While we waited for the hotel elevator to arrive, Erik and I held hands. The steel doors slid apart, revealing a mirrored interior car. I stepped on and stared at my reflection. Chestnut-brown hair fell in large curls down the back of my black, velvet jacket. Mac had practically ordered me to wear color, so I had selected a dark-gray cocktail dress to go underneath my black coat. The hollows under my eyes were dark from too many sleepless nights. Dull, lifeless irises sat like two purple marbles sunken into a face I barely recognized. The jacket had been specially tailored to fit my small frame before I’d come back to the School, but now it hung loosely on my too-thin body.

  Erik’s reflection, on the other hand, revealed beautiful turquoise eyes over high cheekbones and tanned skin. His black hair hung perfectly around his face and looked professionally styled even though he’d barely brushed it after his shower. The green dress shirt was tucked into the waistband of his khaki pants. His navy blazer was unbuttoned and the sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, The Agency logo embroidered on the breast pocket.

  The fine lines around the corners of his eyes and mouth were the only outward sign of his inner stress. He tried to keep his mental barricades up so the anxiety wouldn’t seep from his mind and amplify my own. I was touched by his concern, but hated that he thought me weak, felt sorry for me even. We weren’t equals in this relationship. He was a rock, all strength and power. I was fragile, spun glass, ready to break if someone looked at me the wrong way.

  Apparently, there were also cracks in my mental armor, letting my thoughts leak out.

  “You’re beautiful,” Erik insisted, planting a kiss on the top of my head.

  I rolled my eyes. “And you’re a bad liar.”

  “Actually, I happen to be an excellent liar.” I gave him a withering look in the mirrored wall. “Fine, you might be a little skinnier than I usually like my girlfriends, but I’m sure we can take care of that over the next three weeks.” Erik pinched my waist playfully.

  I pushed him away, pretending his comment bothered me. It sort of did. Erik grabbed me from behind, spinning me to face him. He pushed me hard; the handrail collided with my lower back, sending a jolt of pain up my spine.

  “You want to know the truth? You are one of the strongest people I have ever met. And you are definitely the most beautiful, Tal,” he murmured, leaning in so his lips moved against mine when he spoke.

  His kiss wasn’t gentle. If it were possible, I fell a little more in love with him in that moment.

  The lobby of the Hamilton was lavishly decorated with blue and white wall hangings bearing The Agency logo and each division’s emblem. The couches scattered throughout the foyer were upholstered in deep-red fabrics with gold throw pillows. Tuxedo-clad waiters waded through the crowds of already gathered Operatives and Congressmen, passing out drinks and finger sandwiches.

  Several people turned and when we stepped into the grand room. Their murmured conversations were like verbal assaults to my ears as they whispered to one another phrases like, “She was the girl’s friend”, “She caught that spy”, or “She had to relearn to walk.” Anxiety clouded my mind, and the urge to turn around and run and seek sanctuary in my room was almost too strong to ignore.

  “They’re looking at me, not you. Don’t worry.” Erik smiled.

  I gave him another eye roll and tried to suppress the grin tugging at the corners of my mouth. I was so glad he was here.

  “Natalia,” Mac called, coming over to greet me. “I have plenty of people that I’d like for you to meet.” Then Mac turned his attention to Erik, pointedly glaring at our intertwined fingers. “Mr. Kelley, I am sure you can find a way to entertain yourself while Natalia mingles.”

  Erik nodded curtly to the Director and gave my hand a brief squeeze. “Call if you need me,” he sent and disappeared into the crowd.

  For the next three hours, I trailed Mac as he mingled and schmoozed with the plethora of politicians that had assembled in the nation’s capital to celebrate the start of aptitude testing. Many I’d met over the past eight years, some I hadn’t. All were eager to congratulate me on finding the traitor that had infiltrated our government. I kept a smile plastered on my face through the entire ordeal, never giving even the slightest indication that I was anything less than thrilled at the way things turned out.

  When I grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waitress, Mac deftly removed the drink from my hand.

  “Not tonight, Natalia,” he mumbled under his breath.

  Relegated to drinking nonalcoholic beverages, I consumed glass after glass of ice water. Thanks to Mac’s refusal to let me out of his sight for longer than a nanosecond, I had to use the bathroom so badly that I had to fight the urge to cross my legs like a child.

  “I’ll escort you back to your room, Natalia,” Mac declared when the crowd started to thin.

  “I need to make a stop first. No need to wait,” I replied, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

  “Where do you need to stop?” he asked suspiciously.

  I gave him a hard look before answering. “If you must know, I need to pee.”

  “You’re an adult, Natalia. I would think that you could manage to make it to your room first,” he stated, visibly relaxing at my benign answer.

  “I’ve had, like, eight glasses of water, Mac. I’m going to burst,” I whined.

  “Fine, but please see to it that you find your way to your own room as soon as possible. I would prefer you get some rest before tomorrow morning,” he ordered, his gray eyes boring into me.

  His unspoken command was crystal clear: Don’t go to Erik’s room.

  “Of course, Director.” I smiled sweetly.

  “Breakfast tomorrow, then?” he asked as though it was a question.

  But I knew better. It was an order.

  “I’ll see you at seven,” I responded, grateful for his dismissal.

  Mac nodded curtly before heading to the elevator bank alone.

  In truth, I genuinely did have to use the bathroom so bad it hurt. But I wasn’t a child; I could have made the journey to my room without incident. However, I wanted to find Erik before heading upstairs.

  I spotted him by the bar, sipping amber-colored liquid from a large mug engraved with the TOXIC logo. He was chatting easily with Cadence Choi. Unlike me, Cadence had chosen to don Agency-issued black slacks and a fitted, black jacket with the School’s emblem embroidered over her left breast. Her short, black hair was styled neatly just above her shoulders. I’d noticed throughout the evening that I was one of the few Operatives that had forgone the uniform-like attire in favor of a more cocktail-appropriate dress.

  Having no desire to get close to Cadence and doubting that Erik would leave without finishing his beer, I found the lobby restrooms. When I was finished, I returned to find the two still engrossed in conversation. Irritated, I wound my way to the bar.

  “Hey,” I said, placing my hand possessively on Erik’s arm.

  Even as I did it, I felt petty, but I didn’t like how chummy he was with Cadence.

  “Hey to you, too,” he replied, a smile lighting up his entire face.

  The tension I’d felt building in my muscles all evening eased as I basked in the warmth of his affection. Erik slipped his free arm around my waist, kissing the top of my head softly.

  “Hello, Cadence,” I said politely, acknowledging the slightly older girl.

  Her scrunched features hardened when she turned her attention away from Erik and fixed her beady black eyes on me.

  “Talia, it’s so nice the Director let you accompany him. I’m sure you’ve just been itching to get off the School grounds,” she replied, sneering.

  “Oh, I’m not accompanying Mac,” I shot back, trying to keep the animosity in my voice to a minimum. “I’ve actually been assigned to help administer the aptitude tests.”

  Erik’s arm tightened around my waist when he felt my temper begin to flare.

  “Really?” Cadence raised her pencil-thin eyebrows. “I wasn’t aware Medical had cleared you for active duty.”

  “Medical hasn’t, but Mac thought my abilities would be extremely helpful for the testing.” I tried to keep my voice even as I spoke, but couldn’t quash the urge to rise to the challenge in hers.

  Since our first encounter, Cadence had been hostile. Not that I was exactly Susie Sunshine, either. I hated the joy my failure elicited in her and used every opportunity to remind her that, no matter what had happened, I was still the Director of the Agency’s favorite, that he still treated me like a daughter, and that I had connections and status in our world that she would never be privy too.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Sure, I knew that it was childish, but the satisfaction it gave me, no matter how small, was worth it. And, honestly, the events of the past year had cooled my relationship with Mac significantly, but he and I were the only ones who knew that. Our private conversations were often strained and combative. Yet in public, I worked hard to maintain the status quo and never let on that we were constantly at odds or that I’d come to doubt that I knew him as well as I thought. While I was confident that Mac was aware my trust in him was fading, he never gave any outward indication, either in public or private.

  “It was nice to see you again, Cadence,” Erik said, offering her a gleaming white smile and effectively putting an end to our less-than-friendly exchange.

  “You, too, Erik.” She returned his smile easily.

  I was shocked that she could proffer positive emotions toward another human being, seeing as she was always so frigid to me.

  “Maybe I’ll take you up on the offer to help me train for my tryout next month.”

  “What?!” I demanded mentally, rounding on Erik. “She’s been granted another tryout for the Hunters? And you offered to help her train?”

  “Definitely,” Erik agreed, rubbing my back to calm the anger growing heavy inside of me. “You know where to find me.”

  With that, Erik steered me away from Cadence Choi before I could say something aloud that I might regret later. He led me through the elaborately decorated foyer of the Hamilton Hotel, through the double glass doors that marked the entranceway, and out onto the deserted sidewalk that ran along Fourteenth Street.

  Four armed Agency men dressed in black and gray fatigues stood alert in front of the hotel’s entrance. Each Operative carried a large, black automatic weapon against his chest. Four sets of dark, intense eyes snapped in our direction.

  “Erik, what’s up?” The shortest of the four guards called, his large coffee-colored face breaking into a huge grin.

  “Desmond? How are you?” Erik called back, surprised.

  “Doing well, man. Got pulled off guard duty at Tramblewood to come down here. The city’s been crazy since they caught that spy chick,” Desmond responded, shaking his head.

  I stiffened at his reference to Penny, promptly forgetting all about Cadence.

  “Yeah, I bet,” Erik said neutrally, pulling me closer to his side. “What’s the deal with the curfew?”

  The normally lively city streets were empty, devoid of the usual teenagers and twenty-somethings that frequented the downtown bars.

  In the wake of Penny’s sentencing, riots broke out all over the nation. The discord people felt toward the government, and The Agency in particular, reached an all-time high. Apparently, traitor or not, the majority of the population had reservations about executing a teenage girl. I knew that Mac feared there would be trouble during the aptitude testing.

  Mac hadn’t explained the state of the nation to me prior to our departure from the School. In the weeks since Penny’s sentencing, he’d become visibly more stressed. He began taking daily work trips into Washington and other key cities throughout the country. When he returned at night, he looked every one of his fifty years. Since Mac was less than forthcoming, I probed Donavon for details. He had been the one to tell me about the riots and extended curfews.

  For as long as I could remember, I’d respected Mac and understood that his position came with some hard decision to make. However, learning of his intention to keep the mandatory curfews in effect until further notice made me question his judgment. Imposing such restrictions on people’s freedom was extreme. The regulations wouldn’t alleviate the dissonance. They would only make it worse.

  “The Director wants to maintain the curfew in all testing cities for the duration of the exams,” Desmond was telling Erik. “People have been losing faith in The Agency ever since they learned we let a spy infiltrate our organization. And then there are the conservatives that think the Mandatory Talent Testing Act should be abolished. They protest every year anyway.”

  “Bummer. We were hoping to get a drink before bed,” Erik answered shaking his head regretfully.

  Were we? I’d figured that Erik had led me outside because it was the fastest way to get me away from Cadence.

  “Well, the Director wasn’t really clear, but I don’t think the curfew applies to TOXIC Operatives. Although all the bars are closed already.” Desmond shrugged his massive shoulders as if to say “sorry.”

  “Eh, no big deal. But it would still be cool if we took a walk, right? Got a little fresh air? Talia and I were hoping for some alone time.” Erik pitched his voice lower, making it suggestive, as though he was sharing a secret only for Desmond’s ears. The compulsion behind his words was clear to me, yet I doubted that Desmond or the others noticed.

  I wanted to roll my eyes. As desperate as I was for alone time with Erik, I doubted that he was manipulating the guards just so we could have a midnight tryst. But I followed his lead anyway, cuddling closer to his side. I glanced up at Erik with pure adoration. When our eyes met, he had to contain a snicker and I guessed that my attempt to sell the story wasn’t going as well as I thought.

  Desmond turned his full attention to me as if noticing my presence for the first time since our arrival on the sidewalk. His caramel eyes lit up with recognition.

  “Natalia Lyons,” he muttered, extending a mammoth-sized hand to me. Hesitantly, I returned the gesture, losing my small palm in his embrace. “You’re something of a legend out at Tramblewood.” He shook my hand vigorously, causing my entire body to vibrate. “Everyone’s so impressed with the way you caught that traitor. They say you were able to infiltrate her mind, which is crazy because the best Psychic Interrogators worked on her right up until they plunged that needle in her arm and none of them could get through.”

  My head began to spin and hot tears burned the backs of my eyes at his graphic description of Penny’s execution. I hastily pulled my hand free from his grip, stumbling slightly as my legs became weak. Erik kept a firm hold on my waist, urging me to stand upright. Once again, I leaned heavily into him for support, but this time I wasn’t pretending. The thought of Penny dying made me nauseous and this man’s jubilant attitude only made the sickness that much worse.

  Desmond gave Erik a knowing smile, the equivalent of a mental high five. I could feel Erik’s muscles go taut and I knew that friend or not, Desmond was treading on thin ice. Erik might have started the joke by insinuating we were sneaking off to get naked, but he didn’t like the way Desmond was leering at me or how upset his words made me. Erik’s overprotective nature both thrilled and irritated me. I could stand up for myself. I struggled against Erik’s grip, straightening my spine and steeling my nerves against any further assaults. They didn’t come. Desmond returned his full attention to Erik.

  “Go ahead, man. I’m sure no one will care. Just don’t be gone too long and be sure to identify yourselves if you encounter any guards. They’ve been given clearance to shoot first and ask questions later, if you know what I mean.” Desmond gave us a pointed look.

  “Thanks, Des. I really appreciate it. And no worries. If we see any guards, I’ll be sure to let them know who she is.” Erik inclined his head in my direction. “Being the Director’s pseudo-daughter has a lot of clout.” His tone was jovial, but there was an underlying note of hostility. He seemed to be reminding Desmond and the other guards of my place in our world.

  My irritation deepened, but I stayed silent.

  “Have fun, guys,” Desmond said, casting a conspiratorial look at his fellow Operatives.

  “Thanks,” I muttered, keeping my eyes downcast to prevent him from seeing the pain and anger I was trying to hide.

  Erik released my waist and grabbed my hand, practically dragging me away from the guards. We crossed the deserted city street in silence. An eerie calm blanketed the capitol city. There wasn’t even a single homeless person begging for money in sight. The tall glass buildings that littered downtown Washington, D.C. were dark and bereft of life. Even the apartment buildings were quiet. No vehicles flew down the ordinarily clogged streets. No hover-cars whizzed overhead.

  Walking down Fourteenth Street, we passed The Grass is Always Greener, a bar we’d been to on a night out when I was still a Pledge. There was no line of drunken city kids clamoring to get inside its doors. No loud music filtered through the non-soundproof walls to fill the night. Sadness washed over me. The city had been so much fun when we’d been there for Festivis the previous month, and now it was reduced to this. I hoped that after the aptitude testing was over, the city would return to its former glory.

  Erik led me further down Fourteenth Street. He picked up the pace slightly as we made a right onto I Street. I had so many questions for him that I didn’t know where to begin. So I started with the most obvious.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see,” he sent back, glancing down at me with a broad smile.

  Knowing Erik, wherever we were going wasn’t likely somewhere we were allowed. Maybe he was taking me to some romantic location for quality alone time.

  We continued down I Street for another couple of blocks, passing more darkened store fronts, empty bars, and deserted nightclubs. My short legs had to work hard to keep pace. As we approached the intersection of I and Fifteenth Streets, I felt the dull hum of a human mind. Alarmed, I stopped in my tracks and squeezed Erik’s hand tightly. Fear made my heart thud painfully against my ribs as I recalled Desmond’s words: They’ve been given clearance to shoot first and ask questions later.

  “It’s okay, Tals,” Erik said calmly. “I know the guards on duty tonight.” He smiled at me reassuringly.

  “Do you know everyone?”

  “I’m just a friendly guy. What can I say?”

  My anxiety increased the closer we got to the source of the mental activity. I had all my energy focused on my mental talents, so I was surprised that I recognized the guard when we were still fairly far away. Normally, I was only able to expand my sense of sight when I consciously concentrated my energy.

  The guard’s dark hair was just visible underneath the black helmet that he wore. His hazel eyes darted nervously from side to side, surveying his surroundings. His jaw was set in a hard line and irritation radiated off of his being.

  The guard’s own senses were superior to any normal human’s, even to my own. He was a Morph. An elite-level Morph, no less. And at the same time that I recognized him, he recognized us and he didn’t appear pleased at our presence.

  “Hey, Arden,” Erik called when we were still several feet away.

  Arden Greis was one of Donavon’s former Hunter teammates.

  “Erik. I figured you’d changed your mind,” Arden responded uneasily. “Hey, Talia,” he added, offering me a small smile.

  “Hi, Arden,” I said, now even more curious about what we were doing.

  “That damned reception the Director made us go to ran longer than I expected,” Erik apologized.

  “You won’t have much time down there,” Arden replied, his eyes shifting from me to the padlocked gate behind him. “There’s a train scheduled to come through in an hour, and it’s not just cargo. Not sure what’s on it, but we were told to be extra vigilant tonight.”

  “An hour is plenty,” Erik answered, not phased in the least by Arden’s barely civil tone.

  “Alright, just be sure to watch the time. This is a mighty big favor, and you know I can get in a lot of trouble for this.” Arden’s mind projected his reservations loud and clear.

  “Let’s just go back,” I sent Erik.

  “He’s just being dramatic, Tals. I promise we won’t get caught.”

  “I don’t want him to get in trouble,” I urged, shifting my gaze to Arden, who was glancing suspiciously between me and Erik, aware that our mental conversation involved him.

  “He owes me.”

  Curiosity formed the question of what exactly had Arden indebted himself to Erik for before I decided that I’d probably rather not know.

  “No worries, man. You know Talia and I can talk our way out of any situation.” He winked at Arden, but the older boy wasn’t mollified by Erik’s assurances.

  Although, admittedly, Erik did have a point. In the event we were caught sneaking around wherever it was that gate led to, I could make sure whoever caught us didn’t recall the encounter long enough to make a report.

  Reluctantly, Arden reached for the set of silver keys attached to his belt. He noiselessly turned the key in the large padlock and held the gate open, allowing Erik and I to pass through.

  Grabbing a flashlight strapped to his thigh, he handed it to Erik. “It’s really dark down there and since neither of you is a Morph, you’ll probably need this,” he said.

  “Thanks,” Erik replied, taking the heavy metal object in his free hand.

  “One hour, Kelley,” Arden hissed behind us.

  Erik waved dismissively.

  Immediately inside of the metal gate was a metal staircase with two rubber handrails. An old-fashioned escalator, I realized. The stairway was so steep that it vanished halfway down.

  “Erik, where do these stairs lead?” I demanded, trepidation making my voice high-pitched and frantic.

  “To my favorite place in the city, Tals.”