She was sitting on the couch. At least, that’s where she thought she was. Was any of this real? Her mother had taken Claudia’s creation and twisted it to create Sienna. That’s what she’d meant when she’s said Sienna was the key. She was a tool. Had she ever been anything more?

She’d been so sure that her mom had loved her. Before she could even process that, another thought slammed into her brain. What did it mean to share every aspect of your DNA with someone? What kind of person did that make her? Was she a killer, too? Vague thoughts of nature versus nurture flitted through her mind. Was that why her mom had hidden her away? Now that she was back with others like her, would it take merely the flip of an unknown switch before she’d be the same? Although the reason why seemed to twist every moment, her mom had died protecting her. And now Sienna had let Jace become part of her life, and then the others. Was she putting them in danger, just as she had her mom, simply by existing?

She vaguely felt Jace pick up her hand. His arm wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her head down to her chest. There was an odd buzzing sound in the room. People talking? Sienna blocked it out. She couldn’t be here. If she had the DNA, the powers of a mad woman inside her, then she was a danger to everyone she met.

“Oh, come on!” Someone whacked her on the side of the head, jolting her back to reality. Payton was standing in front of her. “I’m not going to listen to that shit any longer. You are not Isobel.” Payton poked her in the chest with every word.

“Back off,” Jace hissed at her. Payton dropped her hand, but by then Cole had already stepped up. He stood, chest to chest with Jace, not saying a word. His eyebrows lowered and his jaw was tight, relaxing only a little when he turned his gaze to Sienna.

“Put it away, boys.” Keila elbowed her way in between Cole and Jace, bumping Sienna and catching her eye.

Calm drifted through the air like thick smoke, smothering the tension in the air. Lainey spoke moments after her influence spread through the room. “We’ve got enough to worry about without starting up with each other.” Cole nodded sharply and took Payton’s hand, tugging her away. Sienna took it all in with wide eyes. They’d been all together for barely a day and already she felt like she was losing her mind. She had to do something, had to take some sort of action, or she was going to end up locked up inside her mind again. She suppressed a shiver. Jace had barely been able to pull her out the first time. What would happen the next time they found something in the boxes? Could there possibly be anything left to destroy her life?

You’re still breathing, aren’t you?

Her heart raced and the world started to tilt and dim at the edges again. No! The others had spent months—even years—running and hiding. She wasn’t going to do that. She couldn’t. “We need to go now. Hit them as soon as possible.”

Jace’s arms tightened around her, but Reece beat him to the punch. “Not a good idea. This is the first time in a long while we’ve been completely hidden, safe. If you run out into the open now . . .” He picked up Emily’s hand, squeezing it.

“Isobel never stops,” Keila said. “Right now, we have the element of surprise. Once she finds out who—what—Sienna really is, it’ll be over before we’ve had a chance.”

“She has half an army at her command!” Reece said.

Keila’s eyes hardened. “Never stopped me before.”

“And look how that worked out,” Reece spat. Keila’s mouth dropped open, her eyes glistening, but she refused to let a single tear fall.

“Stop!” Sienna had never heard Emily raise her voice, and from everyone reaction, it wasn’t something that happened often. “Yes, we need to know what we’re up against,” she said. “But overanalyzing everything while we camp here like sitting ducks won’t help us, either.”

“I won’t risk you,” Reece said. “I don’t want to risk any of you.” His eyes settled on Keila, softening.

She nodded, before turning back to the room. “Then one of us needs to go. She’ll be close, we know that much. I’ll go make a nuisance of myself around the place. She won’t be able to resist. Then I’ll find some way to get word back.”

“The hell you will,” Jason said. “That’s a fucking suicide mission.”

“We have to do something!” Keila said. “She knows where Sienna is. She’s the one that led us to her in the first place. Do you really think she’s going to wait much longer to take her? Except that this time, she’ll find all of us.”

“Reece is right,” Payton said. “We need more information.”

“I agree,” Cole said. “I’ll go.”

Payton rounded on him, her head jerking back. “The fuck you will!”

Cole wrapped her in his arms, squeezing her tightly. He held her for an endless moment before pulling back, his arms still looped around her neck. “You’re right, Gorgeous.” He looked up at Keila. “Everyone’s right. You need to know what the hell you’re up against, and you need to get the upper hand. But once someone’s inside, I don’t think they’ll be coming back out without a whole lot of luck and a little bloodshed. That’s where I come in.”

“No, Cole! You’re staying here. With me.”

He smiled sadly, pulling her back in. “It has to be me. I’m the only one who can talk back.”

“What do you mean?” Sienna asked.

Lainey answered first. “When Payton first shared her memories with Cole, she left a piece of her with him. No matter where he is, she can communicate with him with her power. More importantly, she can find him.”

Payton looked at Lainey like she’d just slapped her in the face. She turned back to Cole, her voice muffled as she pressed her face into his shirt. “Please don’t do this.”

“I have to.”

“She doesn’t give a shit about you beyond using you as bait. She’ll kill you, Cole. You’ll die!”

“You’re worth it.” He kissed the top of Payton’s head.

“No.” She pulled back, unable to hide the fear and anger on her face. “I won’t let you.”

“It’s the only way we’re going to know what’s on the inside. I’ll be fine. It’ll take more than one woman to take me down.” He smiled, chucking her chin. “You’re the only one that can do that.”

Payton said nothing, sinking to the floor as if her legs could no longer hold her up. She seemed to drift into her own world. Sienna could almost see the grief surrounding her, just as it had her. She and Payton were similar, matched only by Keila with her fiery nature, but no one else shared memories with someone. It was something intimate, almost sacred. Sienna couldn’t imagine having to use it to see Jace walk into the belly of the beast. She would never be strong enough for that.

“I’ll leave as soon as I can,” Cole said quietly. He sat on the floor next to Payton, but she wouldn’t look at him. She didn’t even move. Was she talking to him in her head? By the sad look on Cole’s face, Sienna guessed not. One by one each couple drifted away, leaving them be. Jace took Sienna’s hand, but she let it go, pushing him gently down the hall. “I’ll be there in a bit.”

“Alright.” He nodded. “Just don’t do anything stupid.”

Sienna kissed him, then turned and walked to where Payton and Cole still sat on the floor. In a few hours, maybe just a few minutes, Cole was leaving, heading to the truck stop. From there, he’d hitch a ride or two and wait for someone to notice him. It was half a plan, but it was all they had. The only problem was Payton. Lost in her own head, would she be able to track him?

She sat down next to Payton and took her limp hand in hers, looking into Cole’s eyes. “Don’t worry. I’ll get her back.”