Flint just leads me farther into the crowd. I absolutely cannot lose it in front of the entire town. They know I’m odd, they do not need to know exactly how odd. I concentrate on breathing in and out, slowly. It helps, but still doesn’t stop the thumping in my chest.

Dane looks back over his shoulder, a smirk twisting his lips. He’s enjoying this, the bastard. He knew what this would do to me. Anger bubbles up in my stomach and I let it, the heat of it replacing the icy fear. I won’t let him get away with this.

One last deep breath in through my nose and out slowly through my mouth. I lower my chin and speed up, doing my best to ignore the mass of people surrounding me. I can do this. A few seconds later, I reach the edge of the crowd and half stumble into the small empty area directly in front of the stage. When I raise my face to Dane, who’s now standing above me, he nods at me with a smug expression, like he expected me to fail his test but he’s still happy I didn’t. Whatever.

Flint assists me up the stairs and I’m grateful for his hold on my arm. My shaky legs barely make it across the stage and I collapse into the last chair in the line of girls. Deep breath. Trust Flint. He’s got to have some way to get me out of this.

* * * * * * *

The ceremony itself is uneventful and actually pretty boring. The long line of girls in front of me gradually disappears as Dane calls each one up by name. A man comes up from the other side of the stage, Dane puts their hands together, says a few words, the couple kisses and it’s done. Rather anticlimactic if you ask me. I focus on the monotony of it all while my eyes search the crowd for Flint. Where the hell is he? He disappeared as soon as I was in the chair.

“My sister was Promised last year.” The high-pitched voice of the girl next to me scrapes on my fragile nerves. “She was nervous like you, but it all worked out for the best. It’ll be okay. I’m sure Mr. Jacobs has selected well for you.”

I nod my head slowly.

That’s enough to encourage her and she continues to babble. “I’m really excited to tell you the truth.” She actually bounces in her seat a little. “I’m just hoping that he’s selected someone young enough to give me children. I’ve always wanted a baby.” A dreamy smile pulls her lips up. “A little girl…”

Dane’s voice pulls her out of her wistfulness and she jumps to her feet. “That’s me,” she says. “Good luck!”

The hand Dane links with hers is thin-skinned and liver spotted, the man easily thirty years older. Her pained smile stays in place, but her eyes gloss over with the sheen of unshed tears. Poor thing. What did that girl do to deserve that match up? Or maybe, like Emily’s situation, it was punishment for something her parents did. Or would it be some sort of reward for the old guy? There’s just so much I don’t know about this place, so much I never bothered to learn. I almost feel guilty for that.

My name rings through the air next. This cannot possibly be happening. My eyes go out to the crowd again, begging, pleading for Flint to appear, to jump onto the stage and…do something, anything. I don’t stand and step forward like the others, choosing to stay in my seat and blindly hope for something to intervene. Dane crosses the stage and leans down until he’s face to face with me.

“Get up, Jasmine,” he says. “You’re embarrassing me. Don’t make me call your name again. I can make things rather unpleasant for you if you test me.”

I rise onto numb feet and my legs carry me to the front of the stage with jerky, robot-like movements. Flint steps up onto the stage and my entire body relaxes into the sigh of relief that breezes out of me. Finally. But something isn’t right. His expression isn’t triumphant or angry or anything but resigned. He reaches out and takes my hand.

I move to pull my hand away, but Flint simply shakes his head. My gaze goes out to the onlookers, waiting for the rest of the rescue team or whatever Flint has planned. Eyes drill into me, curious ones, pleasant ones and maybe even a few hostile ones. I have no anchor here and my mind is flailing for something, anything to hold onto. Nothing is happening.

Zoned out, I only catch the end of what Dane is saying, “…. the last one of the night and the most important one of all.” I shake myself and concentrate on his words. “My son, Flint Jacobs and Jasmine Mitchell.”

What? Flint and me what? My eyes dart around looking for answers.

Flint pulls me closer to him and plasters a smile on, nodding out at the crowd. “Smile,” he hisses into my ear.

“What? Why?” What the hell is going on?

“It’s the only way I could protect you, just go with it. You at least need to try to look happy about it.” Flint’s breath tickles my neck and I shiver.

“Happy about what?”

“Our Promising.”

Hold on. My body stiffens and I blink rapidly. Did he just say that we were Promised? “What are you talking about?”

“I promised Jace I’d protect you if anything happened to him. This is me keeping that promise,” he says against my neck. “It’s not so bad. Dad could have given you to that old guy.” A fleeting sensation of his dry lips pressing against mine sends my mind spinning out of control.

I hold myself together though, barely. Stand. Smile. Wave. Walk. Flint leads me back down the steps. Once we’re through the crowd and out of sight, huddled in a dark corner behind the library, I turn on my heel and send my fist toward his nose. He must’ve been expecting it. He dodges.

“What. The. Hell.” I punctuate each of my words with a punch to his arm. Those he doesn’t try to avoid. Good. I need to hit something.

“It was the only way.” He winces as another punch lands on his arm.

“It was a stupid way!” I yell. “Of all the idiotic, lame-brained ideas in all the world, it was the worst!”

Flint catches my next jab at his arm. “It was what your brother wanted.” His words are soft, but his eyes blaze with anger. “Stop hitting me.”

I swing my other hand at him. “You’re not my brother. You don’t get to order me around.”

Flint’s shoulders tense and he closes his eyes for a moment before sighing. “I know that,” he says. “I just— there’s a lot we need to do.”

“You’re right,” I say. “We need to plan how we’re going to get Jace back.” I cross my arms over my chest, daring him to argue.

“Jax…” Flint sighs and runs his hand through his hair. “I don’t know if we can.”

I step forward until I’m right in front of him, our toes nearly touching. “No. Maybe you can’t, but I can and I will. With or without your help.”

The muscles in his jaw clench and I can see the pain in his eyes. “You don’t understand.”

“No! You don’t understand. I will not leave my brother there. I will not. I will not.” I turn to storm away, but Flint’s hand catches my arm. Before he even has a chance to say anything else, I bring my right fist around, landing it directly on his temple. The hook shot knocks his head to the side violently. His eyes roll back and he crumples to the ground.

Well, that’s one way to occupy him while I break Lir out and go get Jace, but damn my knuckles sting.

SEVEN

The one good thing that came from the stupid ceremony is that everyone is gathered over by the square, entirely the opposite direction from where I need to go. Already late, I walk quickly, the moon lighting my way. A breeze flows down the street and raises goosebumps on my arms and legs. I rub my hands up and down on my arms to try to dispel the chill.

Before the Collapse, Bridgelake was just another small college town. It didn’t really have much of a police station or a jail, but it did have a science building with a basement full of metal lined lab rooms. I guess that was where they kept lab animals or something. Those rooms became the holding cells. There are only about ten cells and most of them are empty at any given time. Breaking the law here will get you swiftly kicked out, so it’s not like people sit around there for long. The cells are more for containing people until Dane can do some sort of public exile ceremony. Though I don’t think that exile is what he has planned for Lir. Not the way Daniel was talking about it.