That was it. They’d as good as vanished with the empress’s grandson, snatched from a house a stone’s throw from the Imperial Palace.

How?

How had they pulled it off without so much as a single hitch? The question followed me to bed and kept me awake far longer than it should’ve.

The sound of a door opening in my dream, where a door shouldn’t have been, pulled me from a deep sleep. My eyes felt welded shut with exhaustion, but I cracked them open just enough to see. The room was pitch-black and quiet. I was almost ready to brush it off as nothing when I heard the slightest scuff of a boot against the floor.

Someone was in my room.

I thrust my hand under my pillow and grabbed the plas pistol I’d stashed there. I rolled out of bed and landed in a crouch. “Lights!”

The room turned blindingly bright, revealing Torran in the middle of the room with his hands up. He was wearing his armor. “Don’t shoot,” he whispered.

“What the fuck, Torran?” I demanded in a harsh whisper. “What are you doing and why are we whispering?”

“I was trying to figure out how to wake you without getting shot.” He raised an eyebrow at the pistol still locked on his body.

I dropped the pistol’s muzzle toward the ground and growled, “Knocking is designed to solve exactly this problem.” I scowled at him. “You overrode the lock on my door.”

“Get dressed and come with me. I will explain, I promise, but we don’t have much time.”

I glanced down at myself. I had on a tank top, panties, and nothing else. No wonder his eyes kept trying to drift down. “What am I dressing for?”

“Wear a thin base layer with warmer clothes on top.”

I quickly pulled on a pair of leggings, then added my standard work wear of sturdy pants, a comfy T-shirt, and supple boots. I also grabbed a coat. I strapped on my plas blade and tucked the pistol into its holster. Finally, I picked up my comm and called Kee.

“What are you doing?” Torran demanded.

“I’m leaving with you in the middle of the night with no explanation. I’ll do it because I trust you at least that far, but I’m letting my team know that I’m going.”

His mouth compressed, but he didn’t argue.

Kee was not amused with the early call or my plan to leave with Torran to parts unknown. I told her to go back to sleep and then hung up on her. Once she calmed down, she’d find a way to track my comm and keep an eye on me. Kee was nothing if not resourceful when properly motivated.