“No,” she said. “He wasn’t. He’s always been a coward. When he threw me out of Reverie, he had Guardians do it. He had me spy for him. I was the one who set up his connection with Sable. And when he abandoned Reverie, he just walked out and left all those people. If there’s any danger or conflict, he runs as far in the other direction as he can.” She looked at Perry’s arms. “He never would have done this.”

Perry’s mind returned to that room, seeing the concentration—the care—with which Sable beat him. Obviously, Sable didn’t mind violence, or taking matters into his own hands.

He had fallen silent for a few seconds, remembering. Now he jolted back to the present and found Aria staring into his eyes, her temper filling with rage.

“I’m going to kill him for this,” she said.

“No. Stay away from him, Aria. Find a way to get us out of here. Use Hess. If he likes to run from problems, let’s give him somewhere to go. Another option. But promise me you’ll stay away from Sable.”

“Perry, no.”

“Aria, yes.” Didn’t she understand? He could endure anything—except losing her.

“What if Roar was right?” she said, her eyebrows drawing together. “What if Sable is a problem until we do something? Until we stop him?”

He wanted to tell her I will. He’d handle Sable. But he couldn’t say it. Not half-naked, blue and beaten. When he vowed to take Sable’s head off, he wanted to be on his feet.

She shot away from him, her feet landing on the floor with a quiet thump. Half a second later, the door opened.

The soldier, Loran, stood at the threshold. “Time’s up,” he said to Aria.

She moved immediately. Pausing at the door, she glanced back at Perry and put a hand to her heart.

Then she stepped out, and he numbed himself again. Shutting out the pain in his muscles. Ignoring the intense ache he always felt without her.

Loran lingered a second longer, sending Perry a cutting glance before he followed.

Perry stared at the door for long minutes after they’d gone, breathing in the residual scents in the small room. Noticing how strange the soldier’s temper was, dense and heavy. A brick wall of protection. Stranger still was the glimmer of warmth behind it.

Carefully, muscles quivering, Perry rolled onto his back, absolutely certain.

Loran was more than a soldier. He wondered if Aria knew.

25. Aria

25

ARIA

I thought you were going to talk to him,” Loran said in hushed tones as he escorted her back through the Komodo’s corridors.

“We did talk,” she said.

It had taken all her willpower to leave Perry in that room. Even now, she wanted to turn back, but something stopped her. A nagging feeling about the man walking three paces behind her.