My hands curl into fists.

  “He gave himself up for you,” I tell him, a repeat of earlier. Mostly because I don’t know what else to say right now.

  Jadick shakes his head. “That’s where you’re wrong,” he says, “He gave himself up for you.”

  CHAPTER 2

  The tile designs on the ceiling of my room swirl before my tired eyes. Maybe it’s the vertigo. Or, you know, the poison. Either way, Jadick’s words echo in my head, making rest impossible. He gave himself up for you. Our conversation was hours ago, but I am still trembling with rage. With the need to aim it somewhere, anywhere other than at myself. Jadick has refused to help rescue Levi. My mother’s clearly on his side. Tripp can’t be trusted—not until I know for sure whether he’s the one behind drugging me when I was first brought to the Jades.

  I have no ally here, not really.

  That means it’s up to me alone. Knowing they’ve abandoned Levi to a murderer pisses me off, and it’s that rage I cling to now. Anger is an energy I can’t afford to lose, not when I have nothing else left to fuel me.

  Alone, I sit up, this time with less dizziness.

  The pain in my left shoulder continues to burn steadily, but it’s more bearable than before. Not by much but it’s enough. Carefully, I peel my shirt back—it’s clean and not the one I was wearing when I came here—and then do the same to the gauze taped to my skin. My stomach roils at the sight of the jagged stitches. Yellowish liquid oozes from beneath the sutures. It’s not a great clean-up job, but then I didn’t expect much considering Tripp’s only training came from our first aid elective sophomore year.

  Apparently, the Jades have no doctor. Or not one willing to treat me.

  But I’m in fresh clothing. Fresh bandage too from the looks of it. That means one of them saw me topless. Ugh. It better have been my mother and not Jadick.

  I press the tape and gauze back over the wound and try not to think about how much of my veins contain poison and how much is blood. Considering my wolf is still out of reach, I’d say the poison is still winning.

  I move slowly. My parched mouth leads me first toward the counter where I find an unopened bottle of water. A granola bar sits next to it. I snag both and then uncap the water, drinking until my stomach churns. Capping it again, I tear into the granola bar, scarfing it so quickly my stomach roils. Next is the bag my mother brought me. Inside is a change of clothes and a few toiletries. The idea of a shower is appealing, but since none exists in this room, I leave the travel-size shampoo and soap alone. Rifling through, I find a flashlight and a bit of rope. No phone. Either she doesn’t trust me, or she doesn’t think I have anyone left to call. Either way, it sucks.

  With a sigh, I shuffle over to pull the door open.

  On the other side, a short hallway opens into what looks like a larger space.

  Standing between me and that space is Grey, Levi’s guard.

  His cargo pants and black tee are a little wrinkled, but that’s the only indication of the fact that he and all of the people he’s sworn to protect here—the Jades, as they call themselves—are on the run and living in an abandoned shopping mall. I don’t feel very sorry about his wrinkly uniform, though. Grey’s never liked me. Then again, he’s never pretended otherwise, so that’s something.

  “What are you doing?” he asks.

  “Going to get Levi.” I take a step toward him, gauging my physical strength against his right now. “What are you doing?”

  He straightens and plants his feet. “Stopping you.”

  I snort. “I really, really wish you’d try.”

  He glares as if he actually might, but then his shoulders drop, and he shakes his head. “Too easy.” He lifts his chin, a brutish gleam in his eye. “You look like shit, you know.”

  “Back at ya. Then again, I was shot with a venom-laced bullet. What’s your excuse?”

  His mouth pulls into a tight frown, and he marches over, looming over me. He wants to intimidate me. He has no idea I’ve seen too much to be scared of something so obvious as him.

  “You might not want to talk shit without Levi here to protect you,” he tells me.

  “I don’t need anyone’s protection.”

  His brow lifts. “You sure about that? You’re the reason Levi’s not here in the first place. I’m not the only one who knows it either.” He cocks his head. “Why do you think Tripp had to stitch you up?” He doesn’t wait for my answer before he says, “The doc refused to treat you. The people blame you and rightly so.”

  My response stalls.

  I try to catch my breath but can’t.

  He’s right. This is all my fault. I—

  “Grey.”

  A raspy female voice slices through our little stand-off.

  Grey takes a single step back, eyes still locked on mine. The look he wears says this is far from over.

  Frankie walks up, her gaze sharp.

  She still wears the same no-nonsense expression as the day I first met her back at the compound. Her uniform today is navy blue overalls with a red anchor for a crest. I have no idea where she got the clothes or the crest because I’ve never seen it on any of the other uniforms, but she carries it off with an air of absolute authority.

  “Is there a problem?” she asks.

  “Just explaining how things are to our guest.” Grey’s voice twists on the last word.

  “And exactly how are things, Grey?”

  He looks away, clearly not wanting to explain it to her.

  Something tells me she doesn’t need him to.

  Instead of pressing it, she looks at me. “You mind if we walk a bit? My knees need stretching, or they’re going to petrify right where I stand.”

  Her request is a distraction; a delay in my mission. But I don’t see how I can refuse. She’s clearly making herself my ally by coming here and as much as I am itching to go after Levi, something tells me I’m going to need Frankie in my corner to get it done.

  “Sure.”

  “Ma’am,” Grey begins. “I’m supposed to keep an eye on her. Jadick’s orders—”

  “Do you think your eye outranks mine?” Frankie demands.

  “Well, no, ma’am, but—”

  “Then get the hell out of the way. And you can tell Jadick that was an order too if it makes you feel better.”

  She all but shoves Grey aside and saunters past.

  As I pass, I offer him a smile that I’m surprised doesn’t get me punched in the mouth, considering the dark look he flashes back at me. Grey might not have been the one to drug me back when Levi made me his prisoner, but it wasn’t for lack of wanting to.

  I follow Frankie into the larger space at the end of the hall and realize it’s an abandoned department store. Which means my room is nothing more than an old store manager’s office. Out here, empty clothing racks gleam underneath the lights. Behind us, the main exit has been boarded up tight. In front of us, plastic clothes hangers lie scattered across the faded carpet. Frankie steps over them and leads me out into the mall corridor.

  The emptiness of the hallway is eerie.

  No shoppers. No kiosks.

  Well, there’s one kiosk, and from here, it looks like someone spray-painted dicks all over it, but that only adds to the eeriness.

  “You’re looking a little pale. Should we stop?”

  I shake my head, pushing my body to keep moving, but the farther we go, the worse I feel. What was a slow walk a few moments ago is now a tilted hobble thanks to the burning pain radiating from my shoulder all the way down my legs. My lungs burn, and my breaths are labored. My mother was right. This time is worse. I am in no condition for a rescue mission—but what choice do I have?

  “So, you’re still in charge?” I ask, trying to get a sense of where things stand now.

  “I’m head of internal operations,” she says, using her fingers for air quotes around her title.

  “Huh. I figured Jadick would have appointed his own people now that he’s taken over.”

  “He has. Apparently, Gregario and Burnett have no spine or moral compass. They’re his lap dogs now. And a few others have decided to be loyal to the new regime as well.”

  There’s more she’s not saying, but I can’t let myself be distracted by Jade politics.

  Silent, I scan the corridor for some sign of an exit. If I’m going to get out, I need a plan. But none of the doors are marked. Either there’s no way out of this hall, or the signs have been removed. Far down at the other end of this wing, I can see a few people crossing from one corridor to the next. No one comes even close to where Frankie and I make our way, and I wonder if I’m kept apart from the other Jades for my safety or theirs.

  “Interesting living arrangements,” I say.

  “It’s better than a tent.”

  “Was that the other option?”

  “Jadick doesn’t give other options.”

  She’s clearly not a fan of his.

  “Levi mentioned a mall,” I say quietly. “But not in Green Hills.”

  Frankie doesn’t respond, but I catch her eye, and I know she understands where my thoughts have drifted.

  “Kari tortured Dirk for the first location,” I say. “Don’t you think she’ll—”

  “That’s why Jadick picked this place.”

  Jadick. Of course. Does that mean he’s had plans of taking over leadership here all along?

  “Is there even a mall in Wythe?” I ask.

  She gives me a look. It tells me all I need to know. “Before you get upset about our leader being kept in the dark, it was for his own good. Levi doesn’t know anything about this place, which means he can’t give it up.”

  “Isn’t that the problem, though? When he can’t tell her where we are, she’ll only go harder on him until—”

  “Don’t think too hard about things you can’t control.”

  I swallow back the rest of my question along with the tears that threaten. She’s right. Giving in to the mental image of Levi being hurt will only distract me from my goal.

  Frankie steers me toward a small doorway next to a water fountain and ushers me through. In the short, narrow hallway on the other side, she pauses to lock the door behind us. My internal alarm starts blaring as I realize how isolated we’ve become.

  “Where are we going?” I ask, noting the flickering light at the end of the hall.

  The flashing creates weird shadows, and I just realized if Frankie’s trying to double cross me, I’ve walked right into her little plan. But she turns a corner into a small office, and when I follow, I’m surprised to find Tripp waiting inside.

  “You didn’t tell me he was here,” I say.

  Frankie shrugs. “If I had, you wouldn’t have come.”

  My surprise turns quickly to irritation.

  “No shit,” I snap. “Are you two working together now to ruin my life?”

  “We’re working together to understand what Jadick’s really up to,” Tripp says. “And whether his intentions are going to get us all killed.”

  I cross my arms, mostly to hide the fact that standing so long is making me sway. “What happened to Jadick being your golden boy? I thought he was like the Jades’ mascot or something.”

  Frankie’s eyes flash with disgust, but neither of them contradicts me.

  “Jadick was always our golden ticket,” Tripp says. “That doesn’t mean he deserves to lead us.”

  “I’m leaving,” I say, spinning for the exit.

  “You sure?” Tripp calls. “If you do that, you’ll miss the chance to listen in on Jadick’s secret meeting.”

  I pause, my hand braced on the doorframe.

  Dammit.

  He has me.

  I turn slowly, noting the small bank of monitors on the counter beside where Tripp stands. On the grainy screen, I can make out Jadick seated at a conference table. My mother sits across from him. Stationed behind him against the wall are two of Levi’s personal guards, Burnett and Gregario. The latter is the asshole I sucker-punched when he first kidnapped me and tossed me into a creeper van.

  I shouldn’t blame him. He was only following Levi’s orders.

  But my anger isn’t rational.

  A fact Tripp is probably acutely aware of in this moment.

  “Why can’t we just attend the meeting in person?” I ask.

  They exchange a glance.

  “Let’s just say Jadick has tightened up his inner circle,” Tripp says.

  My shoulders sag as I realize that circle doesn’t include me. Or them, apparently.

  “I thought you said you’re in charge of internal operations,” I say to Frankie.

  “Fancy name for dorm mother,” she says with a derisive snort.

  “Jadick’s playing nice with all of Levi’s previous leadership,” Tripp explains quietly. “But Gregario and Burnett are in his pocket. Always have been, apparently. As for strategy, he’s doing things differently now that—”

  He stops, and I look away because I know exactly what he was about to say. Now that Levi’s gone.

  I remind myself Tripp and Levi are assholes. Or were assholes. I was kidnapped by their people on Levi’s orders, after all. It doesn’t really ease my guilt, but it distracts me well enough.

  Finally, I look back at Tripp. “And you’re out too?”

  He shakes his head. “I don’t think I was ever in.”

  I want to argue, especially considering he’s Levi’s bestie, but I let it go. Maybe that’s exactly why he’s out.

  Frankie nods. “It’s starting.”

  We all turn back to the monitors. I shuffle forward for a closer look.

  “Who’s that guy he’s meeting with?” I ask.

  “Name’s Vale,” Frankie says. “He’s one of our spies in Blackstone.”

  Blackstone.

  My attention sharpens.

  Jadick is meeting with a spy from pack lands. Maybe he’s doing something after all.

  I nod at Tripp, and he reaches over and turns a knob beside the monitor. Jadick’s voice spills from a crackly speaker.

  “…any trouble?” Jadick asks.

  “The alpha house is on high alert, that’s for damn sure,” the man, Vale, drawls.

  It’s hard to make out specific features, thanks to the grainy image on-screen. These monitors are clearly from a bygone era. I wonder where Tripp even found them. But I don’t complain, it’s better than nothing.

  “But no trouble,” Vale adds.

  “And the message?”

  “Here. Read for yourself.” He passes Jadick something across the table.

  Jadick unfolds it and reads it to himself.

  Then he smirks.

  “Well?” my mother prompts.

  Her nails drum against the table impatiently.

  Jadick glances up at her then refolds the paper and hands it up to the security guards behind him. Burnett steps forward and pockets the paper then steps back again.

  “It seems my sister has decided to accept my request for a video conference,” Jadick says. “But only on one condition.”

  “What’s that?”

  “She wants Mac to join us.”

  “Absolutely not.” My mother’s response is swift and firm.

  A pain that feels like the blade of betrayal twists in my chest.

  “She can’t handle this,” my mother adds. “You know what she’s been through.”

  “She’s a liability,” Vale adds, and my anger pulses.

  He doesn’t even know me.

  “I don’t disagree with either of you,” Jadick says. “But we’ll let it play out. You never know. It could work to our advantage.”

  “She’s barely on her feet,” my mother protests, clearly not ready to lose this argument.

  Jadick pins her with a look. “You said the venom would only take a day or two to clear her system.”

  “Yes, well, it’s an estimate. She’s tough,” my mom says uncertainly.

  “Exactly my point.” He presses his palms to the table and stands. “It’s settled then. I’ll let her know.”

  “I’ll tell her,” my mother says, standing quickly.

  I don’t wait to hear Jadick’s response.

  I’m out the door before Tripp or Frankie can stop me.

  In the main hallway, I hesitate, unsure which way to go from here.

  From the far left, I see my mother striding this way. I shrink back against the wall, sliding into an alcove beside the water fountain. She passes by then disappears inside the empty clothing store where Grey probably still waits for me to return.

  I don’t wait for her to figure out I’m gone.

  The moment she’s out of sight, I hurry toward the door she exited. It’s near the end, just before this corridor opens into a kind of atrium where all of the hallways converge. In the center, a fountain has turned green with algae. Jades stroll around it on their way to or from various places, including a few dressed in guard uniforms. When I get close, several of them spot me, and I increase my pace before they realize I shouldn’t be out here. Running is painful, so I end up doing more of a power walk. But eventually, I make it to the door my mom left through—and find it locked.

  Determined, I bang on it.

  “Open up,” I yell.

  My behavior draws a few stares from the Jades at my back. I face the door and bang harder.

  “Jadick, I know you’re in there. Open this door!”

  The door clicks open, and Gregario scowls at me from the other side. Over his shoulder, I see a short hallway with doors lining either side. Jadick’s in one of them.

  “What are you doing out of your room?” Gregario demands.

  “Tell Jadick I need to talk to him.”

  “He’s busy.” Gregario glances at someone over my shoulder.

  I turn to see Grey and my mother approaching.

  Dammit. Busted.

  “Tell him,” I repeat, “Now.”

  “What’s going on?”

  Jadick steps out of the last door on the right.

  “She insists on talking to you,” Gregario explains.

  “Well then, let her through.” Jadick waves me forward.

  I shove past Gregario before my mother and Grey can catch up. Then I slam the door behind me and stride toward Jadick.