Flint shakes his head. “I can’t do that. I’m going to have to bring it in… There are other things…Nevermind.” He grasps my arm and pulls me forward. “Come on.”

“No.” I plant my feet and refuse to move.

“I don’t have time for this, Jax.” He runs one hand through his hair causing the blond spikes to stick up even more. “We’ll get Jace. I’m not letting you go there alone.”

“But you don’t understand—”

“No.” Flint leans in closer, his voice strained. “You don’t understand. I can’t let you go to that city. Jace would never forgive me. You and I will figure this out, but you have to come with me and I have to turn the alien in. There have been attacks…”

“Attacks?” Something in his voice tells me that this is serious.

“The erks,” Flint says. “They’ve been wiping human settlements off the map. Bombs. Guns. Some things we don’t even know what they are. Whatever that thing told you, whatever promises he made you, they’re lies.” When I don’t say anything, he continues. “I don’t know how you came across it, but I can guess it was a single ship doing a flyover? They’re scouting us out.”

“Scouting us out…” As much as I don’t want them to, Flint’s words make sense. The single ship. The aliens’ heated conversation and their reference to looking for something. Even Lir never really said what they were doing out there. “And Jace? Why would they take him?”

“I don’t know.” He averts his eyes and shifts us back toward the other men. “But I bet it does. The erk was using you to get back to his kind. Who knows what it would have done when it got you there, maybe even taken you too.”

I shake my head and back away, the burn of tears stinging in my eyes. Lir has been nothing but nice. We had a deal. He’s my only option. There’s no way he… or is there? Has he even been honest with me? My eyes reach Lir as Flint grabs my arm again. Maybe he thinks I’m being hurt— more likely he’s just worried about losing his leverage— but Lir jumps up and moves toward me, much faster than before. Has he been faking his weakness?

It’s not fast enough though. One of the men catches up with him and hits him twice on the back of the head with the butt of his gun and Lir goes down to his knees. His eye bore into me, begging me to do something, but my feet are frozen. What if Flint is right? I turn my head away, unable to watch anymore even though I can still hear the sounds of fists striking flesh. I blink quickly to prevent the tears from falling and lean into Flint.

“Let’s go,” I say. One way or another, I’m going to figure out what’s real and I’m going to get my brother back.

We stop outside the large building where Dane’s office is and Flint motions Daniel forward. “Take Scott and Michael and put the erk in one of the cells.”

“Sure thing,” says Daniel. “Come on guys, let’s put this thing where it belongs.”

Two of the soldiers step forward, Lir’s limp form draped between them. He hasn’t woken since the last time they hit him. The splash of green blood on his collar draws my eyes up to the still dripping wound on his temple. Shouldn’t he have stopped bleeding by now? Should I even care?

I pull my gaze away and shake my head. Flint wouldn’t lie to me, especially over something that involved Jace’s safety. Besides, this rescue mission will be a whole lot easier with some soldiers behind me. Forget the alien. Forget that he may or may not have saved my life in the woods. Forget that compassion in his eyes on the porch and the feel of his skin under my fingers. Really forget that last one.

After filling my lungs with a deep breath, I follow Flint up the stairs, without looking back.

“Enter,” Dane’s voice booms after Flint’s knock and we walk into his office.

Flint nods at his father. “Sir, there’s been a breach. An…unauthorized outsider was found within the perimeter.”

Dane’s eyes travel from Flint to me and back again. “And why is she here?”

“The intruder is an erk…an E’rikon. They took her brother Sir.”

Dane tilts back in his chair and intertwines his fingers in front of his chest. “And?

“She witnessed the event. One was left behind.” I move forward, but Flint stops me from saying anything by tightening his grip on my arm. “And it offered to help her in retrieving Jace.”

“It’s been secured?”

“Yes Sir. Daniel and two others are escorting it to the holding cells right now.”

“Am I to take it that the reports I’ve been getting about a landing are true?”

Flint nods. “Yes Sir.”

“The reported landing occurred East of town,” says Dane. His eyes swing to me, narrowing. “What were you doing outside, Jasmine?”

Flint’s fingers dig into my bicep, but his face remains still. His message is clear: I need to watch my words. “Jace left one of his knives at home and I was bringing it to him.” It’s a weak excuse, but at least it is one Emily could confirm if anyone asked.

“Your brother went out with the hunting party this morning.” Dane leans forward, the leather of his chair creaking softly. “You’re not permitted outside the gates without an escort. Who let you by?”

Flint lets go of my arm and steps forward, angling his body slightly in front of me. “I did Sir.”

“Leave us, Jasmine. I need to speak with my son alone.”

“There’s no time…uh, Sir,” I say. “We need to go get my brother now. The longer they have him—”

“No!” Dane’s fist slams down onto his desk, the vibration toppling a cup. “You need to do what you’re told. There will be no rescue mission Jasmine. Your brother is stupid enough to let himself be captured, then he suffers the consequences. I have a town to protect and I can’t spare any of my men to go traipsing off after your wayward brother.”

Heat fills my body and I clench my fists, driving my fingernails into my palms. Losing my temper is not going to work here. “Send me. I will do it on my own.”

Dane laughs. He actually laughs like my brother’s situation is some sort of joke to him. Then his eyes harden and his lips curl over his next words. “You are not permitted to leave.”

So much for not losing my temper. “I will leave if I want to!” I can’t help yelling, but Dane doesn’t even react to the volume of my words.

“You know the rules. You know what you agreed to when you accepted my protection.” His voice is even.

“No, I know what you coerced my terrified brother into agreeing to for me when I was catatonic,” I say through gritted teeth. “I didn’t agree to anything.”

“I don’t need your agreement, Jasmine.” Dane smiles. “Do you need to be locked up to ensure your cooperation?”

I open my mouth, a scathing retort resting on my tongue. Are all humans this petulant… Do I really think I’m going to argue Dane into agreeing with me? If I get locked up there will be no one to rescue my brother. I force my shoulders to drop and look down. “No, Sir,” I say softly. “I’ll behave.”

“Good. Now leave us.” A patronizing smile slithers across his face.

I shuffle out of the room, keeping my head down except for a glance at Flint as I walk through the door. His face is pale and his body tense. He and Jace are friends, but is that enough for him to stand up to his father? Either way, I’m not waiting around for someone else to do something. Whether Lir is using me or not, he’s really my only ally right now.

Step one, get Lir. Step two, rescue Jace. Sounds simple enough, right? Stupidly so. How in the hell am I going to get to Lir, much less get both of us past the gates without being noticed?

I walk back toward my house, head down, potential scenarios swirling through my head to be examined and then discarded. I could just leave without him. It’s not like I’ve never gotten past the gate guards before, but what would happen once I reached the city? There’s that barrier and I won’t be able to cross it without him, at least that’s what he said. He doesn’t have any reason to lie though…right?