she heard a hiss of sound that could have been jake uttering a curse, but she wasn't sure. "that wasn't a good idea. they'll make us pay."

"they're reasonable people, jake. all we need to do is sit down together and talk things over. let them show you around here, see all the kids they've saved, and you'll know they're not the monsters my mother and your father thought."

"there are kids there?"

"lots."

"holy fuck. no wonder you didn't trigger the detonator."

"yeah, even if they'd been the bad guys, i couldn't have done it." another long stretch of silence had lexi gripping the phone hard. "jake? are you there?"

jake lowered his voice as if he was trying to hide their conversation. "listen, lexi. i only have a few seconds. you've got to get out of there. get all the kids out of there. right now."

a feeling of doom weighed down on her, sliding down her throat until it sat heavy in her stomach. "why?"

"do you really need to ask? just do it."

the defenders were attacking. lexi hadn't done what she'd come here to do, so they were taking matters into their own hands.

there was a loud thud and a grunt of pain. she had no idea what that noise was, but panic welled up inside lexi, making her stomach heave.

desperate, she said, "call it off, jake. make your dad call it off."

but it wasn't jake's voice that came back over the line. it was hector's. the deep grating sound of his anger was unmistakable. "it's too late for that now, little girl. we've got your man."

just as he said the words, lexi's head was filled with the sound of zach's frantic cry. lexi! we're under attack!

oh, god. it was too late. they had zach.

she made a choking sound and nearly dropped the phone. her whole body was numb with disbelief as she reached out for zach, needing to be near him. as always, the only thing that greeted her was silence. she couldn't feel him.

hector went on as if her world hadn't just spun out of control. "you've got a couple of choices. you can raise the alarm, and we'll kill him and his buddy right now, or you can walk calmly out through that break in the wall, and we'll let him live. it's up to you. what are you going to do?"

"don't hurt him," she told him to stall for precious seconds to think. her mind flew through her options as she spoke. a sketchy plan formed in her head, giving her an idea of how she could protect the people of dabyr. "let me talk to zach."

"no can do. the man's out like a light, bleeding all over the goddamn place."

oh god. zach.

lexi closed her eyes and swallowed hard, trying to clear her head of the image of his broken body lying helpless at hector's whim.

she wasn't going to let zach die. his people needed him too much.

she needed him too much.

lexi couldn't let them kill zach and whoever was with him, but she knew if she just walked out without warning anyone that there was a good chance even more people would die.

"why do you want me to come out? why not just kill me along with everyone else?" she asked, proud of the fact that she could actually form words in the midst of the chaotic jumble of panic and fear rolling around inside her.

"i promised your mother i'd look out for you. i'm a man of my word."

there was more to it than that-she could hear it in his voice-but lexi didn't waste any time trying to figure it out.

"what'll it be, girl? you coming out, or do i gut him now and let you hear him gurgle out his last breath?"

"i'm coming," she whispered.

"good girl. i figured you'd see things our way."

"what are you going to do to me?" she asked.

"are you worried we'll hurt you? you're one of us. what they did to you isn't your fault." understanding sounded odd coming from hector's lips. he was not the understanding type. "we'll clear up your confusion, and then you can tell us everything you've learned about that place. you're going to be a valuable asset."

that was it? they wanted information?

something about that didn't seem right, but she was running out of time and not coming up with any new options. "and you promise you won't hurt zach?"

"no, we'll let you have the honors of killing him and his buddy yourself once you're in your right mind again. i have to admit i'll enjoy the show. i've seen how ferocious you can be when you're angry. and once he no longer controls your thoughts, you're definitely going to be angry."

"how will i find you?" she asked.

"don't worry. we'll find you. just walk out, and we'll do the rest."

lexi would never hurt zach. never. but hector didn't need to know that. she'd play along and make sure that she did everything she could to keep the people here safe, and then she'd save zach.

sure, she had no idea how she was going to do all that, but she was good at thinking on her feet. she'd come up with something in the ten or fifteen minutes it would take her to get out through the broken wall.

yeah, right.

before she lost her nerve, lexi dialed helen's cell phone.

drake answered, sounding surly. "what?"

"it's lexi. can i talk to helen?"

"she's sleeping."

great. now she had to deal with a man she barely knew, one she didn't trust, at least not like she trusted zach. "we have a problem. the defenders are planning to attack dabyr."

"when?" he asked, the word a sharp chip of ice in her ear.

"now. i need you to evacuate everyone, but do it quietly. they may have a way of watching us. if they know what you're up to, they may move in sooner."

"you knew about this all along, didn't you?" he demanded.

"no. i swear." there wasn't time to convince him, so she didn't bother to try. "is there any secret exit out of this place? a safe room where people can hide or something?"

"i'm not telling you that. you think i'm some kind of fool?"

"just do it, drake. get everyone to safety."

"is there another bomb?" he asked.

"i don't know what they're planning, but i'm sure they've got something up their sleeve. and i think they're close." lexi pulled in a deep breath and let it out in a confession. "they have zach and someone else. i don't know who."

a feral rumble of anger vibrated over the line. "where are they, lexi?"

"i don't know, but i'm going to find out. they're coming for me now."

"you can't go alone."

"if anyone comes with me, zach is a dead man."

"fuck," he spat, and in the background, lexi heard the faint sound of helen's questioning voice. "what are you going to do?"

"i'll have to figure it out on the fly."

"not good enough. there's too much risk."

lexi's heart was pounding hard. she'd already started to shake thanks to a nice big dose of adrenaline. standing here talking with drake was getting her nowhere. "i don't have any more time to argue with you. get the kids out, damn it!"

she hung up the phone, grabbed a sharp knife from the kitchen-the only weapon she could find-and headed out the door.

though she heard no sirens, lights in the building started to switch on as she raced over the dew-soaked grass. drake had raised the alarm.

she just prayed he'd done it in time.

chapter 23

grace raced through the halls to torr's suite, her heart pounding hard with fear. less than a minute ago, her phone had rung, waking her from a dead sleep. joseph's recorded message said there was danger of an impending attack and to go immediately to safety, down into the halls below the humans' wing of dabyr.

she'd sent her stepbrother down with another family, but she couldn't yet go herself. she had to find torr and get him to safety. the theronai were too busy taking care of the children, and she couldn't risk that he'd be forgotten in the chaos.

she hugged the wall, avoiding the crush of people flowing past her. after a few turns, she was past the crowd. she sprinted down torr's hall and came to a skidding stop outside his door. it was unlocked as usual, and when she went inside, torr was in his bed, which was raised so he could look out across the grounds as he liked to do.

the sun was just beginning to lighten the landscape in a pretty pink glow. everything looked normal, though she knew that wasn't the case. the only other time the alarm had been raised like this was the night the wall came down.

"we have to go," she told him, her voice breathless as she hurried to his bed.

"what's happening?"

"there's some kind of attack. i don't know any details."

his jaw tightened and a look of fury crossed his features. "you shouldn't have come for me. you need to get below with the other humans."

she attached the straps to the hoist she used to lift him. "i'm not leaving without you."

"this is foolish. there's nothing they can do to me."

"they could kill you."

"i'm already dead, and we both know it."

"not yet, you're not, and i'm not going to let it happen tonight, either."

"i'm not worth the risk, grace. please, go below so i know you're safe. now."

she ignored his order and continued laying the bed flat so she could lift him into his chair. his body was limp as the machine hoisted it from the bed into his wheelchair. his eyes were blazing with anger, and she could practically hear his teeth grinding.

"do you have any idea what it would do to me if you died trying to save me?" he demanded.

"we're not going to find out."

"you don't even know what the threat is. synestryn could be marching through the halls as we speak."

the thought made her shudder, but she didn't stop moving. she would not leave him. "all the more reason for me to take you with me. we'll have time to get to safety. both of us."

she hesitated only a moment before she took the time to fasten the straps that held his body in place. time was short, but if he slid from his chair, she'd never be able to lift him back into it without help.

she clicked the last buckle shut, and she looked in his eyes. she was close enough she could feel his breath sweep past her cheek. she wanted to kiss him so badly her body trembled in the effort to hold back.

besides, there wasn't time for that now. later, there would be time. she promised herself she'd be brave enough to kiss him. soon.

his voice was thick with longing. "you're killing me, grace."

"no, i'm saving you."

"if i lost you . . ." he trailed off, his throat bobbing.