“Sable sent me to get Cinder, but I didn’t expect you to become such a distraction. We were just getting to know each other, too. But I always do what Sable says. So should you, by the way. I mean that. I don’t want to see you hurt, Perry.”

The fox turned away. “Can he hear me, Loran? He seems so far.”

“I can’t hear if he’s hearing, Kirra,” answered a deep voice. “That’s beyond even my ears.”

“Are the drugs necessary? He’s already tied down to the cot. I can’t even scent his temper.” The fox disappeared, moving out of Perry’s line of sight. “Where are the Mole doctors? Sable isn’t going to like this either.”

Perry heard a door open and close, and then the sound of Kirra’s voice fading.

Above, exposed wires and pipes crisscrossed the metal ceiling. They wavered, like he was seeing them beneath water.

He could do nothing else, so he began at the left corner and worked his way right, memorizing every turn and every bend.

Time passed. He knew because Kirra returned.

“That’s better,” she said, smiling. She sat on the edge of his cot, her hip against his forearm. She was herself again—no more fox.

“I had the Dwellers lower the dosage,” she said. “You’re welcome.”

Perry could blink now. His mind felt less clouded than earlier, and he could track Kirra’s movement with his eyes. Still, he couldn’t move his limbs, and he badly wanted to take his arm away from Kirra’s hip.

She glanced over her shoulder. “He looks better. Doesn’t he, Loran?”

The man who stood by the door was lean, his nose and eyes slender and hawk-like. His black hair showed no hint of graying, but he had a competent, seasoned bearing. Perry guessed the soldier to be in his forties. The stag horns at his chest were sewn in silver thread instead of the customary crimson, likely indicating a high rank in Sable’s forces.

“Much,” responded the man.

One word, but it carried hefty sarcasm.

Kirra turned back to Perry. “You came so close to getting away this morning. I thought you were going to do it. And I was so looking forward to being your prisoner.” She smiled, moving closer. “Oh, your friend? He’s the Aud who left with Aria, isn’t he? You didn’t tell me he’d be so nice to look at. Though he doesn’t compare to you.” Her gaze raked over his body. “In case you’re worried about him, you shouldn’t be. He’s locked in a holding cell. With Aria.”

Perry knew her games. She took his insecurities and hung them on a line, exposing each one.

“Bet you wish you had depended on the right people. That seems like a recurring problem in your life.”