POV: Ayla

They give me the room because I ask for it.

The leader sits under formal restraint in a secure chamber two levels below the main compound. The transfer under regional authorization is complete. The deeper sweeps of the holding structure are ongoing. The recovery track for the missing girl remains open. All of that continues outside this door. Inside it, there is only the woman who claims three centuries of continuity and the girl she failed to keep sealed.

Caius objected once. Ryker objected more than once. Zane said nothing and then followed me as far as the outer guard post. The bond carries their resistance and their...