I tear against the restraints angrily, feeling my blood pulse through my veins. “You will never have my consciousness,” I spit. “Do your worst, but I won’t surrender.”

“Then it seems we find ourselves in alignment. You’d be no use to me unaware.” Lysander steps closer, hands clasped behind him. “Do you know where you are?”

“Does it matter?” I hiss. “Whatever you do to me, you’ll have to send me to War eventually. Those are the rules.”

“Rules change,” Lysander replies too easily.

I clench my teeth so hard I taste the metallic hint of blood.

The blond Resident waves a hand, and a machine floats down from the ceiling, blue lights scanning my body. I order myself not to be afraid, as if fear is something I can control.

“Run the test, and let me know when it’s finished,” Lysander orders, moving for the door.

“Your Highness?” she calls after him. When he turns, she places a hand across her chest and bows. “Forgive me, but I sense Prince Caelan’s reasons for giving us this prisoner do not stem from generosity. I wondered if you’d tell me what Death has traded for him—and what we’d need to trade again should this test fail. Because if things don’t go to plan—”

Lysander holds up a hand, silencing her. “The burden of what I owe my younger brother is mine alone. But rest assured, this prisoner won’t be the last. You will have all the resources you need.” He looks at me, void of emotion. “If we’re going to find a way to rid Infinity of humans for good, we have to be willing to do whatever is necessary.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” The woman bows.

When Prince Lysander is gone, the woman turns to the figure dressed in black. “You may proceed.”

The figure bows, face still obscured by their dark hood. They move across the room like a shadow, stopping beside me.

I snap my eyes toward them, ready to shout curses at them for what they’re about to do, when I see them for what they really are.

They’re human. Vacant-eyed and unaware, but very, very human.

Bile builds in the back of my throat. “No. You—you can’t do this.” My eyes water with anger, and I glare at the Resident. “You can’t make them do this!”

She scarcely reacts. “The purpose of this court is to experiment on human consciousness. But experiments have the tricky nature of being something that’s never been done before.” Her eyes flash. “For that, we need humans.”

All I see is red. “You’re forcing them to torture their own kind.”

“This isn’t War. We don’t delight in human pain. In fact, our goal is for you to never feel pain again.”

“Even if you find a way to take my mind, I’ll never stop fighting. The humans will never stop fighting.”