“Like you’re about to have a panic attack,” muttered Olivier through a nervous chuckle.
Emilio whimpered. “Iamabout to have a panic attack.”
Members of the Resistance swarmed the corridors. The Healing Bay sat at the heart of the Resistance’s base, the connecting hub for all the various wings that made up the large and expansive manor. Emilio hadn’t explored the entire base. It wasn’t just that he’d spent most of his time forced to participate in the rigorous training routine imposed on all Resistance members, but it was nearlyimpossibleto explore the entire base with its magicallyexpanding corridors. The place wasmassive. Emilio hadn’t the faintest idea how many floors there actually were. He’d attempted counting once and had accidentally ended up stumbling into a supply closet and locking himself inside.
He hadn’t tried again.
“How did you manage to get the key to Catherine’s office, again?” Olivier asked in a hushed whisper. A pair of combat trainers stalked by, shooting the trio a puzzled look. Olivier simply bowed his head, tipping an invisible hat. “Good evening, comrades! Lovely day for a stroll, isn’t it?”
The combat trainers rolled their eyes and kept walking.
Masika cleared her throat. “How I got the key isn’t important.”
Not exactly a surprising response. Masika had been awfully secretive about Catherine since they joined the Resistance, never once broaching the subject of their tangled past. Though it didn’t take a genius to deduce that whatever had happened between the two of them had clearly left a scar far deeper than the one Masika now wore on her face.
Emilio didn’t blame her. He understood the feeling well. He’d spent months at Blackwood yearning for a crumb of Olivier’s attention. Longing for the day the other boy might turn around and confess he felt the same. And though they’d expressed their feelings to one another near the end of the Decennial, Emilio still couldn’t help but feel…wounded.
Olivier’s worsening condition was an ever-present storm cloud dampening their blossoming romance. How could Emilio even begin to think about kissing Olivier when he might lose him? Olivier had sworn up and down that the healers were making progress, but Emilio wasn’t quite sure he believed him. It was something about the way Olivier looked at him. A sadness in his eyes.
And Emilio couldn’t quite decipher whether kissing him would make that sadness disappear, or simply tear their hearts in two.
Because the truth was simple: Emilio was embarrassingly, pathetically,desperatelyin love with Olivier.
Which was an absolute problem.
“All right, wait.” Masika came to an abrupt halt, reaching her arm out to stop them in their tracks. Emilio fumbled, flushing as he pushed the thoughts of kissing Olivier out of his mind for the time being.
“What is it?” Olivier whispered, glancing around.
Masika pointed farther down the corridor. “The entrance to the Southern Wing is coming up.”
“What exactly is our strategy here?” Emilio craned his neck to get a better look. As anticipated, two guards were patrolling in front of the arched double doors that led to the Southern Wing, each of them carrying corporeally infused weaponry. “Beguile them with our charm?”
“You meanmycharm,” Olivier corrected.
Emilio scoffed. “You don’t think I’m charming enough?”
“Oh, you haveplentyof charm, my love, but I just happen to be an expert on the subject.”
“Hey,” Masika snapped. “There will be nocharmingof any kind, all right?”
“Then what is your grand plan?” Olivier asked. When Masika hesitated, Olivier’s face fell. “Youdohave a plan, right?”
“Well…” Masika gnawed on the inside of her cheek, clearing her throat. “Yes. Kind of.”
Olivier pinched the bridge of his nose. “We’re doomed.”
Emilio couldn’t lie—he was starting to panic as well.
“Just give me a second.” Masika inhaled a deep breath, shakingher arms out. “I’ve been doing some research. Practicing. And there’s something that might work.”
“Have you done it successfully before?” Olivier asked.
“Do you want the real answer?”
Olivier sighed. “No. Probably not.”
“Then yes.” Masika beamed.
