EMBER’S POV

And this time, I don’t freeze.

Something in me has had enough — enough of things I don’t understand in this house, enough of cold wrong feelings I can’t name, enough of watching people I liked turn out to be exactly the thing my gut warned me about.

And I don’t just walk toward her. I turn my head toward the guard station at the top of the sub-level stairs, where I know Reyes is posted for the night, and I raise my voice.

“Reyes.” It cracks down the corridor. “Down here. Now. Bring Daxon.”

Marjorie’s head snaps up.

“What are you doing—”

“Making sure you can’t move...