The Liberator

Valery, Max, and Aspen come rushing around the corner of the Hive. Max gets to us first. “Is everyone all right?” He sees Charlie. “Holy crap.”

I seek out Aspen and find she’s staring at me. She nods. “We can’t wait any longer,” I tell Kraven, my gaze still on Aspen. “So if you have any secrets to share, now’s the time.”

Kraven moves toward Blue and passes Annabelle into his arms. Then he grabs my shoulders and jerks my chest against his. “I’m going to take her.”

“Dude, back off.” My muscles clench. “What are you doing?”

Kraven holds me in place. “Have you not liberated a soul recently? You can’t take it with you down there. Now hurry up; more sirens will be here any moment.” He glances around like he can’t believe they aren’t here already, like this may be some sort of trap.

A wave of understanding washes over me. Grams. Kraven wants me to give him her soul so he can turn it in to Big Guy. Makes sense. The fact that I’d forgotten this detail makes my face burn. I close my eyes and try to pass the soul into him, but I can’t.

“Stop trying to give it to me,” he barks. “I have to take it from you. That’s the only way it works.”

How am I supposed to know this crap? I was never taught how to steal souls, though that didn’t stop Rector from figuring it out. I quit trying to do anything, and when I do, I feel a slight tickle along my chest. I’m not sure if that means anything. When Rector took Charlie’s soul from me, I didn’t sense much of anything. If I had, maybe I would have known what had occurred. “Did it happen? Do you have it?”

“What’s going on?” Charlie asks from beside me. She’s still dazed but seems to be doing better. She and everyone else are staring at Kraven’s wings. Even the people who’d already seen them once before are speechless.

Kraven doesn’t answer either of us. He just darts toward Blue and takes Annabelle back. Guess I’ll take that as a yes, I took her soul. “Go now, Dante. Quickly. I have to get them inside.”

“He can’t go now,” Valery says. “He promised you three more days. Doesn’t he need that to learn—?”

“Red, this can’t wait,” I say. “You know it can’t.”

“What is everyone talking about?” Blue says. “And why are we doing it out here?”

“Max, will you lead us?” I say.

“No!” Valery barks. “You don’t need him.”

Max steps to my side. “Of course, man. If you insist on being an idiot, I won’t let you do it alone.”

“He can’t go back there,” Valery insists. She’s talking to me but grabbing onto Max’s shirt. Tears fill her eyes, and her cheeks bloom red.

“Blue, take Charlie inside right now,” Kraven demands. Though Blue’s face is filled with confusion, he does what Kraven asks. At first Charlie holds tight to my waist, shaking her head no. But as Blue begins to pull her away and I begin to push, she starts shouting. I know Charlie doesn’t know exactly what’s happening. But she knows enough. She knows I’m going somewhere and that it can’t be some place good.

“No, no!” she cries. “You can’t go. Not after what happened. Not after what I did.”

“Charlie, it’s okay.” A lump forms in my throat. “They’ll watch after you.”

“But where are you going?”

I glance over my shoulder at the cliff and the ocean beyond it. Blue’s right, we can’t stay out here much longer, but I’m afraid if I go back inside, I’ll never leave. “Charlie, you have to trust me. Go back inside the Hive before the other sirens—”

“I won’t go until you tell me where you’re going,” she snarls. Charlie is slowly becoming hysterical. Blood drips from her shirt onto the ground, and her eyes are wide with fear. “Tell me. Tell me!”

I pry her fingers from my shirt as tears sting my eyes. Charlie’s bottom lip trembles.

My heart.

It may never beat again.

Aspen comes to stand beside me. “Are you ready?” I ask her in a whisper. She pulls in a deep breath and takes my hand. Her glove feels slick against my palm.

Seeing this, Charlie goes apeshit. Blue wraps his arms around her waist as Charlie throws herself toward me. “Her? You’re taking her?”

As Charlie writhes against Blue, I can’t help but be amazed. I can’t believe she ever thought I’d want her to change. This beautiful, peaceful girl. Look at her go. She’s thrashing like a rabid beast. Fighting for what she wants.

No, I never wanted her to change.

But she has.

“I lost my Grams,” Charlie says. “I won’t lose you, too.” Her face is twisted with misery. It’s only been a few days since Grams passed away. Each night, I see it in the way Charlie sleeps—broken and filled with nightmares. But during the day she pushes it down so we won’t know, so we won’t feel sorry for her. Not now, though. Now the pain is right there, raw. So close it’s like I could reach out and grab it.

Her words sting, but I won’t stay. Because I love her—I love her—but this is about saving her life. And it’s about saving the lives of others, too. I don’t want to care about other people, those humans whose faces I’ve never seen and whose names I’ve never learned. But I do. I care because Charlie taught me how to care. And now I have to do what’s right.

Even if it means leaving her.

Even if it means I may never return.

I release Aspen’s hand and take Charlie Cooper’s face in my hands. My chest breaks open. “My sweet angel,” I whisper. “You are my pain. You are my reason. I love you. I love you.”

Our lips connect. I taste the salt of her tears, the tang of siren blood on her mouth. I kiss her as if it might be the last time.

And then I let go and turn away.

I start walking.

Max and Aspen follow, and Charlie starts to sob.

“You love me?” she cries. “You love me! You said forever, Dante. Forever means you can’t leave. You can’t. You said forever!”

I can still hear her screaming as she’s dragged inside the Hive. With every step I take, my body burns hotter. My hands shake, and I clench my teeth. I want to run to her, to dry her tears. But I just keep walking. I must.

Forever.

35 Good-bye, Friend

Twelve hours later, after a grueling flight, little sleep, and bad food, Max, Aspen, and I wait on a private runway for our car. We may have left the Hive without a dime between us, but Max had his phone. And though Valery is none too pleased that Max came along, she did agree to make us accommodations once he explained what we needed.

I’m still thinking about the things Charlie said when a black sedan pulls up. I hope she knows I’m doing this for her.

Inside the car, Aspen shifts in the leather seat, bringing me out of my head. She works her necklace between her fingers and watches me. She’s waiting for some kind of direction, but I have nothing to give her.

“So,” she says. “Alaska.”

I shrug.

“I thought it’d be somewhere hot.” Aspen glances at Max, hoping she’ll have more luck digging information out of him. But he doesn’t look at her. He’s lost in thought, and I don’t have to guess who he’s thinking about. Or what color her hair is.

I don’t want to talk. I just want to let my stomach eat itself. But Aspen has done something phenomenal. She’s volunteered to go on this soul-stealing mission whether it’s a good idea or not, and I feel like I owe her my