I didn’t want to go back to Cavil’s tower again. Tonight’s event was expected to be a dinner party, so I couldn’t hide away with Maverick or Cyler like before. I wore a long, elegant white dress with jewels covering the torso. It dipped low, revealing my cleavage in a tasteful but seductive way. Jules did my hair up in an elegant twist that pulled the strands of my hair so tight against my scalp that I winced with every pin she placed. Something told me that she enjoyed torturing me, going so far as to say, “Beauty is pain, little Walker Queen.” She, too, added a condescending tone to the nickname that Madam B gave me at the Resistance meeting.

Since having to up the timeline of our attack, the brothel owner was frantically making plans. Kaye came up to me with a frown. “I need you to deliver a note to my sister in the kitchens,” she told me as Jacob led me to the transport taking us to Cavil’s tower. “I haven’t heard from her in two days, which is uncommon for her. I need to make sure she’s still prepared to poison the drinks.” Kaye placed a note in my palm, and I slipped the tiny scrap of paper into the hidden seam in my dress, which also contained the pill that would make me puke should another member of the Elite try to claim me for the night.

I still wasn’t sure about her plan. It felt wrong killing every member of the guard. I knew that she and her people would make sure the good ones didn’t attend, but I didn’t like the sort of power she had over deciding who was worthy of being saved and who wasn’t. “Okay,” I told her. “How will I know who she is?”

“Her name is Lilac. She’s young, but crazy smart. I’d go see her, but I don’t want to raise suspicions. Your men can sneak you in and out.”

“Okay,” I said with an exhale. “I’ll get this to her.”

Huxley grunted beside me, and I left to load into the transport. Just as I was about to dip into the seat of the transport, Huxley leaned over to whisper in my ear. I shuddered when his breath feathered over my exposed neck. “Don’t deliver that note if it puts you in danger,” his gruff voice said.

I rolled my eyes. “Okay, Hux.” Once more, I was about to move to sit beside Lowe when he gripped my arm and whispered once more.

“Be safe and come back to me. I’ll reward you.” Huxley wasn’t one to say much, but that little promise already had me growing warm. He kept his hand on my arm and pulled me up to him, grabbing my ass with his free hand and kissing me so hard our teeth clashed.

“You better come home,” he growled into my mouth before nipping my bottom lip and slowly easing me into the transport. When the door shut, the entire transport let out a sigh.

“Damn girl, he had me panting. That was hot,” Lowe said while fanning herself.

Cavil’s tower seemed to have more people this time, and the moment the elevator doors opened, Cyler was nearby, inconspicuously waiting to snatch me up the moment my shoe hit the lobby. I worried that Cavil would think he was too eager and would investigate further, but I also couldn’t help but think that, in the drunken state he was in, he wouldn’t remember much of the night. Besides, he was nowhere to be found, and other Elite men snatched up Jade, Lowe, Kaye, and Blythe the moment the doors opened too.

“Hey, Babe,” he growled into my ear while hugging me tightly. “I’ve been so fucking worried. Are you okay?”

I nodded as his lips tickled my earlobe and neck. Each of my nerves were firing off at how close he was. Looking around the beautiful gathering room, I wondered if Cyler and I could sneak off. “Dinner will be starting within the hour. We need to stay here. We can go over and find a seat if you’d like?”

I patted the seam of my dress, remembering my promise to Kaye. “Could you take me to the kitchens? I need to get a glass of water. The drive left me parched.”

Cyler cocked his eyebrow and tilted his head to the side, not quite catching on. I wasn’t sure how much I could say or who was listening. I leaned in, nuzzling against his neck. “I have a message to deliver,” I whispered.

Cyler went rigid and began pulling me towards the opposite side of the room to a less crowded area. “What’s going on?” he asked once sure no one could hear us. I looked around, wondering where Maverick was.

“Kaye gave me a note to give her sister in the kitchens,” I replied.

Cyler dragged his eyes over me with that fiery intensity I loved before saying, “Okay, it’s risky, but if we hurry, we can go before dinner.”

I nodded and followed him down the maze of hallways. “Where is Maverick?” I asked, making sure to keep my voice low.

“We decided to keep him away. He can’t keep his eyes and hands off of you, and it would look highly suspicious if both of us suddenly became smitten with the same Companion. It might make Cavil pay more attention to you.” Cyler went quiet and nodded at an Elite man and Companion passing us. He was already a bit buzzed, grabbing the Companion’s hip as they made their way towards the gathering room.

Once they were out of earshot, Cyler continued. “I didn’t really mean for him to see us together, to begin with. I never meant to put another target on your back, Babe. He’s been paying close attention to everything I do. And every time I turn down his offer to give me a Companion for the night, it becomes almost like a challenge for him.”

Winding down the hallway, I tried to feel concerned or fearful about what Cyler said, but all I could feel was happiness. I was glad that despite not knowing if we’d ever see each other again, Cyler and Maverick stayed true to me. “How much farther?” I asked.

Cyler took me down three more steps, bypassing a room that was all white with screens filling each wall. “We’re here.”

A swinging door with Walkers entering and exiting drew my attention, and Cyler scanned the hallways, as if ready for someone to turn the corner and attack us. “I’ll wait outside and keep watch. Go in and out as quickly as possible.”

I nodded, suddenly feeling nervous. This was my first small, yet official, duty for the Resistance. This was the sort of thing I’d been yearning to do, I’d wanted to feel useful and add to the cause. So why did my heart race with uncertainty, like I was headed towards danger?

I gave Cyler a quick peck on the cheek then went inside, immediately regretting not coming up with a reason for being here when I came face to face with a kitchen full of bustling cooks, Walkers, and curious stares.

“Can we help you?” a rude chef with dim black hair and a scowl the size of Cavil’s tower asked. She stirred her pot and jetted out her hip as she took in my revealing attire.

“I’m here looking for Lilac?” I said, not sounding nearly confident enough.

“Why? Who are you? Aren’t you supposed to be in the gathering room?” I shut my eyes, momentarily gathering myself and trying to think of a way to respond that would garner some sort of cooperation from this woman. Walkers were bustling by, taking extra care to avoid her which meant that she was the person in charge here.

“I work with her sister…” I began, trying to search my brain. And when the answer came to me, I almost felt ashamed for my excuse. Grief was the only thing that tied all Walkers together and would hopefully be what allowed me to find Lilac. “She contracted X. I wanted to let her know…” The chef’s eyes softened for a brief moment, and I knew that she was remembering someone that she had lost to the virus. We’d all lost someone, hadn’t we?

“I-I,” she stuttered, coughing back whatever emotion was rising in her throat before continuing. I wondered if her loss were recent. “I’m sorry to hear that. Lilac is washing dishes. You have three minutes. Don’t keep long, or I’ll find the Companion Coordinator and make sure she lets Cavil know you weren’t in the gathering area.”

I muttered a quick “thank you” with a bow before scurrying in the direction of the sinks. I didn’t want to waste any time. There, a girl not much older than I was scrubbing the dishes and humming to herself. She, too, had blond hair like Kaye. However, the curls were long and luscious, hitting at the middle of her back. She swayed as she washed, and there was an innocent way she moved, a nice lift about her that I found intriguing to watch.

Over her shoulder, I saw the chef eyeing us, so I quickly introduced myself. “My name is shade, are you Lilac?” She turned to face me and dipped her brow in confusion.

“Do I know you?” Her voice was soft and high pitched. Her eyes took in my outfit, and she nodded once before continuing. “Ah, you must know my sister. Did she send you here to find out why I’m not responding to her?”

For being so soft-spoken and gentle, she certainly had a fire in her words. “Ye-yes,” I mumbled, somehow feeling almost chastised.

“Well, you can tell her that I’m out. Cavil’s been executing people left and right,” she hissed while looking around. “She may be willing to die to get out of that brothel, but I’m not.”

I gaped at this girl, and even though my mouth was dropped open in surprise, she didn’t seem bothered or amused by my shock.

“But-But you have to,” I replied with a stutter.

“No. I don’t. I want to live. Tell her I’m done doing her dirty work. Bye now,” she said while waving. I stood there for a moment more, wondering if this was all a cruel joke. It wasn’t until she rolled her eyes and resumed washing dishes that I shuffled away.

When I made my way out of the kitchen and back into the hallway, my mind was in a fog. Everything about this mission had been a failure. We were out of time and would soon miss out on ending Cavil. If no one drugged the guardsmen, it would mean we’d have more stacked against us. I just hoped Kaye could still pull it off without her sister’s help.

We had no other options. We’d have to just make it work, because Cyler and Maverick going back to Ethros simply wasn’t an option.