Isi dropped Kara off back in her room without any problems. Then she gathered two printouts of the most interesting of the unencrypted files on Trevor’s drive and slipped them under Kara’s door. Given the content and what Kara had been digging into, Isi doubted Kara would sleep much tonight.

  With any luck, no one would even know Kara had been wandering. Isi would have to scrub the security system of anything connecting them together later, but that wouldn’t be too difficult.

  Isi approached one of the main hallways and let her luminance melt away. There was no real reason why she couldn’t be walking around right now, even if it was late. She turned into another smaller hallway that would eventually lead to a staircase. She needed to sleep, but there were still things to do. If Siera was going to send her away, then her time was limited.

  Faint footsteps sounded from behind her, and Isi whirled around to find Marcus turning the corner. He didn’t look happy. In fact, he looked almost irritated. He folded his arms and stared her down. “Isi, what did you do?”

  “That’s a very generic question,” Isi said. “Can you be more specific?”

  “Everyone in this house seems to be practically walking on eggshells when I ask about you. What in the cascades are you up to?”

  Isi shrugged and started walking back down the hall. She didn’t want to talk about this right now. Especially not with Marcus, since he was sure to be unhappy about it. “Nothing really.”

  Marcus stepped in front of her, cutting her off. “Liar. I went to your room earlier,” he said quietly, low enough that it would be difficult for anyone approaching to hear. “Your bags are half packed and not in an I-just-haven’t-unpacked way. And yet, when I asked around, everyone seems to think you’ll be here for a while.”

  “It’s not official, but I’m pretty sure Siera will send me away,” Isi said, trying not to wince.

  “Why?”

  Isi glanced around. The hallway was too public for this discussion, but there was an empty room right down the hall. “I think that’s just the mood Siera is in right now,” Isi said as she gestured for Marcus to follow.

  He gave her a look that said, you will answer my questions, but relaxed from his stance and followed her. She pulled him into the room down the hall, flipping the lights on and making sure the door was closed.

  Marcus just stared at her, waiting.

  Isi leaned against the wall and said, “I might have hacked the security system to talk to Kara without any eavesdroppers.”

  Marcus blanched. “Cascades, Isi, why would you do that? Do you want Siera to try and kill you?”

  “No. I just want her to send me away,” she said, avoiding Marcus’ eyes.

  There was silence for a few seconds. Isi glanced back at Marcus. He’d mostly overcome his shock, and he didn’t look angry. Isi couldn’t quite place the expression. He caught her gaze and forced a grim smile. “So much for missing me. Why exactly do you want to leave as soon as I get here?”

  “It has nothing to do with you. At least mostly.”

  Marcus sighed. “Come on, Isi. This is like pulling teeth. The whole story, now.”

  “It’s not that complicated,” Isi said with a shrug. “There is too much going on right now. And since you don’t want to involve your family…”

  Marcus grimaced and looked away.

  Isi continued, “I need to get into Novem’s system. We need to know what is on Trevor’s drive, especially with everything going on.”

  “Don’t harpoon me for saying this, but is it worth it?” Marcus asked, running a hand through his hair. “Getting into Novem’s system is going to be dangerous. Trevor knew what was on that drive. It obviously didn’t answer all his questions. If we get a hold of Novem’s encryption key, will it really change anything?”

  Isi glared back. Of course, it would change things! The drive had dangerous secrets and long lost knowledge and…and maybe Marcus was right. The thought seemed to sear through her soul. What if this was all a wild goose chase?

  But…Isi couldn’t believe that.

  Because that drive had all of Trevor’s notes about what he’d been looking into. Trevor had held back the information for her protection. He hadn’t uncovered the source of the disappearances, but he had been doing something before he disappeared: something secretive, something dangerous that he wouldn’t fill her in on.

  Maybe the information on that drive wouldn’t solve the disappearances, but it might give her an idea of what had happened to Trevor.

  And she desperately needed to know. She wouldn’t accept that Trevor was dead, not until she had proof. He was the only scrap of her father she had left, one of the few people she trusted completely.

  Isi wrapped her arms around herself, needing the pressure to hold herself together. She had to hold things together. She couldn’t break, not right now.

  Marcus’ expression shifted to concern, and he stepped towards her. She wanted the comfort… but she also needed him to listen to her. Needed him to stay here and to let her go. She unwrapped her arms and stood up straight.

  Marcus froze, hand partially outstretched.

  “It’s worth it,” Isi said. “The drive is worth it. It’s not just secrets—it’s everything Trevor left behind. If there’s even a chance it tells me what happened to him, I have to take it.”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Marcus frowned before pivoting on his heel and pacing across the room. He made it across twice before he whirled back towards her, his expression pleading. “Isi… I know the information on that drive might be important, and I know you need to find your uncle, but it’s too dangerous.”

  “Everything is dangerous now. There are no safe options,” Isi said.

  Marcus just stood there calculating. She could see the debate going on behind his eyes. He took a deep breath. “Then I’m coming with you.”

  Isi shook her head. “No. We need to divide and conquer here. There’s too much going on, too much at stake. You need to convince Kara to give us any information as fast as she can get it.”

  Marcus looked at her like she was speaking another language. “Did you hear her in there? She marginally trusts you. She trusts me about as far as she can throw me.” His gaze turned sharper. “Not to mention the fact you asked me to lay my life in her hands without even asking permission. If Kara says one word of this to Siera, she’ll kill me. You know that.”

  Isi sucked in a breath. “I’d like to think Siera wouldn’t go that far. She needs you around to control me.”

  And… Siera had to care at least a little about the daughter her sister left behind, didn’t she? Siera might threaten, might punish, but killing Marcus outright would cut too deep. Isi’s fist tightened. Or was that just a stupid wish, that Siera might love her that much?

  Marcus hesitated, then finally let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “Isi, I stole the thing she wants most. On your orders. You said she thinks it has evidence about your mother? If Kara so much as breathes my name in the wrong tone, Siera won’t hesitate to put me in the ground.”

  Isi reached out to touch his arm, and he flinched back. “Don’t.”

  “Marcus…”

  His voice was rough. “Am I just a pawn to you?”

  Isi’s gaze became sharp. “You know you’re not. You’re my partner, but I need you to trust me right now. Please?”

  “You always need me to trust you. It’s never the other way around.”

  Isi stiffened. “You don’t get to throw that at me. I trusted you in Kalin Bay. I didn’t agree, but I went along because I knew you didn’t want to hurt Teorin. And that’s hardly the first time. I know you’re hurting, but that’s not fair.”

  Marcus’ jaw worked, but no words came. He looked away, shoulders tight, as if fighting himself.

  She stepped closer, and this time he didn’t push her away. Her thumb traced his cheek, light but deliberate. “It’ll get better. I promise. We’ll survive this, and I’ll be closer to that council seat. When I’m there, things change. For both of us.”

  Marcus didn’t answer, but his shoulders eased, the fight draining out of him. Finally, he leaned into her hand. “So, what’s the plan?” he said softly.

  “I have to leave, but we need Kara on our side. You need to get her on our side. Earn her trust. You can be the buffer between her and Siera or at least a confidante.”

  Marcus pursed his lips, clearly unhappy with this plan. “I’m not much of a confidante, and how exactly are Kara and I supposed to deal with Siera? I thought Sasha got a hold of a copy of Novem’s pages. Siera will want Kara to translate them, and I can’t imagine things going well if Kara says no.”

  Isi shook her head. “Whatever Sasha stole, it wasn’t complete. I compared it to the stuff I got from Kara. Your brother must have tricked her somehow.”

  And Isi had forgotten to mention it to Kara. She’d had so many other things on her mind… Marcus would have to do it. He’d have to go in the morning.

  Marcus’ mind had clearly left the conversation. He was staring past her like she wasn’t there, probably thinking about Teorin. Isi touched his arm, and his eyes focused on her again. “Kara should agree to cooperate with Siera,” Isi said. “It’s safer. She can tell Siera the information about humans being here. That’s something.”

  “Siera will be suspicious,” Marcus said with a frown, “but I’ll figure something out. I’m assuming you have a physical copy of Kara’s version?”

  Isi just gave him a little grin in confirmation. She had the pages stashed and hidden away.

  Marcus nodded. “Right. I’ll tell Kara to cooperate, but…” Marcus was silent for a few moments before he grimaced and said, “She hates me, Isi. She’s never going to trust me.”

  Isi rolled her eyes. “Give me a break. You are very convincing. I’ve seen you talk Sasha out of all sorts of things.”

  Marcus snorted. “That’s different.”

  Isi raised an eyebrow. It was different, but Marcus could be plenty convincing when he just let himself relax.

  There was just something about him that was grounded. With all their secrets, Marcus had developed a habit of being truthful about everything else, almost to a fault. He said it was less to remember. He could convince Kara if he worked at it.

  “Just be yourself. Keeping secrets from her won’t help at this point. Besides, someone has to be here to find a way to get Kara out.”

  “Isi…”

  “This is how it has to be. I need to deliver a note to Lev to fulfill our end of the bargain. And I need that encryption key from Novem. I can’t do either of those things here.”

  Marcus looked like he wanted to protest. Isi held up a finger.

  “Besides, Siera won’t want me anywhere near Kara now. She’ll send me away as soon as possible. With you arriving today, she’ll probably see sending me away as punishment enough. It’s the ideal scenario. She’ll keep you here, and everyone is where they need to be.”

  “Just not where they want to be.”

  “That’s usually how plans work. I need you here monitoring Siera.”

  Marcus sighed. “That’s exactly what a pawn is for, Isi.”

  Isi stiffened. “But the queen doesn’t usually want to throw herself off the board if the pawn is taken.”

  He gave a rough laugh. “Maybe she does. Maybe she just tells herself it was necessary.”

  Isi stepped closer, voice low. “Sometimes risks are necessary. I want you, Marcus. I do. I just want other things too, and I think I can have both, but losing you… that’s still a loss to me. Might as well forfeit at that point.”

  His gaze sharpened. “And if you can’t have both?”

  The silence hung heavy between them for a moment, but Isi didn’t flinch. She let out a long breath. “Would you really love me if I gave up everything for you? Love’s never been enough for you. If it were, you wouldn’t have walked away from your family. You want truth just as much as I do.”

  Marcus drew in a sharp breath.

  “We fit, Marcus, for all our sharp edges. That doesn’t mean they aren’t sharp. Loving me hurts sometimes, but so does loving you.”

  Isi wrapped her arms around his neck. Marcus lowered his head and kissed her. Other than running around in Kalin Bay, they hadn’t had much real time together in almost a month. She pressed into the kiss like it could delay the inevitable. Like it could keep the truth from spilling out.

  But when his arms tightened around her, she couldn’t tell if it was love—or the fear of losing the only person still willing to stand this close to him. He trusted her right now. And maybe he’d hate her for it later, but maybe by then, he’d be safe. That had to be enough.

  Marcus seemed to need the kiss as much as she did because he didn’t let go. Even as her neck began to ache from the angle. It reminded her that this wasn’t the place to be doing this.

  Isi pulled back. “We should go somewhere else,” Isi said a little breathlessly. “Otherwise, my neck is going to ache like crazy tomorrow. Either go somewhere else, or you could shrink.”

  Marcus rolled his eyes. “Maybe you should just grow,” he said, patting her on the head. The attempt at lightness came out flat, but she snorted anyway, swatting his hand away. She was already tall for a woman; Marcus was just inconveniently taller.

  Isi raised an eyebrow in question.

  Marcus sighed. “I should go unpack.”

  “I might be gone tomorrow. Unpack then.”

  “Well, if you hadn’t gotten yourself sent away…”

  “Marcus.”

  Marcus grimaced but relented. “Fine. We should search the room, though. We’ve said too much here.”

  Isi nodded. They spread out to search. Isi found one listening device and deactivated it with her burst emulator, erasing the banked audio. Hopefully, that was the only one because Siera already had her eyes on Isi for her stunt with Kara earlier and on Marcus after his failure to bring back the drive.

  They couldn’t afford to slip up now.

  [Lev] So… people think my dating life is a mess, but I’m pretty sure this is worse. Anyway, rent. This one looks really fun. Check it out.