“RUN!” Navan roared.

It was already too late. As I lunged out of the way, the coldblood who had sensed me clutched the fabric of my suit.

“Invisibility suit,” he snarled.

I tried to wrench myself away, but his grip held. His arm didn’t even budge. Now, the other rebel coldbloods were circling me, like panthers about to pounce.

The next thing I knew, Navan was throwing all of his body weight forward. The chair he was tied to crashed into the legs of the coldblood gripping me, and in the millisecond in which his grasp slackened with surprise, I managed to rip myself free. My legs jerked into motion, sending me racing between two coldbloods with their wings spread wide.

“Leave me!” I heard Navan yelling at me from behind.

His request tore me apart, but I pushed my emotions aside. I darted through the open door, and out in the hallway, running as fast as my shaking legs would carry me. Overhead, the fluorescent lights seemed to flicker in time with the word repeating in my head: Run. Run. Run.

I heard the wrenching of metal behind me. A quick glance back revealed a silver door hurtling my way, and I hurriedly ducked—though I didn’t miss the door’s sharp corner, which grazed my cheek in its thundering path down the hallway.

Laughter echoed after it.

“Don’t you know it’s only a matter of time?” a shrill voice called, and I turned to see a coldblood approaching from the end of the hall. He was advancing slowly with his muscled arms out, his hands feeling at the air.

Breathe, Riley, I reminded myself. You’re wearing an invisibility suit, which blunts the ability of regular coldbloods to smell you. This coldblood is probably less powerful than the one back there. Just keep quiet and he won’t find you.

I clapped a hand over my mouth to muffle my terrified exhalations. The coldblood was advancing at a rapid pace, swiping his hand across everything in his path. Painstakingly, I tiptoed forward. The door was only ten feet away, but if he heard me and flew ahead…

Crouching, I scanned the ground. I spotted a tiny, rusty nail and closed my fingers gingerly around it. With one rapid flick of my wrist, I chucked it across the floor. Seconds later, the coldblood had slammed into the wall where the nail had landed. Trembling overtook my body at the sight of the wall’s now caved-in form. If he had heard me, then that would’ve been me.

The coldblood grunted as he recovered and strode closer to me than before, only a few feet away, and advancing fast. As he moved, his silver-haired head roved like a searchlight, his bulging brown eyes set into a glare over his wide, aquiline nose, while his arms lashed out violently. Heart pounding, I tiptoed ahead as quietly and rapidly as I could.

When I reached the set of double doors, I paused. There was no way around it: once I opened them, the coldblood would know exactly where I was.

Now only a couple of feet away, the coldblood had paused too. His roving head stopped to face right where I was. His mouth spread into a fang-toothed smile. His wings unfurled, and I took off.

Bang! The wall where I’d been a second ago bent.

Bang! The door I had just raced through burst off its hinges.

Outside, the harsh wind swiped across my cheek, and I flattened myself against the wall a few feet away, on the left side of the exit.

The remaining door whined as it swung open, and the coldblood’s head appeared, swiveling slowly, a furious scowl overtaking his features. He lunged forward to the right of the door, the side opposite me, striking his arm out at nothing.

By now, my whole body was one trembling gasp away from being discovered. If I moved, he’d find me. And if I didn’t, well… I couldn’t hide for long.

I lifted my foot, then froze as the coldblood threw himself in my direction, stopping mere inches away from me. My heart stilled as he paused. He took one sniff, then another, his nostrils flaring.

And then he shook his head, and swore under his breath.

“You guys going to help or what?” he yelled over his shoulder, presumably to those back in the bunker, and a second later, he raced away, back into the building.

I let out a ragged sigh of relief, and wasted no time finding out whether the other coldbloods would take him up on his request. I staggered away from the bunker, my footsteps picking up speed over the hardened Siberian snow. Only once I’d put a few yards between me and the squat stone structure did I stop and take a look around. I swallowed hard.

While the bunker’s immediate surroundings had been thankfully deserted, here, closer to the main camp, was a different story. A yard or so ahead, it was bustling with activity: coldbloods and shifters threading in and out of brown tents, as well as loitering and talking to their own kind in groups. This tent village extended both ways as far as the eye could see. If I wanted to get around it, the trip would take hours, maybe even longer. Right now, I needed to head back to the ship and alert the Fed using the ship’s comm device. To do that, I had to find the edge of the camp’s invisibility shield. That meant navigating my way directly through the camp, around coldbloods and shifters alike.

My decision reluctantly made, I turned back one last time, fists clenched.

I’ll come back for you, Navan, and get you out of there. Just like I promised.

My fingers rose instinctively to my lips. They were tingling with the memory of our passionate, doomed kiss. I sucked in another deep breath before continuing. If I got caught standing here like a melodramatic idiot, that was not going to help Navan. I had to make it through the camp, and I had to do it now.

As I neared the camp’s border, I practiced taking shallow breaths and light steps. The snow was thankfully not soft, but the frozen ground was muddier around the camp, which would not be that easy to pass over quietly. I also had to hope that I wouldn’t bump into any more highly sensitive individuals like that imposing coldblood back there. If I was heard, smelled, or felt again, there’d be little to no chance of escaping.

A large structure a dozen feet away caught my attention. It was cylindrical, almost like an overgrown metal silo, and it was emitting a low, ominous creaking sound—as if it had something inside it that was turning slowly. My gaze moved to the top of the structure, and I stilled.

Billowing out of the top of the silo-like building, in great big red puffs, was smoke. Deep, red smoke. I’d never seen red smoke before.

That… That can’t be from…

I turned away, a wave of nausea overtaking me at the thought.

Humans. That’s who the coldbloods and shifters have been stealing. Humans like me.

Even as I hurried on, I couldn’t tear my eyes away. I didn’t know the science behind how smoke could even be red like that, but the sight played on my worst fears… and what else could be going on in there? Where were all the humans they’d been bringing to this place?

The questions both terrified me and motivated me. Getting back and telling the Fed about this camp wasn’t just for Navan—it was for all humans, too. If the coldbloods and shifters got their way, we’d be nothing but cattle for their factory farming, with them using our blood to fuel their immortality elixir obsession. I couldn’t let that happen.

At the edge of the tent city stood an old picnic table, with relaxed coldbloods crowding around it and playing some kind of board game. Everyone I passed wore the same ice-blue uniform, while no one seemed to be on the lookout for danger. Apparently, word of my escape hadn’t reached them yet. The whole camp seemed distracted—some stirred up with talk of Navan’s recent capture.

“Jareth’s son—really!” one pudgy shifter woman remarked, her long, bony finger scratching at her veiny neck.

“So they’ll kill him?” another shifter woman asked, her slit eyes blinking rapidly with excitement.

I hurried on before I could hear their answer, but as I continued weaving my way past tents, I took a deep breath. That shifter woman is an idiot, I told myself. I had heard the higher-up coldbloods talking; they wanted to use Navan, not kill him.

Consumed with worry nonetheless, I nearly walked into the muscular arm of a broad coldblood, and I scrambled out of the way with seconds to spare. Luckily, he trudged by obliviously, his footfalls thudding on the frozen ground.

A quick look around bolstered my spirits. Although my head was pounding, I was nearly through the camp. Already, the tents were growing sparser, as were the coldbloods and shifters I had to sidestep.

From what I’d come across, if these coldbloods were anything like the ones on Vysanthe, I could see why Navan didn’t like them. Maybe I was biased, knowing what they were doing to humans, but the coldbloods I passed seemed arrogant and cruel. Some would shove each other as a way of greeting, others merely to assert their dominance. Shifter and coldblood would exchange a few words when necessary, although both mostly kept to themselves. Evidently, old divisions died hard, even when the two species were working together.

Hearing the sound of running feet behind me, I quickly moved to one side.

“The captured coldblood’s human companion has escaped! It may be in the camp now!”

I swore beneath my breath. The speaker was a small, quick-footed shapeshifter, whose thin lips were open wide with what he was yelling: “We can’t let it escape!”

As nearby coldbloods threaded out of their tents and around the little shifter, I gulped. Getting out of here wasn’t going to be as easy as I’d hoped.

“What do you mean ‘escaped’? And how do you know it’s still here? You’re always running around crying about one thing or another, Haldorf,” a female coldblood jeered as I crept by the small group. Other coldbloods, judging by the expressions on their faces, seemed to share her annoyance and skepticism.

“The human has an invisibility suit,” Haldorf responded in an equally biting tone. “It is probably headed back to its ship. Right now, it could be anywhere—even here.”

As I continued, a coldblood a few feet away commented, “Oh come now, my senses are more powerful than that. If there was any human within a hundred miles of here, you can bet your wee little shifter ass I’d know about it.”

I hurried on, stifling a dry chuckle. Now definitely wasn’t the time to get complacent; I hadn’t made it through yet, though I was at least getting close to the invisibility shield.

I recognized the far-off tent as one of the last things I’d seen before Navan had been snatched. It had all happened so fast that I hadn’t even processed our surroundings. But now, here, half a yard away from it, I recognized the structure, an ice-blue tent that towered above the rest. Housed on top was a camera, its head roving in a way reminiscent of the coldblood that had chased me. A metal skeleton frame supported the tent, wires threading in and out of it. The place was probably some sort of surveillance center. I kept my distance from the tent as I continued—who knew what that hulking high-tech camera was capable of seeing.

Step by step, I neared the spot of thin air that I was pretty sure was the shield. My breathing grew more labored the closer I drew. This was it.

I darted forward, and a quick glance back confirmed that the shimmering globe of the invisibility shield was behind me. I launched into a sprint, and didn’t stop until I reached Navan’s and my broken-down ship.

But as it came within view, I paused. Although its metal exterior looked innocuously intact, the crashing and cackling coming from inside told a different story. Shifters had taken it over.

And with the ship infested, I had no way to contact the Fed. Which meant I had no way to save Navan.

I breathed deeply, trying not to let a looming sense of despair overtake me.

The ship’s door slammed open, and two shifters emerged, snickering and chattering between themselves. I backed away before they got too close. I needed someplace safe to think—somewhere I could formulate a new plan of action.

My gaze scanned the horizon and stopped on a rocky-looking hill in the distance. It probably wasn’t that much safer than where I was now, but it was more out of the way, and at this point, I was in no position to be picky. So, with one last, forlorn look at the ship, I trudged forward.

I was panting heavily as I arrived at the hill, weighed down by emotions as much as physical exhaustion, and I discovered with some relief that it contained a rocky cave. It would at least protect me from the wind. I made my way inside and found a flattish rock, where I sat down.

I pressed the button on my wrist, allowing my body to materialize. I didn’t know why, but I felt the urge to see my legs and feet. It was strangely reassuring. I opened and closed my hand, which was white with cold. Then, leaning so that my back was resting on the rock wall, I closed my eyes.

Immediately, my mind was flooded with everything that had just happened. My escape, our capture, our kiss… The coldbloods had hurt Navan earlier when they’d found him—was that what they were doing now? With their fury at my escape, would they take out their anger on him?

Exhaling sharply, I got up and started walking from one side of the small cave to the other. Thinking about Navan being in more pain because of me was practically unbearable.

What am I going to do now?

The answer was as murky as the cave I was in. Without question, rescuing Navan was my number one priority, and the easiest way to accomplish that would be with the Fed’s help. But the ship had been my only means of contacting them. I could try to take out the shifters… but without my throwing knives, I didn’t need to be a Seer to know that wouldn’t end too well for me.

But even if I did somehow contact the Fed, then what? I’d tell them about what I’d seen, and trust that their main priority would be rescuing Navan and not just attacking and destroying the base? What were the odds of that?

I stopped pacing, nodding to myself. If I rescued Navan, together we could probably fight our way onto the ship, if it hadn’t been seized by the coldbloods by then, and get an urgent message to the Fed via the ship’s comm device. But the whole coldblood base was on high alert now—I would need at least one weapon to stand any chance of getting to him.

Sitting back down on the flat rock, I took a deep breath. Really, it didn’t matter what the most logical or safest option was; I couldn’t just leave Navan in that bunker without trying to rescue him. Now was my best chance. Even if I somehow found an alternative way of reaching the Fed, the coldbloods could have sent Navan somewhere else or badly hurt him. I had to try to reach him myself one more time.

And this time I could try stealing a weapon while I passed through the camp. It might not even be hard—all I’d have to do was stash it in my invisibility suit. That way I could at least defend myself and Navan, when the time came. Plus, I had the advantage of invisibility, and I doubted the coldbloods were expecting me to walk right back into their midst right after escaping. What kind of idiot would do that?

Me, apparently.

I tamped down the feelings of doubt threatening to paralyze me, and rose to my feet. I was desperately low on options, and this was the only course of action my brain could settle on.

I steadied myself against the rock wall, though it didn’t help much. My head was throbbing; my belly was rumbling. After all that had happened, I felt like I might throw up, burst into tears, or both. But I didn’t have time for that. Not now.

Outside, it was growing dark. The setting, grayish sun was visible on the horizon. By the time I reached the base, it would be night. I hoped that would somehow work to my advantage as I pressed the button on my suit.

As I neared the base, I tried not to think. Instead, I focused on the steps my feet were taking. One after another, then another, then another. As soon as one harried thought would emerge, I would return my focus to my advancing feet.

Right now, I didn’t have to figure out exactly how I was going to complete this impossible task—I just had to focus on the next step my foot took.

This time, I didn’t pass by our ship. Instead, I headed for a part of the invisibility shield that was safely away from it, out of earshot. Although the shifters hadn’t caught me earlier, I didn’t want to take any chances.

When I reached what seemed to be the invisibility shield, I paused. Sucking in a deep breath, I steeled my nerves. I held out a hand, and the air shimmered, the huge protective dome appearing.

I’m coming for you, Navan. I conjured up the image of his handsome, smiling face in my mind and focused on it as I took my first step through the shield.

But before I could lay my second step down on the ground, a sharp female voice pierced the cold evening air.

“Who’s there?” a female coldblood called, and as I gazed in her direction, I realized she was looking straight at me. She was a terrifyingly burly creature, with thick brown eyebrows and snarling, downturned lips.

“Shifter, you know it is forbidden to camouflage yourself when at the base,” she continued when I didn’t answer. “Especially now that we have a red alert about an intruder.”

I looked left, then right. The whole invisibility shield was bordered by coldbloods standing in wait. If I wanted to get by, I’d have to sneak by this coldblood now.

As quietly as I could, I set my foot down on the ground.

“I mean it, shifter,” she snapped, jutting out a mechanical-looking spear. “Take another step and just see if I don’t impale you.”

I froze. Another desperate look left and right found the situation as impossible as the last time I had looked. If I wanted to get by, I had to make it past coldbloods who were already primed for my possible arrival.

Offering a small mental prayer to the universe, I surged forward. I heard a whizzing sound behind me, and ducked just in time. The spear slammed into the ground ahead of me with an electrical fizzle.

I froze, staring at the spear for a few seconds, expecting the coldblood who had thrown it to immediately come chasing after it to retrieve it. When she didn’t, I cast a glance over my shoulder, and saw her distracted with throwing another spear in a different direction.

It seemed like one of my prayers, at least, had been answered. I now had a weapon. I had no idea how to use it, or if it was even safe for a human to wield, but… I glanced from the now-blocked invisibility shield to the direction of the coldblood guards, then crouched down and gingerly poked at the spear.

As soon as my finger touched its metal surface, I realized that was a mistake. A shock of electricity passed through me, and I cursed, realizing my whole body was suddenly visible. In a panic, I jammed the button of the invisibility suit, but it only made a light hissing noise. The spear had messed up the suit.

Keeping down low against the ground, I prayed the coldblood guards were still distracted. My eyes frantically returned to the damned weapon, and I knew I had to make a last-minute change of plan.

I poked at the electrical spear again, and when no electrical surge passed through me this time, I grabbed it, and immediately crawled as fast as I could back through the invisibility shield. I had to get away from those coldbloods now that I no longer had an invisibility suit to protect me.

I’d have to try to board the ship again—facing the shifters instead. At least I had a weapon now… though I was without my invisibility suit, so I wasn’t sure if those two advantages canceled each other out.

Whatever the case, I stood a better chance against a handful of shifters than a camp of coldbloods and shifters.

As I neared the ship, its smooth surface looked almost eerie in the fading light, but all was silent. Maybe the shifters had torn through it to their satisfaction and left. Hopefully they hadn’t wrecked the comm technology in the process. That would be a blow I wouldn’t survive.

I shuddered, a chill running down my spine at the thought.

There was only one way to find out.

I peered through the door, cautiously turning my head left, then right. To my relief and surprise, everything inside looked untouched. Navan’s bag was missing, along with the weapons we’d had inside the belly of the ship, but there was no sign of the shifters.

And the control panel was right in front of me. All I had to do was flick that green switch, and I could transmit a message to the Fed.

Excitement welled in me as my hand descended for the switch, but when my fingers were a split second from touching it, something slammed into my head.

Ear-splitting cries filled my ears as four shifters materialized within the small chamber. They leapt out from the walls, un-camouflaging themselves as they flung their bodies toward me.

I staggered backward and out of the ship, a scream stuck in my throat, my body half numb from the shock as I tried to fight them off with my spear.

I had no choice but to retreat, as they all launched at me at once. I ran away from them, from the ship, toward the direction of the village—and the opposite direction from the coldblood base. As I raced, my legs pumping faster than I’d ever thought them capable of going, a pain bit into my shoulder. One of the bastards had landed on me, was digging its nails into my back.

I skewered the hideous, pale-skinned creature, stabbing the spear into its flesh and harpooning it into the snow. And then the next that came launching for me, and the next. I found myself descending into a panicked, slashing frenzy, until they all lay bleeding on the ground… and then I noticed three more shifters popping their ugly heads out of the back of the ship.

Oh, for God’s sake.

I had to run. I didn’t have time to withdraw my spear from the last shifter I had harpooned—that would be allowing too short a distance between myself and the shifters now darting toward me.

I pounded ahead, and, thanks to my head start, managed to put a safe distance between myself and the shifters that had followed me; they were considerably smaller than me, after all. But, as far off as they were, I could still see their little bodies running for mine.

So I kept sprinting, slamming my feet into the ground with all the strength I had left. Where I was headed didn’t matter, so long as it was away from the ship and the harrowing cries emitting from it. I sprinted over rock, snow, and ice, not slowing until the ship was a speck on the horizon behind me. Only then did I stop, shooting the tiny thing a forlorn look. It was my last point of reference. Without it, I had next to no idea where I was. But right now, I had no other choice. I’d have to make my way to the nearby village on foot.

At the mere thought of more walking, my legs collapsed under me. The adrenaline was finally leaving me, and as I sat, my butt aching from the cold, hard ground, I gazed drearily into the wilderness ahead. Last time I had wandered off by myself in search of something, it hadn’t gone well. But now I didn’t have any other choice.