So much had happened in such a short time, it was hard to keep it straight in my head. My life was becoming an endless pattern of constant danger, unexpected twists and turns—not to mention disappointment—and I waited poised for the next attack. I never thought it would come from someone I loved …

In a moment of vu, my eyes fluttered open. A distinct woodsy scent lingered in the air, and it made my heart cramp. Just like that, I missed him.

Dash Darhk.

His name made my heart patter. I shouldn’t miss him, but my heart didn’t care that he was hung up on another girl, on finding her.

The guy had saved me time and time again, and how did I repay him? By getting him captured. Again. He must hate me. I hated me. If it weren’t for me, Dash wouldn’t be in the clutches of the Institute, suffering God only knew what kind of torture. I couldn’t be a hundred percent sure he was at the Institute, but the constant dread in my stomach told me he couldn’t have possibly gotten away.

My eyes roamed over the darkness, looking for him, regardless of the fact that I knew he wasn’t in my room. Correction: prison.

For three days I’d been locked up in this box, like a princess in a tower. At least I thought it had been three days. Time was difficult to keep track of, when there were no clocks.

Wood planks covered the floor and felt rough under my bare feet. A bathroom was across from the twin bed. The room was plush and pink, but there was nothing homey or relaxing about it; it was eerie. I hated everything from the floral bedspread to the whimsical white curtains that hung from the window. Its similarity to the room I’d had before the mist freaked me out, as if they’d been expecting me—a disturbing thought on so many levels.

Had my parents known I was alive?

Had they known which holding house I was in?

Was that why I was stuck on a slab of glass in a secluded room like some kind of trophy?

And while I slept, they had gotten a room ready for me to come home to, a place that trained, tortured, exiled, and used humans with extra abilities.

What were they going to do to me?

My wild imagination got the best of me. I wanted to hurl.

Taking a deep breath, I sat up, my brain reeling with so many unanswered questions, and at the forefront was Dash. How could the scent of him be so intense in my head that I would have sworn he’d been in the room?

The thought of seeing the brooding Slayer brought on a strong wave of emotions: longing, sadness, regret, love, a mishmash of feelings.

I hugged my knees to my chest and stared out the window. Darkness spilled in from my only source of the outside world. Too bad I was at least six or seven stories from the ground, leaving me no real chance at escape.

A cool breeze sent the curtains dancing in the air, and I turned on my side, gazing up into the starry sky, wondering where he could be.

After the attack, there was a big black spot in my memory thanks to the drug my father had injected me with. I had no clue what had happened to Dash—if he’d been captured, tortured, killed, or if he had managed to get away.

I was really holding out for the latter.

The idea of him being tangled in the Institute’s web left me with a feeling of bleakness, but if he was out there and had escaped, at least there was a ray of hope. He could still find his family and all wouldn’t be lost.

I needed to find out, for my own sanity, but no one told me anything. Not that I was actually allowed to see anyone other than the quiet, shy girl who brought me my meals and checked on me from time to time.

Starlyte was her name.

There was something frail about the girl. She was no older than me, but rarely spoke or looked me in the eye, as if she felt ashamed for me. Maybe it was pity. I’d been too angry and upset to pay her much attention at first. Now she was the only thing I looked forward to: seeing another face.

Since I’d been taken, I had yet to see my father or mother. And boy did I have questions. Monroe, or Ember as she now calls herself, had also been MIA. It didn’t make any sense to me. Why had my father drugged me and, in essence, kidnapped me? How could my family be a part of the Institute? It was like finding out your father was a drug lord. Disbelief didn’t begin to cover it.

I told myself that no matter what happened I wouldn’t cry. They wouldn’t break me. Tears solved nothing. I had to believe that my parents were still good people, and there was a reason for their involvement in the Institute … whatever it was. If only I could see them, then maybe I could understand why they locked me away. They had to have an explanation.

And I was damn tired of waiting.

Throwing the covers aside, I hopped out of bed, not giving a flying pig’s ass what time it was. Padding to the door, I lifted my hand to pound on the wooden surface.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. My hand stopped in midair when the alarm sounded, shrilling down the hall. I glanced around the room to see if I had somehow stepped on a tripwire. A light from the window caught my attention. It was a spotlight circling and flashing through the window in my room. Curious, I scurried across the room, dodging the end of the bed, and peered down into the courtyard. Guards in their blue uniforms scattered throughout the area, obviously searching for something or someone.

Dash.

It had to be him. “Run,” I whispered out the window, my fingers clutching the sill.

The lock on my door turned a moment before it opened. It was Starlyte, or Star as I called her—the girl who’d seen to my needs the last few days. Although she had barely said five words to me, it hadn’t stopped me from trying to pry information from her.

“What’s going on?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder.

Star reminded me of a skittish cat, adorable and sweet. She had long, silky blonde hair that I would have killed for and big soft brown eyes. It made me wonder what the Institute had done to her to make her so wary. “I’m not sure. I was just told to stay with you until it is safe.”

“Safe from what? Is the city under attack?”

She wound her hands together, standing in the middle of the room with her eyes on the floorboards. “I’m not sure. The alarms have never sounded since I’ve been here, but I don’t think we’re under attack.”

My eyes returned outside, looking for any sign of danger. I couldn’t see anything other than the guards all running in the same direction. “How long have you been here exactly?”

She shrugged. “I awoke a few months ago.”

“And you were brought directly to Diamond Towers?”

“Yes. Since I didn’t have any abilities, I was offered a job.”

Strange. I’d been under the impression that those who didn’t show signs of being mutated by the nuclear vapor got the boot. “So you weren’t affected by the mist?” I asked to clarify.

She shook her head.

I nibbled on my lip. Could I trust what she told me? Maybe she was supposed to feed me information, make me think the Institute wasn’t the bad guys.

The lights finally stopped flashing, and the siren ceased its annoying wail. All fell silent once again. “About time. My ears are ringing worse than the last rock concert I went to,” I mumbled.

Star cracked a smile. It was the first time I’d seen her show an emotion outside of being jumpy. It gave her the wholesome, girl-next-door look.

“So you really don’t know what happened? I don’t mean to pry; it’s just I’ve been stuck in this room for days and I don’t know why. I’m starting to freak out.”

Her eyes bounced to the closed door and then back to me, as if she was nervous someone might be listening. I found that to be a scary thought. She twined her fingers together in a pretzel before answering. “I overheard one of the guards say a prisoner had escaped.”

“Dash,” I muttered under my breath. It had to be him. He would be the only person capable of doing it a second time.

“Who is Dash?” Star asked, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

Wow. This was progress. I sat down on the other side, the mattress dipping under my weight. “No one. At least not anymore.”

“Is he the one you were brought in with?”

This was the longest conversation we’d ever had, and I felt starved for some human interaction. “What do you know about me?”

“That you are Dr. Winston’s daughter. He has been searching for you for a long time.” She sounded like a robot.

“Dr. Winston is my father? Huh. How about that.” He hadn’t been a doctor before, and I highly doubted he was one now … unless the mist had given him some kind of healing powers. Anything was possible. “Am I ever going to be able to see him?”

“The Institute usually gives new recruits a few days to get accumulated before being assessed.”

“Is that why I am locked in this room?”

She glanced down at her hands. “I’m told it is for your own protection. To keep you from being kidnapped.”

“Kidnapped?” I squeaked. Well, wasn’t that rich.

“How did you do it?” she asked, peeking up at me from thick, long lashes that curled perfectly.

My eyes narrowed. “Do what?”

“Survive in the Heights.”

“You’ve never been outside?” I asked, wondering if she was a prisoner too.

She shook her waterfall of blonde locks. “No, just during my transport, and the things I did see made me want to be a hermit.”

“It is definitely another world out there, but you’d be surprised what you’re capable of under duress. I survived only because I had Dash.”

“They say he is dangerous, that he has killed a dozen or more guards.”

A smiled tugged at my lips, and it occurred to me that I hadn’t truly smiled since before I’d been captured … since Dash. “That sounds like him.”

“He doesn’t scare you?”

I snorted. “Believe it or not, he isn’t as bad as reputation makes him out to be, but he would deny it until he was blue in the face.”

“One of those guys,” she muttered.

I arched a brow, my curiosity piqued. “You know a few?”

“I did, once upon a time.”

“How much do you remember before the mist?” It was normal to forget most of your former life after waking from the hundred-year-long slumber, but as I’d learned, there was always the exception to the norm. Take me, for example. I’d recovered most of my memories shortly after awakening. And then there was Dash, whose memories eluded him like a startled fish.

“Enough to remember I have no one in this world.” Sadness reverberated in her voice, and if it hadn’t been, I would have seen the sorrow radiating in her big, expressive eyes.

If anyone needed a friend more than me, it was Star. “Do you think they caught him?”

She gave me an odd look before it registered who I was talking about. “The prisoner? I hope so.”

Funny. I didn’t. I hoped he was far, far away from the white city. “It sounds like things have died down out there. Maybe we should check, just in case.”

Star jumped off the bed so fast, I almost took a tumble over the side.

“You’re going to lock me back in here, aren’t you?” I asked, and for a brief moment, I contemplated running her over like a linebacker. The girl looked as if she could use a supersized Big Mac meal. I could totally take her. I was sure of it, but I still had a gazillion unanswered questions, and until I talked to my parents, I couldn’t leave the fortress.

She eyed me warily. “I’m sorry. It’s for—”

I crossed my arms. “If you say it is for my protection, I’ll be forced to punch you.”

Her doe eyes got as big as saucers. She actually thought I would hit her.

“I’m kidding, mostly,” I added drolly. “I’m just going a little stir-crazy in here. Being contained goes against my free spirit. When do you think I’ll be able to leave this room?”

It was obvious I had made a mistake in teasing her. She clammed up and withdrew into her shell once again. “I should go, and you should get some rest. Your training starts tomorrow. You’ll need your strength.”

Star wasn’t joking.