“I don’t want you to go by yourself.” Charlie didn’t like me wandering around the Institute alone after dark.
“Then come along.” Charlie and I untangled ourselves from each other’s arms, got up and left the balcony. As we wandered down the black halls of the Institute, the cheeriness of the balcony left me, and I became overcome by a sense of eerie dread.
“I’m glad you came with me,” I said in a low voice.
“No kidding. This place is creepy at night,” Charlie muttered.
I had the thought we should turn around and go back, before I heard a low voice from the next hallway utter, “You shouldn’t have come. This nearly exposes us all.”
It was Hemlock. Her words caused me to stop dead in my tracks. I flung out an arm to stop Charlie. We pressed ourselves to the wall, waiting to hear who she was talking to.
A man’s voice was low as he uttered, “The Infernal Underground must be stopped. I could wait no longer.”
That was Professor Takahashi. Iknewit was. Elation spread through me at the realization that my favorite counselor had returned. Did this mean no more Jaymin? Ancestors, I hoped so.
I was about to spring out and welcome him back, but Hemlock’s fierce words made me pause. “The Underground is the only thing keeping Ophio distracted. It needs to remain functional, to keep his attention off our top priorities.”
“I can’t stand by and allow students to be ferried to the Underground. I took an oath to keep them safe, and as a guardian of this institution, so did you,” Takahashi insisted.
Hemlock’s tone was regretful as she said, “It is for the best. Sacrifices must be made for the greater good of us all.”
It sounded like she was trying to convince herself, but Takahashi let out a harsh noise. “We can’t keep allowing innocents to be taken to the Underground in exchange for buying Ava and the others more time.”
“The discovery of the Elves has driven Ophio mad! We agreed that you needed to go into hiding until you discovered thetruth,” Hemlock said harshly.
“And I did.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s safe to return.”
“Ava and her friends should be informed. They need to prepare for what’s coming,” Takahashi responded gravely.
“They’re not ready, Hiroto. They won’t be for quite some time,” Hemlock insisted. “We need to be patient if we’re going to keep them safe. Ophio already has his eye on them. If he learns what you’ve discovered, they’ll be in more danger than ever before.”
“On this we disagree. The four of them— they’re stronger than you realize.”
“I don’t doubt their heart. Only their ability to survive Ophio’s wrath.”
“Demigods are appearing all over the world, and of the ones I’ve seen, these four are the strongest. By keeping them in the dark, we’re only prolonging the inevitable.”
My eyebrows shot up, and Charlie stilled beside me. Takahashi knew we were demigods, and so did Hemlock. What else did they know?
Hemlock took a short sigh. “We’ll discuss this in detail later. You need to remainhidden. I’ll do what I can to ferry supplies to you, but I’m being watched as well. The gods be with you, Hiroto.”
“And also with you.” I heard the sound of retreating footsteps. I turned the corner and opened my mouth to say something. But the words died on my tongue as I realized Hemlock and Takahashi had both vanished. The hallway was completely empty, as if they were never there at all.
My blood ran cold. Professor Takahashi wasback— but he was in hiding, and he knew something about the Underground. Whatever that knowledge was, Hemlock wanted to keep it from us.
We couldn’t remain in the dark. Somehow, we had to learn exactly what Takahashi knew. Maybe he could help us save Alice and the others.
Or maybe he’d tell us exactly what we didn’t want to hear. The only way to know was to find him.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
CHARLIE
If anything was going to do me in inside this prison, it was Ava-Marie… mywife. The way my heart skipped a beat every time I heard her voice, and the surge of passion that came through our bond every time we touched, was unlike anything else. I could get lost in those nights we found ourselves tangled in the sheets— when I held her against my chest as we fell asleep.
The first time we slept together was like waking me to a lifetime of tender love and care I’d never experienced before. And giving that back to her? It was as if the elements had converged into one. The line between where Ava ended and I began was thin, and our soul was finally whole. If my heart gave out in any one of these moments, I’d die a happy man.
