I woke up with a start. The dream had been so vivid, so real, and the moisture from the tears running down my face was still present.

“What’s wrong?” Mason sat up beside me in our makeshift bed.

“A bad dream.”

“The same one again?” He brushed hair away from my face. “The one about your sister?”

“Yes.” I nodded. “It has to mean something.”

“You are worried about her—the dreams might just be—”

“Stop. I don’t want to hear that argument again.” I understood his need to comfort me, but I knew the dream meant something. I could not ignore the message.

“You didn’t let me finish. I was going to add maybe it is more since you keep having the same one.”

“Thank you.” It had only been a few weeks since we had left the club, but it might as well have been years. I could barely remember the days we’d spent there together. I was now completely focused on finding a way into Central to rescue Quinn and Bailey. I didn’t want to wait. I had no patience, but Mason insisted, and I knew he was right. After the fire at the club, security was higher than ever. We needed to wait until the panic died down. I’d given in, accepted his words, but my dreams were becoming more and more frequent and waiting more difficult. I still hadn’t told Mason about the new dreams I was having. The ones about a poisonous gas and lots of water. “Have we waited long enough?”

He gazed at me in the dim moonlight. “I’m not sure any amount of time will be long enough, but the hysteria should have died down.”

“Then it’s time to go.” Any semblance of sleep disappeared.

“Soon, but only if you swear to stay hidden. I’m not losing you.”

“I could go with you. I can wear a disguise.”

He shook his head. “It’s too risky.”

“What do I do if you don’t come back?” I didn’t want to say it out loud, but I had to. “How long should I wait?”

“I will come back.” His expression lacked the confidence of his words.

“We need a backup plan.” I could pretend all I wanted, but sitting back and waiting on Mason was not a viable option for me.

He pulled me back into him. I loved the feel of his strong chest behind me, but I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to get too used to a comfort I might not be able to rely on. I trusted Mason with everything I had, but I didn’t trust the rest of the world. I also didn’t trust myself. I loved him and would do anything for him, but I wouldn’t put my own happiness above Bailey’s. She deserved a future, and I would do everything in my power to ensure it.

“You are only saying that because you want to come. I understand, but it’s too dangerous.”

“But it’s also dangerous for you to leave me. What if someone is watching us?” I played on his own fears.

“You like making this hard on me.”

“That’s not true, and you know it.”

“Do I?” He ran a hand down my arm.

“You don’t want to leave me behind. It would save so much time if I went with you.”

“And how do you plan to disguise yourself? You’d have to do a far better job than you’ve done in the past. I’m not just letting you walk in with me.”

“We can talk about this in the morning.” I pulled away.

He held on to me tighter. “Wait. You are giving in that easily?” Skepticism dripped from his voice.

“I’m too tired to argue with you.” His hold told me everything I needed to know. He was never going to willingly let go of me, even if it was the right thing to do. He held me because he cared, but doing something for the right reasons didn’t necessarily make it right.

“You are never too tired to argue.”

“It’s the dream. It takes every ounce of energy I have.”

That did the trick. He loosened his hold and helped me lie back down. “We will rescue them. I promise.” He kissed my cheek.

I said nothing. Instead I snuggled into his chest. I would enjoy a few hours of comfort with him by my side because they would likely be my last.

---

Mason would never forgive me, but that didn’t mean I made a mistake.

Quinn and Bailey needed me, and that fact took precedence over anything else. Mason would never allow me to truly risk myself on their behalf. He would always put my safety first.

I had predicted this crossroad from the moment we left the club. Mason didn't need to say anything; it came through in his words and his touch. He valued me, he wanted to protect me, and although that kind of protection and care felt good, I couldn’t let it blind me to what was most important.

I waited at first because it was the smart thing to do. The fire caused a commotion, and too many people would be sweeping the area for survivors—especially girls.

I hoped the frenzy had died down, but no matter how long I waited there would always be people out there looking. There would always be risk and danger. Even hidden in the woods it was dangerous to fall into a false sense of security.

I remembered the hours after the fire. The fear-infused adrenaline that had sent us running into the woods. It was too dangerous to risk going far and too risky to cross the city, so we were stuck in a small area with nowhere to go. We’d have to leave eventually, even Mason admitted that, but eventually wasn’t soon enough for me.

I never went back to sleep that night. I waited until Mason was sleeping at his deepest and slipped down and out of his arms. Managing that maneuver was easier than I expected. Mason was sleeping deeper than normal. Maybe it was a result of being woken up earlier in the night.

I kissed him gently on the forehead and slipped a small note beside his hand. Maybe one day he'd understand, but I wouldn't even pretend I believed I would see him again. I was getting too used to goodbyes, but leaving Mason would be one of the most difficult things I ever did. It was a short letter, but I hoped it gave him some semblance of closure. I knew I was doing the right thing, and I refused to let myself harbor regrets. There was far too much at stake to get sentimental.

I watched him for a moment, maybe a moment too long. I wanted to remember him this way. Peaceful, happy, full of hope. He’d been none of those things when I first met him. Something in him had changed in the past few days. Maybe it was leaving the club. Maybe it was me. I needed to believe he would go on to find even greater happiness. Maybe not with a woman or family, but some kind happiness that existed in our less than perfect world.

I wrenched my eyes from his sleeping form and hurried away through the woods. He might have been sleeping deeply at the moment, but I had no idea how quickly that would change. I couldn’t outrun him. I needed to move fast, both to stay out of his reach and to make sure I didn’t change my mind.

Even in the woods the smoke from the city obscured the sky. There were no stars to guide me, so I had to rely on my memory from when we arrived a few days before.

The ground was damp from the storm that had passed through earlier in the evening the night before.

Thomas was the one who knew how to navigate without the stars. He remembered every overturned branch, noticed old footsteps where I saw nothing at all. I missed my brother desperately and hoped he had found an easier life now that he was no longer hiding his sisters.

I concentrated trying to remember every step we took, but I’d been so frazzled because of the fire that most of the trip through the woods blurred together. We had mostly followed a straight line, but we’d also turned a handful of times.

The hoot of an owl made me jump. I’d missed the sound of wildlife while at the club, but this sound wasn’t welcoming. What other animals were out here with me? Normally I wouldn’t have worried. What wild animal would be worse than facing the Reine? But falling victim to a bear would mean there was nothing I could do for Quinn and Bailey, and that wasn’t an option I could accept.