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It took us half the day to work our way back through stacked doors so that we’d be untraceable, just in case Herrick hadn’t discovered our location yet. We left a buffer between the second to last and last, just so we weren’t showing up so weakened that we were at a severe disadvantage.
I was already tired by the time we arrived in Hatting, the small planet that this Erquin was a high-ranking member of. It looked a little like a fictional rendering of Earth if it made it another five hundred years, the ones with rooftop gardens on top of high-rises.
Two soldiers with skin that was navy blue, dressed in dark burgundy, walked over, greeting us. It was strange how no matter where I went, I could still spot a soldier.
They each held a metal bracelet in their hands. “You’ll have to wear these while you’re here. It’s part of the agreement for negotiation. As soon as you leave, they’ll unlock,” one soldier said.
I’d known there wouldn’t be any magic allowed. But I hadn’t expected to wear something so similar to what had been done to me before.
Kaden held out his arm, looking agitated but accepting the band. The second they put it on him, I could feel his presence mute, as if they’d smothered something integral to who he was. As if they’d done to him what Herrick had done to me.
When they turned to me, I couldn’t seem to lift my arm.
“Give us a minute,” Kaden said, and the two soldiers stepped away. “You don’t have to do this. I’ll take you back right now if you want.” He didn’t seem mad or put out. No, there was hope shining in his eyes.
The idea of running out of here was like a siren’s song to my ears. It would be the easiest thing to do—and I’d regret it the second I did.
“You trust this Erquin to keep his word? That this isn’t a trap?” I rubbed my wrist, which would soon have a dreaded metal band on it.
“I do, but that doesn’t mean you have to.”
Every now and then Kaden said something that made me respect him, even want him, more than his kisses or his flirtations. He wanted me to make my own decisions, follow my gut and not follow him blindly. I wasn’t sure when our dynamic had changed, but more and more, I felt like a partner.
“Call them back over.”
Kaden nodded in their direction, and I lifted my arm. I might’ve stopped breathing as I waited, my skin clammy with sweat, but I held firm.
The bracelet closed on my wrist, and the cold metal felt like it burned my flesh. A wave of nausea swept over me.
We walked into the glass building that was looming ahead, into a grand foyer, and beyond that, in a room with the doors wide open, sat Herrick, waiting. The only thing that kept my sanity was spotting his matching bracelet.
A man with navy skin and glowing neon-green eyes walked over.
“Thank you for hosting us, Erquin,” Kaden said.
“I’d do anything to help keep the peace. Fighting does none of us any good. Waste of resources.” Erquin nodded to me. “It is nice to make your acquaintance.”
“Thank you. I’m very appreciative of your help.”
He nodded to me again.
Kaden looked at me, checking to see if I was ready to go in. I barely nodded, all my attention focused on Herrick. Now that I was here, that I could see him, the fear, the panic, the crushing anxiety that I hadn’t known how I’d handle—it all disappeared, scorched away by pure rage.
I headed toward the room, toward Herrick, uncertain if I was walking alone or if Kaden was beside me. I walked into the room and took the chair directly across from him, and any last piece of fear I might’ve had was devoured by the fury harbored inside of me.
Kaden took the seat beside me and Erquin sat at the helm of the table, before some of his people flowed in, taking positions along the perimeter.
I heard a snicker and realized that one of Herrick’s men I recognized from court had snuck in at the last moment. I glared his way, my stare promising retribution.
“Let’s start,” Erquin said. “Herrick would be willing to remove himself from the majority of Nowhere if he were allowed a small parcel with which to use for certain commerce reasons, considering Nowhere’s advantage with logistics.”
“No,” I answered before Kaden even had a chance to. Having this man in Nowhere wasn’t something I could live with, ever.
I glanced at Kaden, knowing it was his home long before mine, and he should’ve gotten some input.
He nodded, making it clear to all he agreed with me.
“Herrick, is there any other arrangement you’d be open to? Perhaps an easement but not permanency?” Erquin asked.
