Rebel Born (Secondborn #3)(72)

“You’re not. I’m saying I don’t want to lose you. An implant is a way into your mind. If Spectrum takes control of you, or if Crow kills you . . .” I turn away, take a deep breath, and then exhale. “Listen,” I go on with a gravelly voice, pointing my finger at the ground, “I need you on the outside. I need you out here to attack the targets I’m going to set up for you when I’m on the inside. It will be a two-pronged attack. I’ll control the Black-Os. You’ll control the Gates of Dawn. We’ll coordinate strikes on Spectrum’s factories and bases. We’ll be a team—you and me.”

“What if you need help on the inside?” he demands.

“Hawthorne’s in there. If I know him, he’s waging war. I need someone I can trust to have my back out here.”

“Why are you so frustrating?” he asks.

“Because I’m right.”

“You’re not right. You just think you are.”

“Is there a problem?” Clifton asks, joining us.

“Nope,” I reply, crossing my arms and glaring at Reykin.

Reykin frowns and asks Clifton, “Was the other Roselle—the ancient goddess—this obstinate when you knew her?”

“Oh”—Clifton shakes his head ruefully—“they’re not even the same caliber weapon when it comes to that.”

I narrow my eyes at them. “I’d like to view rooms that will make a suitable lab space for Ransom, and a weapons-testing facility for me, if you don’t mind, Clifton.”

“I have what you need here. We can get started straight away.”

“Perfect.”

I leave them, reenter Clifton’s cavernous house, and retrace my steps past potted palms to the tearoom. When Clifton and Reykin arrive behind me, Clifton guides us all to elevators that take us to a lower level. Cherno ducks his head to fit inside. I press up against Clifton and glance at Reykin on our way down. His jaw’s rigid. His jealousy, a dark frown. His blue eyes, seduction.

And I’m the stubborn one?

The elevator doors open to a hive of open-floored levels populated by nonuniformed technicians working on various engineering projects, from vehicles to weapons. The environment hums with activity and energy. Ransom’s eyes grow wide when Clifton shows him to an unoccupied laboratory with rooms for testing and equipment.

“Now all we need are your lists,” Clifton tells him, “and a detailed understanding of the island where you were based. I can relay messages to the surface to get comprehensive images of the operations there.”

“I’ll get started right away,” Ransom replies with an eagerness I haven’t seen in him before.

“And I will study your maps,” Cherno states emphatically.

Clifton smiles with satisfaction. And why wouldn’t he? He’ll be acquiring the kind of technology that could make him a truly powerful god once more. The thought gives me pause. He makes a gracious gesture with his hands. “First I’ll show you all to your quarters so you can get settled here in New Gildenzear.”

As we follow Clifton out, I fall behind with Ransom. “Just to be clear, Ransom,” I say softly, “if you touch Reykin’s brain in any way, I will murder you. I will chop you up in little pieces and feed you to the sea.”

Ransom slows, but I never check my gait, moving ahead of him, and past Reykin, to join Clifton.





Chapter 13

Superposition

Reykin bursts into my new bedroom just as I’m shrugging on my training shirt.

Fear triggers a burst of energy from my palm. I restrain it just enough so that it strikes the stone wall near Reykin, missing him. Loud cracks spider over its surface. The handcrafted vase on the bureau shatters, and a puff of dry clay lingers in the air. The noise grates my raw nerves. My heart, thrumming wildly in my chest, settles a little when I realize I’m not under physical attack and didn’t hurt the firstborn Star.

Reykin glowers from the doorway, acting as if he didn’t just do something extremely stupid by barging in like that. “Did you threaten to kill my brother?” he demands, taking an uninvited step inside my room. He sweeps his dark hair back in agitation, knowing he almost lost his head.

I cringe inwardly. He’s not angry that I almost killed him. He’s livid because I threatened his little brother. “Don’t scare me like that, Reykin,” I growl, avoiding his glare and gathering my discarded Gates of Dawn uniform from the bed. “I could’ve crushed you by accident. I don’t have the kind of control that I need.” Having him this close to me isn’t helping to calm me. My attraction to Reykin rages in an unrelenting swirl of unfulfilled desire. I turn away and go to the closet to drop my dirty clothes into the conveyor shoot, which whisks them away.

I straighten the new training outfit that Clifton’s assistant provided me. It’s dark, with clean, elegant lines, red roses, and a thorny vine embroidered on the sleeve. When I emerge into the airy bedroom, I notice that Reykin’s closer, assessing my huge bed. I blush a little. Its base looks like an altar to a god of dreams. My skin feels taut. Thoughts of the two of us entwined in it flitter through my mind. I try to conceal them with a mask of irritation that matches Reykin’s. He needs to go, soon. I can’t pretend to be indifferent to him for long.

He turns away, even more annoyed. “Did you threaten to chop Ransom into tiny pieces and feed him to the sea?” he demands, his voice low and bitter.