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I’m… shocked.

I’m scared.

I can’t breathe or speak. It’s like he’s silenced my heart. Smothered the breath from my throat.

He’s completely still.

I swallow. In the smallest voice I’ve ever owned, I ask, “The Queen told you all that?”

“No,” he says. He motions slowly with his hand, to the hazy open space around us. A crane fly almost lands on his finger. “I learned it when I felt it. Just now.”

I’m speechless.

“Meet me on the Deck 6 stairs,” he says again. Soft, like a melody, he whispers, “I want you to wake up now.”

My eyes fly open.

CHAPTER 28

The Prisoner in the Brig

Ilie staring at Meg’s ceiling, the track marks on my arms prickling.

It makes a change being in a room that isn’t pitch black. Starlight is filtering in through her porthole. I turn my head and see the moon through it. It’s almost full, and it’s gigantic.

I peer over to check on Meg. She’s sleeping so soundly on her side I double-take to make sure she’s not dead.

And then I scold myself. What am I thinking?

I can’t go to meet Drake. I can’t be seen to be encouraging this blood magic connection between us, in any way.

I am not Drake’s soulmate. There is no such thing as soulmates. It’s just a fairy-tale – one that ended badly anyway.

We’re not even allowed to be out of our cabins out of hours.

It would be stupid.

It would be reckless.

Not to mention a betrayal against Cosmer. If anyone is my soulmate, it’s him.

Cosmer. Was it really only earlier today that we were lying on a beach in each other’s arms? I wish I could go to him. Even just seeing him, knowing he’s alive and safe for now, would be a relief. Just one look at him and I’d know I’d be doing the right thing by shutting out Drake.

That’s it.

Riss told me once if there’s a way in, there’s a way out – and I’d find one, or I’d make one.

I’ve just made one.

As silently as I can, I climb out of the bed and pull on my boots. I’m wearing the nightdress Meg gave me. For the sake of having something over the top, since I have no jacket, I pull on my leather vest.

Meg must sleep deeply because she never even twitches. I tiptoe to the door, which clicks open. Remembering there’s a grate over the deck’s entrance, I rummage in the pocket of her coat on the back of the door and find her key. I close the door carefully behind me.

The hallway is empty, luckily, and with plenty of laser lights still on, I make it to the grated archway easily. I fit the key into the chunky iron lock, then pull the grate up, the way I’ve seen both Riss and Meg do now.

I brace myself before I look down the staircase.

Drake is already waiting for me at the bottom of it, shadowed, in his black uniform and boots. He lifts his head, his smooth face now catching light, and our eyes meet.