Page 52

20

Imogene

I’d been lost since the night before. My mind is slipping somewhere safe—away from the madness and hurt. Somewhere I had to reconcile my truth.

Anex was never letting me go.

I was going to become his Mate.

And I would be required to perform all duties demanded of that position.

My life had always been leading to this—I realize that now. My mother’s betrayal, Anex’s hurt and obsession, my objectification. I can still feel the intrusion deep in my core—the promise of what’s to come.

What I didn’t expect was Levi. My motherorthe bombs.

“Imogene!” Levi’s arm comes around my shoulder, lifting me up. “It’s time.”

“Time?” I ask, feeling two steps behind. “Time for what?”

“To get you out of here.” Another explosion rocks the ground. Cries come from the other women in the tent. Some have already run. A few are curled on the floor. Panic seizes the room in everyone but the man holding me.

“You did this?” I ask, my eyes shifting to my mother, who doesn’t seem startled by the explosions. “And you?”

“We’ll talk about it later,” Camille says. “Right now, we need to get out of here while we can.”

Levi pulls me out of the tent. The air is thick with sulfur and the sound of screams. Fear ripples through the crowd, releasing in panicked screams and feral cries. Whatever celebrations have been going on have stopped, everything altered by the attack.

“This is Elon?” I ask, gripping Levi’s fingers as someone tries to wedge between us, stepping on the hem of my dress. His answer is lost in the sound of screams, but I believe it. Elon isn’t the kind of man that just stops. He’ll fight to get to his family—to me and Rex.

I jerk Levi to a stop. “We need to find Rex.”

Levi turns, looking down at me. “You’re the priority.”

I yank my hand from his. “I won’t leave without him.”

“Do you even know where he is?” A woman, blood dripping down her temple, slams into me. Before I can react, she’s gone, leaving a smear across the bodice of my gown. “What the hell is the white room?”

I tell him what I can, fear choking my throat. A room in Anex’s private quarters, the last place I saw him three days ago. “How do you know he’s still there?”

“We have to try, Levi.”

Camille stands nearby, shifting on her feet. Smoke rises behind her, the stage on fire. Myworldon fire.

“We have to go,” she says. “This is about to get nasty.”

“Take her,” Levi tells my mother. “Get her to safety. I’ll go find Rex.”

“Alone?” I ask. “No—"

“It’s the only way it’s happening, Imogene.” He jerks his chin. “Go with your mother.”

“But—"

He grabs for me. “Go with her. You can trust her. She got Elon and I in here today.” He lifts my hand to his mouth and kisses the back. “I love you, Imogene.”

My heart swells. “I love you, too.”

He’s swallowed by the chaos, and I feel like my heart goes with him. Lifting my skirt, I start toward the path, the easiest way out of the walls, but Camille’s hand comes down on my arm. “I know another way.”