Alina shuddered as his breath tickled her neck. She would no longer gratify him by peering into the rooms. She waited, coolly, for him to take the lead, then passed three windows without a glance. But as she passed the fourth, a chill ran through her, and she halted, turning her eyes toward the glass.
The dark room looked empty, but the chill grew colder along her spine. She didn’t care to know what the room harbored, yet she stood transfixed, her eyes straining to penetrate the darkness. The fear spread to her heart, paralyzing her muscles.
A pair of beady, red eyes blinked in the darkness. She opened her mouth to scream but released only a rush of air. The eyes bore into her, growing brighter as her terror increased. She could see Sampson from the corner of her eye, watching her with a pleased grin on his face.
“Come with me,” he said. “There’s a room just for you.” When she didn’t move, he snatched her arm and jerked her along the platform, releasing her from the spell. She stumbled over her feet as the breath returned to her lungs.
Something had petrified her until she couldn’t move. What was that creature?
Her courage returned, warming her muscles, and she yanked her arm from Sampson’s grasp. He snapped his head to hers and they stopped walking, glaring at each other. He opened the door in front of him and extended his arm, inviting her inside. Her eyes didn’t flinch from his as she walked in.
The room had no windows. A tall, shiny machine filled a corner of the room, and next to it was a small slab with restraining straps. The slab looked uncomfortable, but that didn’t matter. She wouldn’t feel it. This was her permanent resting place.
No one would know she was there.
“It’s time,” he said with a smug smile, then his face went stern. He motioned toward the slab.
She crossed her arms and walked toward it, glancing over the machinery before sitting down.
“Lie,” he snapped. She tightened her jaw and complied.
“Do you know why you’re here?” he asked as he wrapped a strap around her wrist.
She saw no point in lying. “Because I’m mortal, and therefore a threat to you.”
His eyes flickered angrily. “You? A threat to me?” he cinched the strap, pinning her arm to the cold slab. “How could you threaten me?”
Alina caught her mistake. “I meant—I’m different, so I disrupt your perfect world.”
Sampson studied her as he pulled off her heels and strapped her ankles. “Is that what you think?” he asked.
“Yes. I have an awful temper—I yell and scream when I get angry. I cry when I’m upset. These things disturb your peaceful world. I always knew I’d be sent to Carthem. I don’t know why I’m here in your laboratories, but there must be some reason.”
He glowered at her for a moment, then took a small panel from his pocket and tapped it with his finger.
Alina couldn’t see the face on the screen. “Yes?” a male voice said.
“Everything is set here. Is the other matter resolved?” Sampson asked.
“We’re finishing the entry now, sir.”
“And Rex?”
“He’s on his way.”
“Good, I’ll be in my office in five minutes.”
Sampson clicked off the panel and looked at Alina. “We’ll see how Rex defends himself this time.”
Alina panicked. “Defend himself from what? He helped me yesterday when I was confused and—”
She stopped herself but too late. When she confessed her mortality, she’d condemned Rex. Defending him only implicated him further. She shut her eyes tight. How could I be so stupid?
She couldn’t meet Sampson’s glare. He folded his arms across his chest and spoke calmly. “You know, I should thank you, Alina. My methods are thorough, but I often wondered about Rex. Tonight, you exposed him as the traitor he is. He’ll suffer for his crimes and die in Carthem.”
“No!” Alina screamed.
“And you” —his voice rose as he gripped the side of the slab— “will begin a new life today. You caught on faster than I expected, but no matter—I’m ready. One last thing to arrange, and I will return.” He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Alina trembled and squeezed her eyes shut. Tears dripped down her cheekbones and into her ears. She’d be kept alive in this laboratory while her loved ones died in Carthem. Jade would be sent with Rex; she knew too much. No one in Pria would know what happened to her.
Unconscious. Forever. A sad, lonely way to exist. It would be better to die.
Her eyes flung open. Of course! She needed to die. Then Sampson would fall. Why hadn’t she thought of it before? Rex probably didn’t know how to tell her. She would sacrifice herself and take pleasure in it. Her personal gift to Sampson.
She forced herself up on her elbows and scanned the room. Something sharp should work. Sharp things made her bleed, and if she bled enough, she would die. She was pulling at the straps on her wrists when the door opened.
A worker in a white laboratory uniform walked in, pushing a cart with small, tinkling instruments. A white hood and plastic visor concealed his face.
Alina yanked at her restraints. “Go away!” she ordered, louder than she meant to. “I’m not going to sleep!”
“Alina, it’s me!”
It took her a moment to recognize the voice. Her mouth dropped in surprise.
“Rex!”
He put his finger to the mask. “Shhh! We have only a few minutes.” He lifted his visor and fiddled with the straps on her wrists, cursing under his breath. He snatched a tool from the cart and sliced through them. After freeing her ankles, he took a bundle from the cart and handed it to her. “Quickly, put this on.”
She unfolded a uniform and hood
