Page 70 of Sky’s Edge

The pilot came in after us. The door folded up. We settled in, sitting next to each other, taking off hats, coats and gloves and buckling in.

We took off.

Just a note, the Grenadiers stayed behind. They were Manny and Zyra’s detail, and only Tanyn’s when he was there. And since I learned that day at lunch the soni-jet had military capabilities, including stealth, cloaking and armor, and our pilot was a Red Lance (the aerial form of a Grenadier), my detail would meet me on Aleksei’s platform in Nocturn, and Tanyn’s would meet him at Berg Castle.

“Don’t be smug,” I warned after we broke through the sound barrier and we were cutting through the sky.

“Pardon?” he asked.

I looked at him. “I’m bummed to leave.”

His eyes got lazy (kill me), he took my hand (kill me harder) and lifted it to his mouth so he could kiss my knuckles (kill me dead).

He set my hand on my thigh and said, “We’ll come back.”

My phone in my bag chimed.

I took it out and looked at the display, expecting it to be Mom, or one of the gals, because they knew we were away and probably wanted deets of the weekend.

Though, I was surprised, because they also knew Tanyn would be with me, so it’d be awkward to give deets, even in a text comm.

But when I looked at the display, I felt my brows inch together.

It was only a comm code at the header to the text, not someone programmed into my Palm.

And the text said…

My insides grew cold as I fully opened it.

Tanyn must have felt my reaction, because he asked, “What is it?”

“I…don’t know,” I answered, my voice strained.

He plucked the Palm out of my hand.

“What the fuck?” he growled, and I knew he’d read it.

My Palm chimed again, and leaning into his arm to peek, I saw another text come through.

Then another.

And a fourth.

And a fifth.

Respectively:

Exhume her.

Exhume him.

Autopsy.

They were murdered.

And you’re next.

“Tanyn—” His name on my lips was shaky.