My heart is so still, it feels as if it’s stopped breathing. I’d be riding in a carriage alongside you, I tell her. To that future home.

She smiles, and through our bond, I can feel her cherishing that dream.

Dancing with you after dinner, she adds.

I glance up at the sky. Lying in the middle of the road at night, pointing out the moon with you.

I’d be doing this. Talin reaches toward me, and I feel the cool smoothness of her palm touching my cheek.

And I’d be doing this, I answer. And I lean forward to touch my lips to hers.

I pull back anxiously, suddenly embarrassed that perhaps I’ve done it wrong.

Talin smiles at my hesitation, her eyes softening. Then she kisses me, longer this time, her guiding us. My emotions are heat and light, searing through our bond. She feels like everything that has gone missing in my life, joy and love and laughter and companionship, all flooding back into me at once.

This is home. This is what I’ve been searching for. What I stayed alive for.

I have no idea how long we linger like this. All I know is that when we finally pull away from each other, I can see the faint mist of our breaths curling together in the dark.

Well, she says through our bond. I didn’t think it’d be like that.

I tried my best, I protest, and her whisper of a laugh comes out again.

Don’t die, Red, she says, and her tone is so sad that it breaks my heart. Keep the others alive. You hear? Because when I go—She pauses abruptly, as if realizing she’s about to say more than she’s comfortable with. Because when I walk into that future, I want to make sure you’re in it.

I look at her and realize that I’m willing to do anything in the world to protect her. That if everything fails, if this city burns down, if Constantine has us all imprisoned, I will still stand between her and the Premier. I will die before she does.

We’ll all be in it, I tell her. I promise.

How?

Because I love you, I answer. My words echo through our link, resolute. And this Federation is not going to make me lose another loved one.

She meets my gaze. Whatever it is that she can’t tell me, I can see the fire of it dancing in her eyes. Then let’s go make sure of it, she answers.

27

RED

We only have a few hours left before dawn. Better hurry.

The arena is still dotted with guards, but in this deepest part of the night, their numbers look sparse, and the part of me still keeping count of each city patrol we’ve come across roars back to life. The east patrols are noticeably missing.

As we approach the arena’s gates, I can tell immediately that many of them have been drinking. Maybe all the chaos from the game and assassination attempt has been too stressful. They laugh and jostle one another, some of them arguing among themselves about who they think fought most impressively and whether or not they will appear in a future game.