Dayne tilted his head to the side and smiled. At the sight, her legs almost gave out. Her breath shortened, and she allowed her lips to open slightly so she could breathe out of her mouth. He was oddly intriguing, definitely imposing, and with that smile, he should’ve been handsome.

But she saw beneath the surface—and the vision of who he really was chilled her flesh as if she’d been stuck in a freezer all day.

“She’s stronger than she looks,” Dayne said.

Terre nodded. “Definitely. I’ve known that for a while.”

Dayne slipped his hands in the pockets of his black pants. His shirt was a black cotton button down and showed a muscled chest. “You were right about the approach. Plus, you liked the undercover work.”

Terre laughed. “I really did. I think I have a new calling.”

They were joking around right in front of her? She’d never been dismissed or treated like nothing before, and a sputtering of anger percolated through her terror. But she had to find out what had happened to Adare. If she asked straight out, they wouldn’t tell her. “When Adare gets here, he’s going to take off your head.” She held her breath, waiting for a response. Was Adare alive? He had to be.

“Nobody knows you’re here, little Key,” Dayne said, almost gently. He lifted his head and sniffed the air. Sighing, he stepped up to the glass and flattened his hand on the separation. His fingers were long and thick. “You’ve mated. I can sense it.” He looked over his shoulder at his brother. “You didn’t mention that fact.”

“New development,” Terre said, sighing.

Dayne let his hand drop. “Sorry. I know you had plans for her, but you’ll need to find someone else. Plan B?”

Terre nodded. “Yeah. I decided on Plan B, anyway. I’ve had my eye on her for a while, and all we need is the virus.”

“We could give this one the virus, once we get it,” Dayne offered.

Fire ripped through Grace. “Stop talking about me like I’m not here. I’m a Key, damn it, and that means something even in your fucked up little world.”

Dayne’s eyebrows rose. “She’s got a mouth on her.”

“For now,” Terre said, stepping up next to his brother. “I may cut her tongue out. She’ll only need it long enough to give me the information I want. Then she’s useless until we find the other Keys.”

Dayne winced. “Can you imagine living without a tongue? Pizza would be a thing of the past.”

Now they were joking about her?

Terre laughed. “Stop looking so angry. We’re just messing with you. If I cut out your tongue, which probably will happen, by the way, then you can heal yourself and grow a new one.”