“Where’s the real Doctor Ulani, anyway?” I asked, as we wandered through the passageway.

Now that I knew Mort was a shifter, it was weird to see him back in the form of Doctor Ulani. I kept looking for gaps in the mirage, trying to see where the flaws were in the shifter design, but I couldn’t see any. The guise was as close to perfect as possible. I supposed it had to be, considering the people he was trying to fool.

“No idea. Last I heard, he was MIA somewhere in the far reaches of the universe, presumed dead,” he mused, smirking. “I altered the paperwork, and hey, presto… he is resurrected!”

I rolled my eyes at him. “How long have you been on Vysanthe, then?”

“I’ve been here for a few months, masquerading as this beloved doctor of Gianne’s,” he replied. “Although, in hindsight, I might not have picked the best profession. Turns out you actually need to know how to fix people to be a doctor, especially when you’re taking up the role of a well-respected specialist.”

“Instead of spouting a load of medical nonsense, like you did upstairs?” I teased.

“You caught that?”

I nodded. “I was under the bed the whole time.”

Mort laughed. “No way! I knew that grumpy one was talking weird. Nobody needs to speak that loudly.”

“Yeah, I was under the bed, and my friend was in the cupboard,” I admitted. “I don’t think you ever met Ronad, did you?”

“Was he the weird, tanned coldblood in the Siberian hut?”

I glanced at Mort suspiciously. “How’d you know that?”

“Relax, nobody else knew he was there. He just happened to be taking up one of my old hiding spots. I used to go there when I couldn’t be bothered with the rebel base anymore. Anyway, I let him be, but I was pretty annoyed at losing the hut,” he said. “I liked it there.”

“Well, he’s here again, and now we’re stuck in this house until Navan comes back and we can decide what to do.”

“Princess, he is never coming back,” Mort insisted. “I told you back then, and I’ll tell you again: a human and a coldblood will never last. He’s probably seen something he likes better and run off after it.”

I gritted my teeth. “Navan is coming back. I spoke to him a few weeks ago. Well, he said he was coming back, but I think something might have happened to him, because he still hasn’t turned up.”

“I bet you twenty credits he never does.”

“Don’t say that!” I snapped, punching him in the arm.

Mort raised his hands in mock surrender. “Sorry, it was a joke! I’d ask what’s got your panties in a twist, but even one day in this place would make me want to hang myself.”

Ignoring his comment, I pressed on with more serious matters. “I don’t suppose you had anything to do with blowing up Queen Gianne’s hangar, did you—the one with the deep-space fleet inside?”

Mort grinned. “I might’ve. Why, you impressed?”

“It’s a simple question. Did you, or didn’t you?”

“I was part of the strike team that Orion sent to blow it up, but I only helped out because it sounded like a fun mission,” he explained. “What can I say, I like things that go boom! Plus, it meant I got to leave Earth and the threat of being the next lab rat in line for the chopping block.”

I frowned, wondering how much I could trust Mort. “Why did you join Orion in the first place?”

He shrugged. “I originally signed up in the hopes of having a bit of power, you know? I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself, and there was nothing for me back home, unless I wanted to be a gumshi farmer.”

“Gumshi?”

“They’re hard fruits filled with sour, noodle-like fronds. It’s the staple food for my people back on our planet, though you can’t find it anywhere else,” he said. “It was a bit of a shock to discover the delights of human food, let me tell you! I think I doubled in size the first month I was at the base.”

I laughed, trying to imagine the shifters eating burgers or sandwiches. “Where’s home for you?”

He snorted. “As someone who wants to keep her planet a secret, you’re a little hypocritical,” he teased. “It’s way out in the Tarantora Quadrant. Most people call it Mallarot. I’d tell you its full name, but your puny human tongue wouldn’t be able to cope.”

“Are you glad you left your planet?”

“Easy, Diane Sawyer,” he chided playfully. I guessed he’d seen a bit of Earthen TV too.

I shrugged. “I’m just curious to get to know you better, since you asked me to trust you.”

“I’d never do a thing like that,” he shot back with a mischievous grin.

“You know what I mean, Mort. Better the devil you know, right?”

“Well, I didn’t fit in any better with the rebels than I did on my home planet, if that’s the scoop you’re after,” he said, after a moment’s pause. “I was an outcast on Mallarot, and I was an outcast with Orion’s posse. So, now, my loyalty is up for sale. I’m not sure it’s worth much to anyone, but I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity—and the right person—to tether my proverbial wagon to.”

“Are you tethering it to me?” I wondered.

“That depends.”

“On?”

“On whether you can offer me the revenge I want. That’s my price, for now.”

I smiled. “Well, there’s six of us who are looking for allies to join in our fight against the rebels and the rule of the two queens. We want to do away with Orion and keep Earth safe from Brisha and Gianne,” I explained. “If you help us, we’ll offer you the revenge you want and safe passage off Vysanthe, when we all escape ourselves. In exchange, we’ll need intel about the rebels, and whatever you can tell us about Queen Gianne from what you’ve learned as one of her doctors.”

Mort scoffed. “And why would you want to do that? As long as Orion is on Earth, he’s your best bet for keeping it safe from the queens.”

“A threatened planet isn’t a free one. With Orion there, the human race is at risk,” I replied. “He’s using our blood in his elixir—you know that. As long as he’s on Earth, he has a free supply of it, and he’ll continue to kill my people until he gets his fill. We’ll end up as slaves, and I refuse to let that happen.”

“You make a good point.”

“Plus, he had shifters draining the blood out of humans, right? As far as I’m concerned, your people are cold, ruthless killers,” I said, recalling the husks of the shifter victims. “You might have forgotten, but the last time I saw you, you were threatening to drain the blood out of me. So, you might make it sound like you’re all peaceful gumshi farmers, but I know different.”

Mort pulled a face. “Orion got us hooked on it. We’re not bloodsuckers, like your boyfriend—we were forced into an addiction. It was one of his ways of controlling us. We drained blood for Orion’s elixirs and got to keep a little morsel for ourselves,” he explained. “I was a different shifter then, high on human blood. But I’ll have you know, I gave it up, cold-turkey. Haven’t touched a drop since before my friend was killed, and don’t plan to touch that stuff ever again.”

“Why should I believe you?” I countered. “Who’s to say you won’t try and drain every drop out of me now?”

He shrugged. “Believe me or don’t. That’s up to you. I’m just telling you how it is. The thought of blood turns my stomach now.”

“I’ll be keeping an eye on you, either way.”

“Please do.” A salacious grin tugged at his lips.

“Anyway, I have my own personal vendetta against Orion,” I continued, feeling the pulse of rage in my chest. “He killed a friend of mine, too.”

“He did?” That seemed to pique Mort’s interest.

I nodded. “His name was Galo. He was a lycan who put his life on the line for me. It was my fault he got captured, but Orion sent him after me with a chip inside him—a chip that would kill him at the press of a button.”

“Let me guess, our mutual acquaintance decided to pull the trigger?”

“He sent Galo just to get back at me, and he threatened everyone I love,” I said. “So, I want to hit him where it hurts. I already killed his girlfriend, and I won’t stop until he can’t hurt anyone anymore.”

Mort whistled, evidently delighted. “You killed Pandora?”

“She forced my hand, but yeah… I killed her.”

We paused beside the panel that led into the basement while Mort thought about my offer. After all, if he didn’t agree to my terms, I was going to have to make a very quick decision. I didn’t want to hurt Mort, now that I knew more about him, but I couldn’t let him leave, either.

“You present an intriguing case, Riley,” he purred, tapping his coldblood chin. “I tell you what. I’ll agree to your offer, on the condition that you deliver on your promise at a moment’s notice. If you can’t give me that, I’m off to share my information with someone else—someone who can give me what I want.”

“What information do you have?” I countered.

“See for yourself.” He reached into his pocket and removed the silver box, tossing it to me. I caught it just in time. The box almost crashed to the ground. When I looked up, Mort was laughing. As useful as he might be, I wanted to knock the smirk off his fake face.

“What does the other thing do?” I asked, pointing to Mort’s pocket, where he’d put the strange screen device.

He smirked. “I told you, it finds things… and unlocks things.”

“Yeah, I know how it helped you find the lab, but how did you find the device under the workbench?”

“Never you mind. You’ve got an unlocked comms device with all the information in it, and that’s all you’re getting for now. Wouldn’t want you getting too greedy now, would we?” he teased. “So, do we have a deal?”

I felt as though time had slowed to a standstill. I still didn’t know if I could trust this shifter, and he was asking a lot of me in return. What if I couldn’t make good on my promise when he wanted me to? Would it matter, when the time came? I wished I had the others with me, so we could all make a conscious decision. Without them, I was making the choice for everyone.

Besides, it was clear I couldn’t be trusted to make good decisions. I’d just agreed to take a comms device from Jareth’s lab, and that choice had left me feeling distinctly uneasy. I knew we should have left it, but it was too late now. I just had to read what was on the device, as soon as I could, and get it back to the lab before anyone realized it was missing.

“Before I’ll agree to your terms, there’s something I need you to do first, to prove your loyalty,” I said anxiously. “After all, our history isn’t exactly the best.”

Mort arched an eyebrow. “Go on.”

“Judging by your gadgetry, I’m guessing you have a way of communicating with people all over the place?” He nodded, spurring me on. “Well, I need you to find a way to contact Navan. As soon as you’ve managed to get in touch, I want you to come straight back to me. I want to know if he’s okay, and I want to know when, and how, he’s planning on getting back here, to the Idrax house. I want to know every part of his plan, okay? Only then will I decide if you can be trusted.”

“Here I was, thinking you’d have a fun little side mission for me.” Mort sighed.

“Can you do it, or are you refusing?”

He smirked. “I’ll do it, if only to see that pretty little smile of yours,” he said. “I’ll come back tomorrow, as soon as it’s done. You can expect a call from Doctor Ulani—I’ll just pretend I want to check up on the one with all the purple puke, or something.”

“Her name’s Lorela.”

“Whatever,” he muttered.

“If you want to pass as a doctor, you need to remember the names of your patients. Especially ones as high up in Gianne’s standing as this!”

Mort looked confused. “Why? As long as they think you can cure them, it doesn’t matter.”

“Just remember Lorela’s name, please!” I opened the panel and led Mort into the basement. To my relief, the wardrobe was still unlocked, giving us an easy path out.

We walked along quietly. As we reached the steps that led up from the basement, I gestured for Mort to stop. I crept up first, peering around the corner to make sure the coast was clear. The hallway beyond was empty, and I couldn’t hear anyone nearby.

“Come on!” I hissed, and Mort hurried up the stairs behind me.

We moved quickly along the corridors of the mansion’s ground floor, with me staying a few steps ahead, to scour the connecting hallway for any unwanted attention. I was convinced Sarrask was going to materialize, wanting to know what I was up to. However, he was nowhere to be seen.

Satisfied that nobody was going to spot us on our escape, we pressed on, until we reached the final stretch of hallway between us and freedom. I sidled up to the entrance of the kitchen. It was empty, too.

Gesturing for Mort to hurry up, I beckoned him into the vacant kitchen and dragged him over to the back door, where Ronad and I had made our escape two weeks ago. Flipping the latch, I opened the door and let him out into the bitter Vysanthean air.

“Tomorrow?” I whispered.

He nodded. “Tomorrow.”

With that, he set off through the gardens of the Idrax house, before ducking under the silver archway at the very bottom. I watched until I couldn’t see him anymore, praying it wouldn’t be the last time I saw him.

Closing the door behind me, I sprinted across the kitchen, through to the entrance hall, and up the stairs, not stopping until I reached the sanctuary of my bedroom. I’d expected Ronad to be there when I arrived, having extricated himself from Lorela’s cupboard, but there was nobody around when I stepped inside.

Feeling disappointed, I wandered over to my bed and sat down on the covers, taking a deep breath. I was about to lie down, to try to calm my racing mind, when there was a knock at the door. Hurriedly, I stuffed the silver box under my pillow, my heart thundering as I tried to look as unflustered as possible.

“Who is it?” I called.

Sarrask opened the door poked his head around it. “Can I come in?”

I stood up sharply and went to meet him at the door. “I think it’s probably best that you don’t.”

“I just wanted to come and see how you were,” he said, his cheeks reddening. “I checked under the bed for you, but you’d vanished. Where did you go?”

“I managed to sneak out while you walked Doctor Ulani down the hallway,” I lied.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

An awkward tension bristled between us, with Sarrask not daring to look me in the eye. I wondered if I should bring up the kiss and ask Sarrask what the hell he’d been playing at, but it didn’t seem like he wanted to be reminded of what had happened.

“How’s Lorela?” I ventured.

“She’s better. She’s awake, and asking for something to eat,” he replied. “I was just on my way to the kitchen when I passed by your room and thought I should check in on you.”

I didn’t want to remind him that my room wasn’t exactly on the way to the kitchen. In fact, it was nowhere near the route to the ground floor, but he seemed embarrassed enough as it was, and I didn’t feel like dredging up something that would only mortify us both.

“Is someone with her?”

“Yeah, Kaido and Ronad are with her right now,” Sarrask replied. “I think she’s going to need more one-on-one sessions with the doctor. Kaido thinks she just needs stronger medicine, but I think she’ll be fine without it. Her body will fight the sickness—that’s why Vysanthean immune systems are so strong. We can recover from most things.”

I realized he was avoiding using the word “therapy,” or anything that related to the ups and downs of mental health. He wasn’t even referring to it as a mental illness, but something that could be cured by sheer willpower and natural antibodies alone. The stigma surrounding it really was a big deal here. I only had to look at the way Kaido was treated to know coldbloods didn’t appreciate things they couldn’t see or understand.

“Did you ask the doctor to come back?” I asked, not knowing what had gone on between my disappearance through the passageway and my encounter with Mort in the lab.

Sarrask grimaced. “Yeah, we asked him to come back as soon as he was available.” He paused uncertainly. “Although, I have to say, I’m not much of a fan of Doctor Ulani.”

I smiled. “I imagine he grows on you.”