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It sends guilt rocketing through me. They think she’s gone…and I was losing my mind between her thighs all night.
“They’re a mess,” I murmur. “Of course they are; their mate vanished.”
“I feel horrible.”
“It’s not your fault–”
“It is,” she cuts in, looking over at me. “Vance didn’t just trade me, Luka. I gave myself up. I tied Oberon to the bed so he wouldn’t stop me…and I gave myself up.”
“At least they’re alive,” I mutter. “And they wouldn’t be if you hadn’t taken that sacrifice upon yourself.”
“I’m not a martyr. I didn’t think anyone would come after me.”
“You underestimate how much they care about you,” I tell her. “We all care about your safety.”
She looks at me for a long time. “I’m not going back without doing this.”
“Of course you’re not…you’re a fucking hero. What you’re doing matters more than how they feel,” I tell her. “Remember? They’re still talking about the Stargazer in Pacific City.”
Her eyes widen for a second, then she nods.
“Pacific City,” she echoes. “I never thought I would miss it, but I do. Even with all its ugliness, it’s home now.”
“Well, I’ve got good news for you,” I say. “Rook is just waiting for the go-ahead and we can get the hell out of here. He’s got a boat lined up, the coordinates. We’re—“
Her jaw tenses and she swallows hard. “I know Gunnar and Oberon are probably out of their minds, but…no, Luka. I have to stay.”
“Stay?” The word comes out like a bullet, angrier than I intended. “For what?”
“Because they’re here, Luka.” She takes a step in, and I feel her heat against my skin. “The Dreamland omegas. They were snatched and brought to Terra Vitae. I’ve seen them, but haven’t been able to talk to them; I have no idea where they’re being kept. But they’re prisoners here, just like I am.”
“Damn.” My voice is a low growl as I process what she’s saying. “We’ve got to pull them out.”
“Exactly.” There’s a spark in her gaze, one that says she’s nowhere near giving up. “And I’m the key to busting this cage open.”
“How?”
Her eyes flicker away from the ocean, down the hill toward the colony. “I’m working my way up the ranks,” she says, “talking to people in town, organizing the women around the cult of the May Queen.”
“Not sure what that means…”
“They worship fertility,” she says. “I’ve made myself their new saint—the heir to everything they hold dear, and a marker of independence from the Eclipse and the ACB. Not everyone likes the way this place has grown.”
I watch Aisling pull back her dark cloak, revealing a cascade of silver-blonde that shines like starlight in the backdrop of the night’s canvas.
“So you’ve been busy with your own little insurrection?” I ask, arms crossed over my chest as I eye her stance—defiant, unyielding.
“New Eden needs its true queen,” she responds, her voice steady like a heartbeat in the void. “I’ve been…collecting loyalty. Stirring hearts and minds.”
“Sounds like you’re preaching a crusade.”
“Call it what you want. Idol worship, a clash with Lianna, it’s all part of the dance. And I’ve discovered something else.” She finally faces me, and her eyes are sharp enough to cut glass. “There’s a research facility here—they call it The Pit. I think it must be underground, because I haven’t seen it even after scouring this whole damn island.”
“Secrets under the surface, huh?” I push off from where I’m standing and take a step closer.
“Yeah, and it’s probably where they’re keeping my friends,” she says. “You have to understand—this is where I belong. I won’t leave until they’re safe.”
I grimace, knowing Gunnar and Oberon won’t like hearing that.
