HAVEN ✓

Fifteen

My focus narrows to the soft mattress beneath me. The silence swallowing the room. The sting of blisters on my feet from days of walking. Anything but the words that just sprouted from Markee's mouth.

I was the one they meant to capture. To bring into the Outlands and into the kidnapping clutches of Summus Aspen. Not Markee. She was just collateral.

Guilt, black heavy guilt weighs me down and I can't move under its hefty weight. I'm the reason Markee is in this volatile, foreign land, where she needn't be. If it wasn't for me...

I feel a hand squeeze mine, and it's like a tether to reality.

"You're okay. Shhh... you're just in shock." Markee's voice jump-starts my senses and I suck in a huge breath. I'd forgotten to breathe.

"I am so sorry Markee," I whisper. She pulls me in for a hug, and I rest my cheek on her shoulder. Her thick, auburn curls tickle my nose.

"It's not your fault," she coos, rubbing my back in soothing circles. I can feel the stress seeping out of my muscles. It feels like it's been years since we've been this close.

"Of course it is," I say, pulling away, leaving behind dark spots on her shirt. I didn't even realize I'd begun to cry.

Markee levels her eyes with my weepy ones. "You had no choice, Soph. They were coming for you. That is not your fault."

It wouldn't matter if I heard those words every day for the rest of my life; they would still shock me to the core, never ceasing to give me goosebumps. What could Outlanders possibly want with me?

Markee ponders for a moment. "I think that's why that ogre out there is so grumpy all the time." A small grin lifts her lips. "He grabbed the wrong girl."

How Markee can crack jokes at such a time is beyond me, but I can't help the giggle that escapes me, a touch shy of hysteria.

Later, just as I finish explaining my deal with Summus Aspen, my help for her freedom, the door swings open. I nearly jump out of my skin, having forgotten that our time is short. The tall Outlander pierces me with his one visible eye, his demeanor telling me that time's up.

Markee is not happy about our agreement, no matter that we both know that there's no other option. She hugs me one last time.

"I'll escape," she whispers in my ear. "I'll come find you."

I just squeeze her tighter. I just found my best friend, and it hurts to let her go so soon. Reluctantly, I step back and turn to go, catching Markee's glare. Her eyes burn a fire into her abductor. I want to memorize that look and use it. I want to possess that fire. As I leave Markee's room, a new determination settles in me.

The time has come for me to do the Summus' bidding.

I'm led back to where I left Sol. She sits at one of the conference tables next to Eli, scowling at Summus Aspen. I grin. There's no bond quite like resenting the same person.

"I trust you are satisfied with your visit," Summus Aspen greets my return.

I want to snarkily point out that I wouldn't have to be here if it weren't for him, but I'm scared of what he might do, as he has leverage over me. It sucks to have your best friend held hostage.

"What is your condition?" I demand, unamused at the theatrics of his court.

He grins, and it's a chilling sight. It is as if he has all of the world at his feet. He has his pawns right where he wants them, and waiting for his answer is like awaiting execution.

"You will go to the old world of Perseca," he states, leaving no room for argument. "You will study with the scientists there and aid them in developing an antidote for the Skinwalkers who plague us."

"You... want me to study? You have scientists out here?" I'm momentarily caught on the fact that there are Outlanders who are scientists, and my brain starts to go down an avenue I don't have time for right now. Even so, I cannot possibly imagine what use I could be. While my parents were revered scientists, I have no knowledge of Outlander politics. I'm not versed in war like Miles, or other members of the military and I certainly would be no help against a group of rebel Outlanders.

"How am I—"

"When you return with the answers I want, I will then release the girl." His eyes are cold and hard. Before I was introduced to the Outlands, that look would have me quivering in fear. Now, what he's proposing makes me tremble with anger. How dare he breach our village, take us away from our home, and demand we fight his battles? The gall of the man to practically enslave us to carry out his wishes. How dare he!

I'm so lost in my anger and fumes, I miss the tall, lithe figure enter the room and approach the dais. His back is to me, and an inkling of something familiar itches at the back of my mind, but with no other visible features, I can't place it.

"I have arranged for someone to accompany you, to guide you to and from Perseca," Summus Aspen declares, motioning to the man. He turns, and I can't help but stand there, shock anchoring my feet to the floor. Our eyes meet in mutual surprise, the green of his eyes bright as last I saw them.

"May I present Subter Aspen. My heir, Luke."

The first Outlander I encountered in the Outlands. The hunter.

Neither of us dare to move. I doubt neither of us ever thought we would see one another again. After a stiff moment of silence, he turns that intense green gaze back to his father. "I just got back. I don't have time to play escort," he refuses. My heart stops, then restarts.

"You will do as I say." The Summus' reply is brittle, as if this isn't the first time for his son to defy orders. A little part of me cheers him on.

Subter Aspen—Luke—regards his father with a look that shoots daggers, then spins on his heel and stalks out of the chamber.

The Summus, viewing their exchange as a victory, grins at me.

"Better start packing," he chides. "It's a long road to Perseca."