“Yes, we definitely should,” I say, pulling him close and resting my cheek in the hollow of his throat. I feel his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows, and I turn just enough to be able to press my lips against it, then my tongue. I feel the vibrations of his groan.

Please stop not kissing me.

But he gently pushes my legs from his waist and peels away from me. A rush of cool air steals the warmth of his now absent touch.

“Ada—” But Michael’s words are swallowed by a gasp of pain as he clutches his stomach. He lifts his shirt, and we both watch mesmerized as letters form on the bare skin of his abdomen.

“Gravdammit, Ari!” he chokes. Michael’s skin is reddened and swollen as the letters continue to form. His teeth clench with obvious agony.

When it’s clear what the inverted letters say, all the color drains from his face.

They have Hilde.

What? My blood chills.

Of course. Kor told me that they’d found another universal blood donor. I slide off the desk to my feet. How is that people I love keep harming other people I love? I take a deep breath. No, they won’t harm her.

Michael looks up at me with complete and utter hopelessness. “I warned her. I… I can’t help her.” He runs both hands through his hair and clutches his scalp.

But maybe I can help her. The Atlas is down, and Kor is detained here on the island, but I can use Georgie’s computer to call Mom.

“Ada, I’m so sorry. I know the timing… I have to go.”

“I understand.”

He gives me an awkward hug, rushes to his desk to retrieve something from the center drawer, and then hastens out of the room.

I take a moment to fix my hair, straighten my clothes, and have a total mental freakout about the fact that I just made out with Michael. Then I follow him out and head to my apartment.

It’s too late at night to have any chance of reaching Mom, but I assure myself that I have no reason to think that Hilde is in any immediate danger. I’d met some of the other Sires when I was home, and Kor had been truthful when he said they were well treated. The ones I spoke with—including the renowned scientist who had been a missing person in the news for months—were cooperating voluntarily, excited to be a part of ground-breaking experimentation. Plus, with Kor here, Hilde’s blood is safe for now.

When I get to my apartment, Georgie shrieks and jumps up, overturning a pile of spidersilk masks she’s been sewing with the help of Mbali and Hypatia.

The next few seconds involve a lot of hugging.