He held up his hands. “You’re right. I’m sorry. But honestly, no one would’ve run the blood if you’d have left it. The way that office is set up, they weren’t actually testing it. Only keeping track that it was accounted for. But since it went missing, it was marked as someone trying to hide something and…”

Ice-coated shitballs. I hadn’t even thought of that. I was so screwed. I leaned back against the railing, sliding down to the floor of the balcony. I hugged my knees to my chest, silently cursing myself for making such a massive mistake, but how was I supposed to know they wouldn’t actually test the blood?

Declan slowly stood up. “The record of the missing vial went into the system with your picture. Anyone in the system with your stats goes into my search folder. I’d know your face anywhere.” If I wasn’t mistaken, he was almost wistful with his words.

If he knew my face, then that meant that others would, too. We were going to have to run. If not right now, soon. “But SpaceTech doesn’t know where I am?”

“No. Not yet. But if I found you, it’s safe to say that someone else will, too. It’s time for us to get you out of here.”

“And my mom.” I wasn’t going anywhere without her.

He nodded. “And your mom.”

I couldn’t believe that this was finally happening. After the scare I’d had tonight, I’d thought I was inches away from being caught. And I was kind of right. Except this particular officer was probably the only one that wouldn’t turn me in.

I didn’t even know how to feel. What would it be like to see my father again? Would he even like who I was now?

What was it going to be like not to be afraid anymore? “So what now? Do I pack or…?”

“Take whatever you want with you, but honestly, if you came as you are now, that’d be fine, too. Your dad is just ready to have you back.”

That last statement was so emotionally loaded. I didn’t even know how to separate the swirling mix that was brewing deep inside. My skin started to glow, and I groaned.

Declan reached down to run a fingertip along my cheek, and I shied away from it. “It can’t hurt me, and you shouldn’t have to hide it.”

That it wouldn’t hurt him was something, but the rest… “I hate it. I can mostly hide, but this…” I squeezed my eyes shut. “I can’t always control it.”

“You can always control it if you—”

Knocking came from inside the apartment. Three loud thumps followed by even more then some garbled commands.

My skin grew brighter to glow like the moon.

Only one type of person would knock like that.

Chapter Four