“Look, he can’t go back to the city. He doesn’twantto go back to the city—”
“He doesn’t want to be here, either,” Gray points out. “He’ll try to run the moment we let him out.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. He won’t run, not as long as I’m at the Dagger.” I offer a self-deprecating smile. “For some reason, he’s taken it upon himself to be my bodyguard.”
That elicits a laugh from Gray. “Does he know you don’t need one?”
“He’s aware, but…” I glance around the table. “Ford and I became friends on the base. He’s a good ally to have, if you only give him a chance.”
“He’ll never be loyal to us,” Adrienne says.
“He’s loyal to me. And ifI’mloyal to you, he’ll follow suit eventually. The thing about Xavier is, he just wants to stay alive. He knows what’ll happen if he’s released into the wards.”
“Who said that was an option?” Teriq rolls his eyes. “Because if it’s up to me, I vote we kill him and be done with it.”
Fear prickles at my skin. “If you do that, I’ll leave, too.”
“Then leave,” Teriq says.
It’s jarring hearing those cold, apathetic words from Betima’s brother, who sat with me in the mess hall and shared his pain about losing his sister.
“Ter,” Gray warns.
“What? Let her leave. She hasn’t proved herself to us yet, either.”
I shift my attention to Adrienne and Kallister, who seem to wield the most power at this table. Fiona never says much; she takes everything in, absorbs it. Unless, of course, she’s shooting her mouth off about how I’m an inciter.
“I’m not asking you to give him a position of power,” I say. “I’m not asking you to send him out on missions. I just don’t want him to stay in a cell. Maybe he can go to the valley?”
“Absolutely not,” Fiona snaps. “Too many people there have had traumatic run-ins with the Command. I won’t allow it.”
“Then let him stay here. Release him into my custody,” I plead. “I’ll vouch for him. I’ll take full responsibility for anything he might do in the Dagger. I promise you, though—he’s an asset. He’s great with weapons training. Has a lot of technical skills. He’s even a decent mechanic. I remember that from the Command base.”
“I’m not trusting him with any of our planes,” says Gray.
“Food production then—”
“So he can poison us?” counters Teriq.
I suppress an exasperated sigh. “He’s a Prime, yes, but he doesn’t hate Mods. He doesn’t want us dead. If he did, I wouldn’t be here. He wouldn’t have saved my life. Just give him a chance.”
Adrienne’s arms start glowing. So do Kallister’s. I don’t know if they’re communicating, but a moment later, Adrienne says, “Give us a minute, Darlington,” and nods toward the doors.
I leave, the doors shutting behind me with a sharp buzz. I wish I could hear their discussion, but those doors are pure steel and inches thick, so I stand in the hall with my hands in my pockets, battling my impatience.
About ten minutes later, footsteps reverberate through the corridor. I glance toward the sound, startled when Xavier appears. He’s flanked by two men, one of whom I don’t recognize. The other is Henley, who arches a brow when he spots me leaning against the wall.
“What is this?” Xavier grumbles.
“This is me sticking my neck out for you,” I tell him. “So show a little gratitude, prickhole.”
Henley chuckles under his breath.
The doors slide open, and Adrienne calls out to us from the war room. “Darlington, Ford. Get in here.”
We enter the room and stand together at the head of the table. Xavier meets the Authority’s steely eyes with defiance. I poke him in the side, mentally urging him to behave.
The silence stretches on, heavy with tension. Even I start to feel nervous under the weight of their scrutiny.
