"The closer we are, the harder Eldrion breathes. The planet is trying to tear itself apart and I'm the crack in the center."
I had to stay focused.
My steps were quick as I approached the station entrance and slipped into the ticket inspection line. Three people ahead. I forced myself to stay calm.
A faint hiss came through my implant. Cocoa's voice filtered in—distorted, fractured.
"Aaron... c-can you... hear me...?"
I couldn't answer. Not now. Two people left in front of me.
"Caspian broke through."
My body stiffened. That name stopped me cold.
"Alexa's trying to hold him… maybe thirty minutes… the station… get on the train… Aaron…"
The connection dropped.
Shit.
I swore under my breath.
My turn came. I held out my forged ticket and ID, keeping my face blank. Caspian had locked down every escape route from the city. This was the only gap left.
A digital clock blinked red on the far wall. Five more minutes. Then the train to Mahr would depart.
The station guard studied me for a second, then nodded and waved me through.
That's when the pain returned.
I stopped. My hand moved instinctively to my chest, right where the wound pulsed—steady, sharp, alive.
It only ever reacted when Caspian was close.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I couldn't let him catch me. Not now.
The sound of the train began to rise, distant but approaching fast.
I pushed forward again, blending into the crowd of passengers gathering at the platform.
"I know you're nearby, Aeryn."
Caspian's voice bled through my implant like a blade.
I thought I blocked him. He didn't know my real face. He wasn't supposed to find me.
To him, I was just a maid. Aeryn.
The platform gate opened. I moved with the crowd, slipping onto the train.
In just a few minutes, I would leave this city behind.
I pulled my cap lower, kept my head down, searching for my seat.
"Run all you want. Because once I catch you—don't expect to see the light again, Aaron."
...He knew.
I turned toward the window.
And there he was.
Tall. Severe. Wrapped in a black military coat.
Copper-toned skin.
Eyes like burning gold, locked on mine through the glass.
And then the train to Mahr, the death city—began to move.