the screen without any fanfare or explanation, and I didn’t have to look to know it was Hannah crying loudly when her rank was announced.

The screen went black, the lights flaring, and I spun around.“Hannah.”

Her shoulders shook, and Nami wrapped an arm around her.

“Don’t touch me,” she cried.