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“I’ll let you know after I’ve tested it.”

Alex wasn’t certain she liked his answer. “Do you have a name?”

He turned to look at her with an amused—and breathtakingly beautiful—smile. “I do.”

“And it is?”

“We’re far enough away from the others now,” he said, avoiding her question. “But just in case…”

He trailed off and knelt to the floor, pressing his fingers in some kind of coded rhythm against the mat. When he stood again, the floor began to tremble and a luminescent Myrox barrier rose up from beneath their feet, encircling them inside an impenetrable dome.

Alex glanced nervously at the sealed force field surrounding them. She couldn’t see past the shining barricade, and she knew her friends—and the other Meyarins—wouldn’t be able to see inside, either.

“Um, this doesn’t make me feel great about what you have planned.”

“It’s okay, Alex,” he said soothingly. “The barrier is for your protection. If it turns out that I’m right, then it’ll be best if the others are kept in the dark.”

“You know, I really hate it when people are cryptic,” she said, irritation momentarily overriding her fear.

The Meyarin laughed. It was a warm, comforting sound that reminded her of sunshine, strangely enough.

“I’m not a huge fan of it myself,” he agreed. “My betrothed often gives me just enough information to drive me crazy, while withholding the tiniest detail needed to have everything make sense. She excels in the art of cryptic-ness.”

Alex snorted. “Cryptic-ness isn’t a real word.”

“It could be.”

“It’s not,” Alex said confidently. “And I know what you’re doing, by the way.”

He tilted his head to the side with a small smile on his face. “What am I doing?”

“You’re trying to distract me,” she told him.

“Is it working?”

“Yes,” she answered, already feeling much calmer.

“Good,” he said. “Now turn around so I can blindfold you.”Goodbye, calm.

Seeing her wariness, he encouraged, “I promise nothing bad will happen.”

For some unexplainable reason, Alex trusted the easy-going Meyarin with his warm smiles and kind disposition. She released a heavy breath and turned around, hoping her instincts were right.

“Close your eyes,” he instructed, and she felt him place the cloth above her cheekbones and tie it firmly at the back. He then pressed a hand to her shoulder and moved her to face him again.

“What happens now?” she asked, failing to keep the uncertainty out of her voice.

“Now we see just how good those reflexes of yours really are.”

her back.

Twelve

A rush of air was the onlywarning she had before her leg was kicked out from underneath her and she tumbled to the ground.

“Hey!” she cried. “What are you—”

Without knowing why, she turned her body to roll out of the way just in time to hear athumpbehind her—right where she’d been lying a second earlier.