He slammed a hand over my mouth. “No. I didn’t come this far and work this hard to find you to have you throw it all away for whoever the hell is up there. They’re expendable. You’re not.”

Expendable? How could he say that about anyone?

A thump was followed by Telly’s cry, and I struggled to get out from under Declan. He pressed down on his arm across my collarbones. I shoved at his arm, but it was like moving a boulder, and he had all the leverage. For now. All I needed was an in, and I could flip him. I’d move too fast for him to stop me.

He removed his hand from my mouth. “I know you want to help them, but you have to think. What will happen if you go up there?” He paused. “We both know that they’d start asking you questions. They’d ask to scan you. Anything legit would drive a halfer with the weakest Aunare blood to distraction, and you’re from the second strongest Aunare line.”

He was right. I knew it, but that didn’t change what was happening above my apartment.

“We both know that useless piece of crap in your finger doesn’t count to IAF. Like you said—it’s to blend. That’s it. You’d be scanned, and that would be a huge red flag. You’d be thrown into a cell for interfering, which would give them enough cause to run a full scan on you. Not that they need cause.”

I knew where he was going with this, but I hated it.

“You’d be outed as a halfer, and if they find out exactly who you are… It’s not just your neighbors’ lives on the line here. IAF takes you in, it’s war. Millions will die. The only reason the Aunare haven’t made a move against us yet is because, until tonight, no one knew where you were. Not SpaceTech. Not your father. But now your father knows… This is dangerous. So fucking dangerous.”

My lip trembled as I heard Telly pleading with the IAF upstairs, and then something heavy hit a wall.

“You can’t save them. Not now. But you can maybe save everyone else,” Declan said.

He was right. God, I hated it, but he was right. The glow started to fade to nothing as I gave in.

A chunk of the ceiling rained down on us, and I gave up fighting, relaxing into the carpeting under me. My heart felt like it was shattering for them, and I squeezed my eyes shut. Hot, silent tears poured down my face.