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Jovie gets to her feet and leans into the path. Once I’ve tucked myself back inside my suit and zipped up, I make my way to her.

She points. “From there.”

“Prince Aurelius?”

A human guard with an Abr badge hurries up to us. “Sir, we have a situation. An electric animal is loose in the creatures’ area. Security is trying to contain it, but we’re not doing great with that. Think you could help us?”

“Of course. Lead the way.” I catch Jovie stealing a glance at me and pursing her lips to hide her smile.

I kiss her neck and take her by the hand. “You did not have to do that for me.”

“Wanted to.” Jovie hugs my arm and rests her head on my shoulder for a moment.

The man motions to the building, where electric arcs are clearly visible through the windows. “Ooh. Let me guess, the meratadon? Like a lizard with bony plates along the spine? Blue and gray in color?”

“Yeah. None of the racers this round are from the same homeworld. But you’re closest in skill .”

“Right.”

“Please don’t hurt it,” he adds. “I’m sure it’s scared. We just need it collected and put back in its environment, which is zone D, row five, door two.”

I hold them back when we get to the complex. “Please keep everyone outside. I will handle this better if we’re alone. Fewer distractions.”

“You cannot be alone.”

“Then send a drone with me.”

The man coordinates with inside security.

Jovie clutches my arm. “Be careful.”

“It’s just a lil’ zapper. It can’t hurt me. I’ll be right out.” I kiss her temple, then hold the door for the drone. A few other racers inquire with security outside. I flip off the lights and walk quietly into the room, watching for arcs. The drone scans the space from behind me.

“Do your kind always have that wispy light?” the drone asks.

“Depends.” I stop to glare back at the drone in the dim light of the other cages and the windows. I see my radiant reflection, including my green eyes, in the drone’s lens.

“On what?”

“Hush or you’ll scare it.”

I see an arc under an information podium in one of the feature creature areas and stop. Squatting down, I find the meratadon curled up under it. Whistling quietly through my teeth, I wiggle my fingers, showing it my static sparks.

The creature uncurls and looks at me.

“What’s taking so long?” the drone asks.

I glare up at the lens. “In the real world, trust takes time. You can’t read reviews or analyze data points with AI for a projection of trustworthiness. You must display your intent with consistency and patience and not have expectations, just goals.”

“Sounds like a lot of sacrifice for no guaranteed result.”

“True. But when it does work…” I keep slowly wiggling my fingers. “It means something much more because I created it.”

The meratadon crawls out and licks my finger. I smile and slowly gather the creature into the nook of an arm. “Forcing a connection only traumatizes life forms. True strength starts with vulnerability.”

The drone follows me into the back, where the door is open to the caretaker’s area. I find the meratadon’s home and ease him back inside. “Huh, the door is wide open. No claw marks or arcs. Someone let him out.”

I turn around and let the cameradrone inspect the door.

“On purpose?” the drone asks.

Sometimes, I forget how lucky I am to have Allele. Then, I meet a drone with dumb questions. “Letting something out is on purpose.

“It looks like it.”

The meratadon turns around and lights up but doesn’t release its charge. Behind me, the cameradrone jolts, then powers down to the sound of crunching metal before bashing into the floor.

A set of familiar eyes cut into me from the shadows. My father’s favorite guard. “Aurelius.”

“Pronkus, how delightful to see your fugly face again.” I taunt him because I’m secretly freaking out that he’s broken through security, and I don’t have eyes on Jovie.

“Your father is very upset with you. But he decided, last minute, he didn’t want you dead. Not yet.” Pronkus throws something at me that plants hard in my chest, spreading a sickeningly cold feeling through me and stealing the breath from my lungs. It wraps icy threads around my arms.

I lose control of my legs and collapse.

“Disgusting how weak you are.” Pronkus picks me up by the massive Storm arrestor on my chest and carts me deeper into the facility. A small portal appears in fiery purple.

No! You can’t take me away from Jovie! I wriggle in the net, but it’s useless.

Pronkus chuckles with a murderous undertone. “Brought the biggest one we had for you, Torchbearer.”

Allele! Pronkus has me! Fry the tracker! Portal open. Tell Jovie I love her.

I will protect her. We will find you, Allele says in my mind before a crackle like rapidly popping ears makes my chip fizzle.

No one gets Allele but me. And no one should be allowed to track her through me. It’s the only way.

Pronkus drags me through the Royal Guard portal, and my hope vanishes like my view of Abr’s facility.

My worst fears have come true.