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Liam

My cheeks burned at the sight of Kaiya, and I quickly looked away, taking my place in line.

Gods! There was no way I could look her in the eyes and not think of the way she'd looked in that dream, mouth full of my cock as we both came apart.

It had been so … intense.

And what the fuck had I been thinking, including her mate, of all people?!

I'd had a fantasy or two about teaming up with Jaiel — but never a stranger.

Though it had been surprisingly sexy to watch her come apart with me in her mouth and him eating her out.

Fuck.I adjusted myself again.

I needed to think about something else. Anything else.

Gram and Mirrim!

I leaned into the thought, pushing away everything else.

They were alive. I was sure of it.

But today was the last day to get answers about them before escape was no longer an option. It didn't matter what Uncle Harlsted or the others said. If there wasanychance to save them, I had to try.

Passing Uncle Harlsted's cell, I looked inside.

He raised an eyebrow and cocked his head, wordlessly asking if I was about to do anything rash.

I looked away.

Talking to Tye wasn't brash. Kaiya might not trust him, and sure — hewasworking for Frexin … but my gut told me I had to try.

And, if the villagersweren'ton the ship, I could let go of the idea and focus on fulfilling my duties with the escape.

I'd been in a fog for so long — so stuck in my pain and loss that I'd all but given up on life and escape.

But hells if it wasn't sobering to see Kaiya fighting so fucking hard every day to break the cycle she was stuck in.

Who was I to give up?

Trying and failing was better than doing nothing at all. And between the escape plan and the news that Mirrim and Gram might be alive, things weren't looking so dire for me after all.

The damn fog wasn't entirely gone yet, but I felt more like myself than I'd felt in ages.

We made our way through the prison blocks, collecting another two prisoners for janitorial duty before the guards led us to the mess hall. The wide double doors opened to the clatter of plates and the smell of real food.

My stomach let out a loud growl. Gods, that insane dream had worked up an appetite!

Our escort walked off without a backwards glance, leaving us to our work amidst the dozens of guards and loyal ship workers.

The other two prisoners made their way past the rows of tables to begin work cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms, just as they had for the past two months.

I made my way towards the nearby closet to get the mops and buckets. People rarely paid attention to workers, and mopping gave me the flexibility to go wherever I chose within the room. I'd overheard many "top secret" conversations with no one the wiser.

"Liam!" a red-haired guard called out as he ran up to me. "I got you a plate of flat cakes. Sit and eat before you work! I want you to show Syd that trick of yours."

Harry was one of the few guards I might have called a friend in a different life … but some ofhisfriends were not.