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“So far, everyone except Malakai and Aspen,” Kylar replied.

“And me,” Travis said, lifting a finger.

Malakai loosed a cold laugh, silver eyeteeth winking. “Oh fuck no.”

“Try telling that to Jewels,” Travis rebuked. “And I bet she’ll finally disown your controlling ass.” Why did the one girl he liked—reallyliked—have to have a massive asshole for a brother? Lucky him.

Malakai scoffed. “In your dreams, Devlin. I’m herfamily.Only idiots choose fuckboys over family, and unfortunately for you, Jewels isn’t an idiot.”

“Can we please stop?” Ivy groaned, rubbing her temples in a circular motion. “Either you’re both staying here so I don’t have to listen to you anymore, or you’re separating so you stop arguing.”

“One vote for separating!” Malakai shouted, shooting a hand into the air.

Travis crossed his arms. “I’m staying here,” he declared. “So get used to it, Delaney.”

Ivy slapped her thighs and stood, offering her concussed husband a hand up. “Alright, that settles it. You’re both staying here, and the rest of us are going to Roman’s.”

“I hate this,” Malakai muttered.

“We need to find Atlas,” Darien said, still looming behind Loren. If she moved, he moved. If something got her attention, he looked at it too, as if ready to kill whateveritwas. Travis pitied any poor soul who evenglancedat her. “We’ll go to Roman’s house, figure out what happened with the kids, then take it from there. How soon can they release Jewels?”

“Haven’t asked,” Malakai replied, his tone still edged with irritation from their run-in.

“You guys can’t stay here for long. We all know what’sreallygoing on out there,” Darien said, lowering his voice as he tipped his head toward the windows. Outside, the sky was pitch black, the navigation lights on flying helicopters hardly more thanpinpricks in a black shroud. While everyone in their group knew the truth about Spirit Terra and the Well, the rest of the city was in the dark. No pun intended. “If we aren’t out of Yveswich by the time that darkness spreads to the other districts, we’ll be fucked.”

As if the darkness had ears, the lights flickered. One hallway plunged into shadow. Chairs creaked as the people working at the desk shifted, murmuring to each other in fearful tones.

Travis stood up, angling his body toward Jewels’s room. Ready to bolt if another outage happened.

“You’re really not coming?” Roman asked him as the lights returned to normal.

Travis dragged his gaze to his brother, steeling himself for a full-blown argument. “Is that okay?” He hated that he still felt like he had to ask for Roman’s permission to do things.

Roman narrowed his eyes. “You’re asking if it’s okay that you don’t help us look for your kid brother, who’s probably scared as hell right now?”

Guilt settled heavily in his stomach like a rock. “Way to make me feel like shit, Rome.”

“We’ll have more than enough people to look for the kids,” Kylar interjected. “I think Aspen’s right about not spreading ourselves too thin. And besides, Travis is one of the only people who’s willing to stay with Malakai.”

“Jewels,”Travis corrected. “I’m staying for Jewels.”

“Fuck all you sons of bitches,” Malakai snapped. He got up and stalked for Jewels’s room. “I’m outta here. Try not to die.”

“As soon as we locate Pax, we’re leaving. All of us,” Darien said to Travis. “I don’t care if you have to wheel Jewels out of here on a stretcher—you’re not staying in Yveswich.”

“I didn’t plan on it,” Travis said, trying not to get his back up as more instructions were fired his way. He was used to getting orders from Darien—it was part of being a Darkslayerwho answered to the Head of the House. But having Roman still treat him the same way he did Pax, even after all this time…it was an adjustment. He persisted, “I only want to make sure she has enough people with her in case something bad happens.” He could feel Roman’s stare burning a hole in his face, but Travis didn’t meet his gaze.

“Roman filled you all in?” Darien asked, scanning the group.

“For the most part, but we have a lot of questions,” Lace replied, grabbing the sword she’d leaned against the leg of her chair. It was the one Ivy had been carrying. Max had the second, and Darien had the third—and last.

“You can ask me on the way,” Darien said. When he addressed Travis next, his tone was stern, his face so grave he looked carved from stone. “If your dad shows up, you are not to engage with him. You are to run. Run as fast as you can and don’t slow down until you get away from him and make it someplace safe. Do I make myself clear?” The tension, the fear in the air at Darien’s mention of Don, was palpable.

The thought of going head to head with the father he hadn’t seen in years tied Travis’s gut into knots, but he managed to give Darien a stiff nod.

“Good, that’s all settled, then,” Darien said, though the severity on his face remained. He tipped his head toward the hallway at his back. “Let’s roll out.”

Those who were leaving stood, gathered their weapons, and began making their way down the hall, Aspen walking the opposite way after saying a quick goodbye to Lacey.