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“No,” I gasped. “I don’t—”
“Hush, girl,” she hissed. “This is the only way.”
I allowed her to push me after the guard, but inside, every cell in my body rebelled against what I was about to do.
When we reached him, he moved excitedly from foot to foot. Matri urged me toward him and his hand shot out to pull me in.
He smelled of cabbage and sweat. His feral smile revealed grayed teeth, before he flicked a pale tongue at me. I gagged and fought the inevitable. My resistance only seemed to excite him.
I’d never kissed a boy before. Zed was the only available candidate I’d known, but he was too much like a brother to consider sharing kisses. Now, under the cold stare of the guard’s shark eyes, the idea that my first time would be with this human who’d betrayed his own people wasn’t bearable.
“No.” I pulled back, but ran into Matri’s surprisingly solid body blocking my escape. The guard’s hands tightened on my arm.
“No kiss, no ration card,” he taunted.
Behind us, the train hissed and chugged impatiently. If I didn’t hurry, the conductor would pull out of the station and we’d all be dead.
“Don’t be a fool, girl,” Matri hissed. “You’ll kill us all.”
I swallowed hard and licked my lips. The guard’s eyes fla
red. He leaned in. Matri’s hands urged me toward him. I didn’t want this, but I couldn’t be the reason the plan failed and we all died.
The instant I stopped resisting, my body slammed into the guard’s chest. Before I could regain my equilibrium, his rough mouth found mine and that pale tongue slithered between my lips. I gagged but couldn’t dislodge the invader. His hand clamped around my breast, and I whimpered against the pain.
Matri pulled me back and I stumbled out of the guard’s grasp. “We promised you a sample and you’ve had it,” she said.
The guard spat on the ground. “She better be more willing next time.”
I gagged at the thought of allowing him to touch me again, but then I remembered that if things went according to plan I’d never have to see him again.
“She’s a virgin,” Matri said. “Whether she’s willing or not, you’ll have fun, yes?”
He chuckled. “Five minutes, no more.”
Matri grabbed my arm and dragged me back to the platform. “Quickly,” she urged me. “And wipe your tears.”
I swiped at my eyes, more angry than afraid. “If this doesn’t work, I am not going behind the station with him.”
“Hush.” She squeezed my wrist. “You’ll do whatever is necessary to survive.”
I wanted to tell her I wasn’t like her. I’d never betray myself or anyone I cared about. But a voice in the back of my head wondered if being a martyr was better than living to fight another day. Either way, I didn’t have time to debate morals with Matri.
While I’d been enduring my first kiss behind the station, Wu and Cleo had snuck the children and several other prisoners onto the train. Elsewhere, Tuck’s people were placing dynamite throughout the camp. The plan was for them to catch up to the train before it crashed through the gates and the charges went off. When Tuck had agreed to the plan he’d had a weird little smile, like he was humoring us when he said he’d catch the train.
Wu waited for me on the platform. Matri ducked into one of the cars to check on the children, and I continued on with Wu toward the engine. According to Meridian Six, the train was engineered by a single vampire. Two human prisoners took turns shoveling coal into the engine.
I glanced back over my shoulder. The guard still hadn’t come back around the corner, but wisps of smoke told me he was sneaking a cigarette while he waited for me to return. I shuddered and sped up.
The door to the engine was open, and shouts emerged from inside. “Hurry, hurry. We have to stay on schedule, maggots.”
Wu and I exchanged a look. My hand itched for a weapon, but it had been too risky for me to carry one for my meeting with the guard. Luckily, Wu had a knife he’d made from the handle of an old comb. I resented being used as bait again, but Wu’s size made him the smarter choice to be the killer.
At Wu’s nod, I took a deep breath and stepped into the doorway. “Excuse me—”
I broke off as I took in the scene inside the engine. A short, round vampire in a conductor’s cap had a hand raised as if to slap one of the two humans huddled in the corner by a large coal bin. As one, all three turned to look at me.
“Who are you?” the vampire demanded.
