“I know,” he said. “The second I left you, I felt the same way.”

They returned to the cargo hold to listen to Soren’s assessment.

Perry sat with Aria, Brooke, and Jupiter, while Roar stood off in the shadows again.

Soren planted his feet wide and locked his hands behind his back, letting out a self-important sigh as he scanned their faces. He acted as though he were going to address a crowd of thousands instead of the five of them.

“First, I want to say that it’s a real shame none of you are smart enough to appreciate what I’ve done here. To put it in simplistic terms, which you may or may not comprehend, I essentially hit a bull’s-eye.”

Perry shook his head. Every single thing Soren did chafed him, but Aria seemed unruffled.

“What did you find out?” she asked.

“That I’m unstoppable. And indispen—”

“Soren.”

“Oh, you mean about the plan? We’re all set.”

Aria looked at Perry in surprise. Soren had only been at work for two hours, maximum.

“Let’s run through it,” Perry said.

“It’s ready,” Soren insisted. “Let’s get this going. Every minute we spend sitting here, we’re taking a chance they’ll find us out.”

Perry rubbed his chin, studying Soren. Scenting his temper.

Something didn’t feel right. While still in Reverie, Soren had begun an experimental treatment to control his moods. Supposedly there was no risk of him becoming violent anymore, but anger lurked behind his obnoxious comments. Perry questioned his frame of mind, and his allegiance, even if Aria didn’t.

Had Hess really betrayed Soren—his son? Given Perry’s own experience with Vale, he knew betrayal was possible within families. But maybe there was something more. Was Soren leading them right into the jaws of the enemy? Into a trap?

Roar spoke from the shadows. “I’m with the Dweller.”

Jupiter shrugged. “I am too?”

“Aria and I decide how this goes,” Perry said.

“Why?” Soren barked. “I hacked the system. I’m the one flying this ship. I’m doing everything. What are you doing? Why aren’t you taking orders from me?”

“Because you’re scared,” Perry said. Might as well put it out there now, before they went any further. As a Scire, he seldom manipulated people, poking at the fears revealed through their tempers. But if Soren was going to break, Perry wanted it to happen here, not during their mission. So he pressed again.

“You don’t know what you want. Do you, Dweller? Are you going to turn your back on us the first chance you get? Are you taking us in to impress your father? To get back on his good side?”

Soren went very still, the veins at his neck swelling. “Just because of your weird mutation, don’t think you know what’s in my head. You don’t know anything.”