Chapter 40
chapter
forty
Haven
The silence is overbearing. The only sound that carries through the collapsed tunnel is the crushing bite of pebbles splintering under our boots and the fluttering wings of a flock of pigeons that tear off into the distance, the second they hear us coming.
I’ve been berating myself for the past half hour while Ender and I navigate the rubble, searching for the tunnel opening that should be somewhere up ahead. My thoughts keep circling back to that moment in the service room.
The memory sends an unwelcome shiver down my back. I can still feel the ravenous trail of his tongue inside my mouth, and the punishing grip of his fingers on my thigh. I’ll be wearing his marks for the next few days, because Ender kisses like a man possessed.
It’s a shame I despise him so much as a person, because I could really get used to kissing him.
“Almost there,” he grunts.
Two words.
A step up from the clipped one-word commands he’s been doling out all day.
“There!” I point sharply. “An opening.”
The tunnel mouth is mostly blocked by fallen stone, except for a narrow gap near the top. It’s wide enough for one person.
“I won’t fit,” Ender says after a quick assessment.
“I’ll go,” I reply. “I’ll get out and call for backup. They have to be close by.”
I expect him to refuse. Or at the very least express suspicion that I won’t come back. Because I am tempted to leave him here to rot. But he just nods.
“That’s a good plan,” Ender says.
He crouches without a word.
“Sit on my shoulders.”
I don’t want to be anywhere near him right now.
A small, bitter part of me aches at how quickly he shut me out after that kiss.
It’s not like I expected flowers or a declaration of love, but he didn’t have to look so regretful or act so abrasive after.
His disinterest couldn’t have been clearer. Message received. Loud and clear.
“I’ll climb.”
I brush past him and grab onto a jutting boulder. Ender’s jaw tightens, his brows pinch together.
“Don’t be tough, Warrick,” he says. “Let me—”
“No,” I snap. “You’ve done enough.”
Rock crumbles beneath my boot, but my hold stays firm. Ender steps forward, arms outstretched, prepared to catch me if I fall.
“Warrick,” he says, voice tangled with something raw. “Come down. We’ll find another way.”
I ignore him and keep climbing. Sunlight bleeds through the opening, and I squint at the blinding pool.
The stone beneath my boot suddenly gives way. I gasp as my footing slips. My nails bite hard into the ledge, fingertips aching as I force myself to hold on.
Pain flares down my side, the cut stretching under the strain.
“Haven!” Ender shouts.
I swing my legs wildly until my boot catches on a jagged edge.
“I’m fine,” I choke out.
“Come down,” he pleads. “We’ll find another way.”
“I’m almost there.”
I haul myself upward, ignoring the curses from down below. When I reach the opening, I push my head through and suck in a deep breath. Fresh air pours down my lungs. The scent of acorns and wet earth fills the air.
I drag myself out, scraping my knees on the spiked rock. I then slide down the outer slope until I hit solid ground.
“Warrick,” Ender calls. “You good?”
“I’m out,” I say. “I’ll scout ahead and get backup.”
I wipe the sweat from my brow and head toward where we parked the trucks.
It takes nearly thirty minutes to reach them.
The unit is scattered. Ender rarely shares his location during missions, so they couldn’t locate us.
Paranoid bastard. He presumes there is a traitor among us, working with the rebels, who will give away his site.
I mean, he’s not wrong, but I know better than to use him as bait. It’s too dangerous.
Clover marches toward me, her fair hair shimmering like shards of ice.
“Where is he?” she demands.
Her tone makes my hackles rise. She peers past me, already expecting him to appear behind me. Clover grabs my shoulders, fingers pinching my skin.
“I asked you a question, recruit.”
“Relax,” I say tightly, stepping out of her grip. “I’ll take you to him.”
Her brows lift, suspicion flashing across her eyes. Clover doesn’t like me. I’ve seen the way she looks at me like I don’t belong. At first, I assumed her hostility came from my status as a Common, that she saw me as someone beneath her. But now I know it has to do with her infatuation with Ender.
Rei did mention that the Ashfords wanted Clover to wed Ender. She must feel like she was snubbed by my sister.
Spider barrels out of the crowd and wraps his strong arms around me. Flint and Rei are close behind him.
“You’re safe,” Spider murmurs. “What a relief!”
“Take us to the Commandant,” Clover snaps. “Now.”
“Are you okay?” Knox asks.
I nod. “Come on, I’ll show you where he is.”
We head back with enough explosives to bring the mountain down.
“Commandant,” Clover calls into the tunnel. “We’re breaking this wall down. Step back and confirm.”
“Got it,” Ender says.
I hang back, Spider’s arm draped on my shoulder.
“We thought you were dead,” Rei says.
“Fifteen hours with Ender Vale makes me wish I were.”
Rei smiles, and Spider snorts.
“Did he tear your clothes off and have his wicked way with you?” Spider whispers.
My cheeks burn. He suspects there is something between Ender and me. He’s far too nosy for his own good.
“Get your head out of the gutter.”
The grenade detonates. Dust and stone explode outward. Once it settles, Clover and Knox rush in. Ender emerges moments later, raven hair coated in ash. His eyes find me instantly. His mouth is pressed in a thin, displeased line. Dark stubble traces his hard jaw.
“Aide,” he barks.
A young red-haired boy rushes forward in his crisp white uniform.
“She’s injured,” Ender explains.
“I’m fine,” I say. “I’ll go to the clinic later.”
“Check her,” Ender orders. “Now.”
I glare at him and lift my shirt for the aide. The boy uses his powers to heal me, even though it is unnecessary. It is a minor wound that could fix itself if given time. I watch in fascination as the wound seals shut, leaving behind unblemished skin.
I don’t look at Ender again.
“Hey, stranger.”
“Gray!” I throw my arms around him. “You wouldn’t believe the night I had.”
I melt into his embrace. Gray always smells like home.
“Can’t be as bad as mine,” he says. “Night shift. Again. I swear he’s putting me on the worst rotations to spite me.”
“I don’t want to speak about him,” I say. “Like ever.”
“Fair enough,” Gray says, releasing me. His lips lift in a mysterious smile. “I’ve got you a present.”
He holds up two white passes. It takes me a second to realize what it is.
“A day pass?” I gasp.
“Happy birthday, Vee.”
I blink. It’s my birthday. I can’t believe I forgot the day.
November 16.
“Mercy,” I say suddenly. “Can she come?”
Gray sighs. “Unless you want to explain it to Ender—no.”
“Can my friends come?” I ask.
“You want me to wrangle you more day passes?” he asks.
“It would make me very, very happy.”
He shakes his head with a reluctant smile.
“You do know how to twist my arm.”
I know he said we can’t bring Mercy along, but I refuse to celebrate our birthday without her. It wouldn’t feel right.
Besides, I have an idea. One that I’m certain Grayson won’t like.
I packed a few dresses on the off chance we’d manage to sneak out of the Forge for a night of debauchery. It was wishful thinking since only the Gifted were granted day passes to leave the grounds, while the Commons were not afforded the luxury.
“You look hot,” Sora whistles, leaning against her bunk.
“You’re one to talk.”
She’s wearing a slinky black dress that suits her. Rei stands in the corner in a pair of leather pants and a corset that makes her breasts look otherworldly. She looks beautifully dangerous.
I went with a blood-red dress that stops just below my ass. My hair spills down my back, and my lips are painted the same shade as my dress.
Gray waits outside the building, the engine idling low. He’s leaning against the truck with his arms crossed, but the moment he sees me, his posture straightens. His gaze drags down my legs. Flint is already in the front seat.
“Behave,” I warn.
Grayson lets out a short bark of laughter, eyes glimmering. “No promises.”
We settle into the car. I wait until we’re on the road to speak. I lean between the seats, staring at Grayson. I poke his ear.
“We need to make a pit stop.”
“For what?”
“We need to grab my sister,” I say. “I’m not celebrating without her.”
Gray exhales hard.
“That was not the plan. We’re not breaking into the Commandant’s heavily fortified residence to kidnap his wife.”
“But it’s my birthday,” I say, pouting. “And she would make me very happy. Come on, Gray. Don’t be a spoilsport.”
“She has a point,” Rei adds. “It is her birthday.”
“And think about the story,” Flint says eagerly. “How many people can say they broke into Ender Vale’s house and lived to tell the tale?”
“I could get demoted,” Gray mutters. “My father will kill me if we’re caught.”
“I’ll sweet-talk Sullivan,” I promise. “I always do.”
Gray studies our faces, four against one; he’s outnumbered, and he knows it. He sighs loudly and dramatically.
“Fine,” he says gruffly.
He spins the steering wheel, doing an immediate U-turn.
We cheer in the back, high-fiving like idiots.
My cheeks ache from smiling so wide. I’m with my friends, and soon I’ll be reunited with my sister. Everyone that I care about is here with me. Except for Spider and Knox, whose loyalty lies with Ender. They wouldn’t approve of this deranged plan, for fear that it would enrage their cold leader.
This might actually be my best birthday yet.
Ender’s house is more secure than a vault. There are capital enforcers at every exit and entrance. Cameras rotate at every corner like clockwork. It comforts me that Mercy is protected here, but getting her out is going to be a bitch.
“Let’s review the plan,” I say. “Flint is going to pretend to be Ender.”