I couldn’t believe it at first. My mind wouldn’t allow me to believe it. But I knew it was true. I could see it now as I looked at her closely. She was so beautiful, the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

It made total sense.

Releasing Harmony’s hand, I reached over to the glove compartment. As Solomon had promised, there was money, enough to do what we needed, and more if we needed to flee. The defectors from Puerto Rico had thought of everything. They had come to New Zion prepared and ready to succeed.

Harmony watched me in silence. Scanning the area, I recognized where we were. Not too far away from our destination at all. I drove three more miles, turned right and let out a deep breath when I saw the drugstore up ahead. I pulled in to the car park and cut the engine. Harmony’s eyes were still on me. I saw the confusion and fear in her expression. Taking her hand, I pulled her close. “I need to get something from here, okay?”

She looked at the store. “I should wait here?” she said nervously. I nodded and took out a wad of cash from the glove compartment.

“I’ll lock the door,” I said. I had to turn away from her terrified face and leave. The anger that had been so free-flowing in my veins for the past several weeks was back with vengeance. Seeing Harmony force herself to be brave made me lose my damn mind.

I was fucking falling hard.

Remembering the list of things Brother Stephen told me to get, I rushed through the quiet store, ignoring the strange looks I got from the staff. I knew the white tunic would cause some raised eyebrows. But this was Austin. Everything and everyone was weird.

I got out of the store as quickly as I could, throwing the stuff in the bed of the truck. When I got back into the driver’s seat, I leaned over to Harmony. Her face was white, her hands balled into fists in her lap. But she still held a determined look in her eyes.

I knew she would. She seemed wired to be a warrior in any situation.

“You okay, baby?” I kissed her forehead, then pressed a kiss on her lips.

“Yes,” she nodded. I smiled at her strength. Her hand lifted and ran over my cheek. Her eyes traveled over my body. “In this light I can see you properly. Your hair, your brown eyes . . . your groomed beard . . .” Her eyelashes kissed her cheek as she lowered her eyes. When she looked up, all doe eyes staring at me, she added, “You look so very handsome.” I didn’t say shit in response. My throat was closed. “They even covered your deeper bruises.” I rubbed off the powder Sister Ruth had put on my skin.

“The sisters put it on me too,” she said. “I am not used to wearing it on my face.” Harmony naturally was fucking stunning; with makeup enhancing her already flawless features, I was bowled over. There was no question as to why Judah captured her as a Cursed.

She was by far the most beautiful Cursed I had ever seen. Even above Mae. Mae was beautiful, but I knew now that what I had felt for her wasn’t even close to what I felt for Harmony. With Harmony it was more . . . everything. I couldn’t even explain it. She just made me feel centered. Grounded. When I’d been so fucking lost for so long.

We drove another couple of miles, until I saw the rundown motel on the left. I pulled in, got out of the truck and moved around to the passenger door. I opened it and took Harmony’s hand. Her fingers shook in mine as she got out of the truck. She looked all around her. “Are we here? Is this where we are going for help?”

I shook my head and reached for the drugstore bag in the bed of the truck. “One stop first, then we’ll go.”

Harmony nodded and tried to smile. She was so goddamn brave. And she trusted me. She trusted me completely. Fuck, I had done nothing to deserve it. Soon she’d no doubt fucking hate me too.

I knew I was on borrowed time.

I held Harmony’s hand in mine as we went to the motel office. I almost punched the pimply kid at the reception desk when his stupid eyes wouldn’t move off Harmony’s face. Possessiveness wrapped around me, boiling my blood. He was lucky I was in a hurry or he’d have been eating his teeth for supper. Snatching the keys from his hand, I led Harmony back outside and down to the room.

It was a shithole, but we weren’t there to sleep. I shut the door behind us and turned on a lamp. Harmony gasped as the shitty furnishings came into view. I was just about to tell her that we only needed an hour at most here, when she said, “This is a most beautiful room.” Harmony turned to me with shining eyes. “You have brought me here, Rider? To a room with a bed and a bathroom?”

She walked to the bed and pressed down on the mattress with her hand before sitting down. Her chin lifted and she smiled so fucking big that it was almost brighter than the lamp beside me. “It is so soft,” she said happily, a light giggle bubbling from her throat. “And it has linen.”

I stood like a fucking mute watching her, my now-wife gushing over a shitty bed and faded over-starched sheets. What she had truly been through all her life, at the hands of my family, of me, hit home.

We had robbed her of any form of joy, of something as simple as a damn bed. She’d had nothing. Nothing but hatred and judgment flung her way. Raped, abused . . . denied basic human rights.

I deserved to die. All of us who were responsible for making that her norm deserved to fucking die.

“Rider?” I blinked away the red mist that had descended over my eyes. Harmony was still smiling at me. I needed her to keep that smile. I would ensure by the end of tonight that smile never left her beautiful face again.

“Come,” I rasped, my voice thick with emotion. I walked toward the tiny bathroom and emptied the contents of the bag onto the faded white countertop. Harmony was a statue in the doorway, watching my every move. Her eyes dropped to the hair dye on the counter.

“We need to change how you look,” I said, picking up the box. “So if my brother and the disciple guards come looking, he won’t recognize you.”

Harmony studied me for a long while, before she slowly nodded her head and tentatively walked into the bathroom. I took the garland of flowers from her head, and released the two braids that held back the front sections of her hair. They fell in loose waves around her face.

Harmony’s smile hadn’t returned as we began to work the dye through her long blond hair. She stood still, facing the mirror, as I applied it to her hair, but her suspicious eyes never left mine. As the dye darkened her light hair to a midnight shade of black, I stood mesmerized, watching it change her appearance.