Page 32 of To Cage a Wild Bird (Divided Fates #1)

Larch fell silent.

“We’re not lowering the cost of hunting,” Coates hissed. “I just told you that profits are down. This is about long-term growth. We need to add something that makes the experience worth

the cost to the hunters—enough so that they come back over and over and bring new guests with them.”

Councilor Elder made a sound of agreement. “Right now the inmates are making us look bad. One of them has been here for over

two years now. It’s unprecedented, and it’s making a mockery of the Council and our laws. We must find a way to make the hunts more

entertaining for the hunters when they visit Endlock. Give them better odds of making a kill.”

My hands balled into fists at my sides. I already knew these people didn’t see us as human but hearing them strategize about

making our deaths fun was more than I could handle.

The door at the top of the stairwell slammed open, and I jumped, banging my elbow against the wall behind me. I froze as the

conversation in the room ceased. I didn’t dare to move—didn’t even dare to run, in case my footsteps drew their attention.

Even as I heard the clear sound of a guard’s boots slapping against the treads in the stairwell.

A throat cleared in the room, and Vale’s voice filtered out to me. “And did anyone have any suggestions on how to make that

happen?”

I was gone before I could hear a response.

By the time Vale returned to the workshop following his meeting with Larch, the alarm had gone off to call us to dinner.

He seemed distracted as he sat down and pulled out a new sheet of paper.

He dismissed us without bothering to take inventory of the tools on the back wall.

I stayed at the workbench under the guise of cleaning my station, gesturing for Yara and August to go ahead.

They shot me questioning looks, but I waved them off.

When the last inmate departed the room, Vale was still focused on the paperwork at his desk.

I swallowed, looking back and forth between him and the wall of tools as I sidestepped toward the back of the room.

He didn’t look up once.

I slipped a small pair of wire cutters from the wall and into one of the deep pockets of my uniform.

With the weight of the tool in my pocket, there was a part of me that wanted to leave the room without drawing attention to

myself, especially after I’d almost been caught eavesdropping in the corridor, but it wasn’t as strong as the part of me that

needed to ask Vale what the outcome of the conversation had been.

Vale had broken the rules for me several times over. While he’d yet to confide the full truth of what he was doing at Endlock,

he seemed intent on helping me survive. I knew I couldn’t trust him—could never trust a guard—but I also couldn’t walk away

without trying to learn more about his whispered conversation.

In the end, Vale made the decision for me.

“What are you still doing here?” he asked, eyes snapping up from the document he’d been examining and noting the otherwise

empty workshop.

“What was that about?” I forced the words past my lips before I could lose my nerve.

He turned to look over his shoulder at the camera I’d already confirmed wasn’t recording and then met my gaze, his brow wrinkled.

“What do you mean?”

“Why would a guard be invited to a board meeting? Why are you important enough to that board meeting that the warden, Councilor Elder, and the CEO of Endlock Enterprises came to speak with you when you didn’t show up?

Why do all the other guards defer to you, even though you’re supposed to be on equal footing?

” The questions spilled out of me, one after the other.

Vale had practically avoided me in the time following my stint in solitary, and I’d been content to watch him in silence and attempt to piece together the truth.

But this was too much.

And while I thought I knew the answers to my questions, I needed to hear them from him.

Without another word, Vale was on his feet, sealing the workshop’s door, effectively cutting us off from the rest of the prison.

His eyes bored into mine, a firestorm churning within them.

He stepped closer to where I stood. “Lower your voice,” he hissed, molten eyes flashing to the door. “If you could hear what

was said out in the hall, don’t you think anyone who happens to be wandering around would overhear the way you’re speaking

to me right now? Don’t you think they would find it strange to know that you feel comfortable talking to me like this?”

“ I find it strange that I’m comfortable talking to you like this. Don’t you?”

He looked away, leaving yet another question unanswered. I let out a long sigh.

“I followed you,” I admitted, crossing my arms over my chest.

His head snapped up, but I didn’t give him time to speak.

“If you won’t tell me the truth about who you are, you can’t expect me not to look for answers.”

“But I do, Raven,” he murmured, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “I

expect you to keep your head down.”

I let out a harsh laugh. “Keeping my head down isn’t going to keep my brother alive. If I don’t know everything they plan

to throw at us, we don’t stand a chance.”

“But if you get caught listening to private conversations, Larch will kill you.”

“It’s a good thing I didn’t get caught, then,” I shot back. I couldn’t bring myself to regret taking the risk. Not with everything at stake. “I heard what Coates said about Endlock’s profits being down and needing to find a way to make the hunts entertaining to bring more visitors in.”

Vale gave a tight nod, confirming what I’d heard.

“Please,” I whispered, swallowing hard. “I wasn’t able to hear the rest, and I need to know if we’re in more danger. I need to be able to protect Jed.”

There was a pause, an internal battle in Vale’s gaze. He rubbed a hand over his jaw, and I could tell, even before he opened

his mouth, that he’d accepted defeat.

“Most of the population from the Upper and Middle Sectors have already visited Endlock at least once over the years, and it

seems like the novelty is wearing off. Endlock Enterprises is stagnant. Coates and the Council promised the shareholders a

good year, and they’re worried about the implications of not delivering. Coates is a businessman, so it’s all about profits

for him. The Council has more at stake. Public perception can make all the difference in their control of Dividium.”

I nodded, though my stomach clenched. I knew there was more he hadn’t shared yet.

“The board is working on a way to heighten Endlock’s appeal for hunters.” Vale seemed to be carefully choosing each of his

words.

“And how are they going to do that?”

He let out a harsh breath, shaking his head back and forth. “I shouldn’t be telling you any of this. It’s dangerous. For both

of us.”

No. I couldn’t lose him now.

“There’s a lot you shouldn’t have done for me.” But you did. The unspoken words swirled through the air between us.

His eyes lingered on mine, assessing. “You know the wristbands every inmate wears?”

I nodded, looking down at the black band on my arm.

“Larch has suggested some upgrades—an option for hunters to purchase extra features for their target’s wristband.”

“Extra features?” I repeated, tilting my head.

Vale grimaced. “They’re still working out some of the specifics, but so far, they’re on board with vital signs monitoring, thermal imaging, proximity alerts, and... infliction of pain.”

Logically, I knew what his words meant, but I needed him to confirm. “What does that mean for us?”

His eyes were steady on mine as he answered. “The vitals monitoring won’t have a big impact on you. The thermal imaging will

allow hunters to see their targets through foliage and branches if they’re close enough. In theory, with proximity alerts,

your wristband would emit an alarm when a hunter is nearby. And the pain... they’re talking to the engineers to figure

out what’s technically possible, but they want the wristbands to emit some kind of severe shock. Something that’s painful

enough to debilitate you, at least momentarily. They plan to offer the features as add-ons that the hunters can purchase to

elevate their experience.”

“No.” My stomach dropped, nausea twisting my insides, and I slapped a hand over my mouth. If what Vale said was true, the

prisoners would no longer stand a chance. Jed and I wouldn’t stand a chance. There wouldn’t be any hiding. The only survivors

would be those who could outrun the hunters.

Vale gripped my shoulders, his thumbs rubbing in soothing circles. “It will be a while before the engineers have the features

up and running. We have time.”

We. Like we were a team.

Drawing a steadying breath, I tried to mask my emotions. “Okay.”

I turned, deciding to seek out Kit in the mess hall and discuss our escape. I needed to get Jed out. Now.

“Wait.” Vale’s voice was a low murmur, but it pulled me back. His fingers curled around my wrist, and I met his gaze, unable

to ignore the feeling of his thumb moving back and forth on my skin—a caress over my hammering pulse.

“What is it?” I swallowed, the wire cutters heavy in my pocket. If he’d seen me take them... I didn’t know what he’d do.

“There was something I wanted to ask you.” He hesitated, his mouth opening and closing twice before he finally spoke. “Remember

that day a few weeks ago, in the showers?”

As if I could forget.

I could still feel his fingers running up and down my back.

I nodded, ducking my head to hide the flush in my cheeks.

“I noticed.” He stopped, rubbing his free hand over the back of his neck before trying again. “I noticed you have two strike

marks on your shoulder.”

“Is there a question in there somewhere, or were you just trying to come up with an excuse to talk about being pressed against

my body?” I drawled, giving myself time to decide how much of the truth I wanted to reveal to him.