He put his hand under her chin and lifted it. The lights from the house illuminated his sharp jawline. He stared into her eyes for a moment, then glanced at her lips.
Voices from the house saved her. She turned her head and saw a group gathered in Maxwell’s dining room, veiled by thin drapes.
“I need to go,” she whispered. “Goodbye.” She squeezed his hand as she ran off. She reached the porch steps and heard his soft reply.
“Goodbye, my timeless friend.”
Alina stepped inside Maxwell’s home and found the mayor sitting at the dining table. Christine, Maxwell, Jade, and Rex huddled together with grim expressions on their faces. Baylor stood next to the window with his arms crossed.
“Uh oh,” she said as she closed the door. “This can’t be good.” She thought of Zaiden and Baylor’s family in Stormport, and a lump came to her throat. “Have you heard news?”
“Alina, sit down,” Maxwell said, pulling a chair away from the table. “There have been some new developments.”
Alina looked at Baylor. His jaw twitched, and he did not meet her eyes.
Panic rose in her chest. “Baylor, what’s going on?”
Mayor Nelson spoke up. “I will explain. I heard the news first. Please, sit down.”
Alina sat on the edge of the chair.
“I suppose your long stay here, waiting for Rex and Baylor to heal, was unwise. It’s given Gerard time to collaborate with Sampson.” The mayor cleared his throat. “Gerard and his mob have surrounded Millflower.”
Alina blinked twice. “There’s only about twelve or thirteen of them. How can they surround the town?”
“Sampson has sent aid,” the mayor explained. “According to Gerard, they now number six hundred. That matches the entire population of Millflower, including our women and children.”
“Six hundred!” Alina exclaimed. “And are they all protected from wilderness dangers?”
“It appears so, yes.”
“Have you seen all these men?”
“I’ve seen enough to believe his estimate is probably accurate. And they’re not all men. Many are women, and they’re armed.”
“That’s not the worst part,” Baylor cut in. “Can you think how Sampson might have readied an army so quickly?”
Alina shook her head.
Baylor dropped his voice. “They are his experiments. Their brains are programmed to follow orders from him, and now Gerard.”
Alina stopped a gasp with her hand. “Prisoners from the dungeons?”
“Yes. This is a declaration of war. We’ve never had such an influx from Pria before. Gerard met them at the portal, and they’ve obeyed him blindly since.”
“What are they planning to do?”
“Gerard says they’re not interested in war. They want you. And if they don’t get you, they’ll attack the town.”
Alina stood up and began twisting her fingers. “But how can you be sure they won’t attack after they take me? Won’t Sampson destroy Millflower if he can?”
The mayor rubbed his temples. “I know. We must play our cards carefully.”
Maxwell spoke up. “I believe Gerard doesn’t want to attack the town. The chaos would make it easy for you to escape. You’ve proven difficult to contain. But we can’t risk it. We don’t have much choice.”
Alina put her face in her hands to hide her tears. Gerard and his men terrified her more than anything she could think of—except seeing her loved ones die.
She couldn’t endanger Millflower. The people of Carthem would starve if it fell.
She wiped her eyes and raised her head. “How much time do we have?”
“Until midnight. Three hours. If he doesn’t have you by then, they will attack.”
“Should I take anything with me?”
At these words, Jade stood and left the table, holding back tears.
Baylor watched her leave. “There’s hope, Alina. I have a plan that might work. At least it will keep you safe from their filthy hands. You don’t need to bring anything—they’d only confiscate it anyway.”
She nodded, chewing on her lip.
Baylor turned to Mayor Nelson. “I’ll take Alina to Gerard. You contact Lance, and I’m sure he’ll have a plan for getting her back. We’ll act quickly, before they take her far.” He turned back to Alina. “Don’t worry, you won’t be with them long.”
The mayor nodded, drumming his fingers on the table as he frowned. He let out a long breath. “I guess that’s our only option.” He looked at Alina. “We’ll do everything we can to get you back soon. I promise.”
They all rose to leave, patting Alina’s shoulder as they passed. Baylor embraced her.
“It’ll be all right,” he whispered. “You are like a daughter to me, and I will protect you as such. When will you be ready to go?”
“I’ll pack my bag so it’s ready for Jade to take, and then let’s go.”
“I’ll wait here for you.”
She went upstairs and found Nicole sitting on her bed with an icy glare on her face. Alina ignored her as she gathered her clothes and folded them into her pack.
“I know what’s going on,” Nicole hissed.
Alina didn’t look at her. “Good for you.”
Nicole slid off the bed and approached her with crossed arms. “I knew it was a mistake to let you come here.”
Alina said nothing.
“Now you’re putting all of us in danger. My only comfort is no one will let you come back after this.”
Alina spun around to face her. “Why do you hate me so much?” she blurted out louder than she meant to, and Nicole shot an anxious glance at the door. “Is it because I’m beautiful, and you’re not?”
Nicole’s eyes flashed. “Of course not. I’m not vain like you are. And just so you know, that boyfriend of yours is not as nice as you think.”
“Well, maybe not, but he’s the nicest person I’ve met here, so that doesn’t say much about the rest of you,” Alina retorted. “I would’ve taken friendship from anyone and been happy. It’s not my fault the town heartthrob was the only one who reached out to me.” She threw her packed bag by the door and left without looking back.
Baylor waited for her at the bottom of the stairs. “Is everything okay?” he asked, looking up the stairs over her shoulder.
“Yes.” Alina fumed.
“What is it?” he
