Page 58 of Abducting Sarah

“Can you ever really trust your friends, Jac?”

“I do.”

“Fool.”

I laughed. “Probably.”

Then, she smiled. “Perhaps one day we can be friends, Jacaranda Cozz. I have shared a secret with you. I expect a secret in return.”

“As is the way of the sisterhood,” I mused. “I thought you had left them behind.”

“I left the sisterhood, but their ways are wise. Tell me a secret, or my knife takes another life.”

I nodded once. “Uh, okay. I’m allergic to cashews.”

She punched me in the chest. “Give me arealsecret, or I give Halla another ghost. Yours.”

I rubbed my chest where it ached. “You can keep your knife in the holster, thanks. A real secret, then?”

“Make it a good one, worthy of the information I’ve given you.”

I thought fast and blurted the first thing that came to mind, “I came in my boss’ consort today.”

Her eyes lit up as she studied my face. Slowly, she smirked and said, “You’re not lying, are you?”

“No.”

“A worthy secret.” Then, she began to sing again.

I held my ears and closed my eyes faster this time, but still, blood dripped down my face. After we were back in her house, I wiped my face with the fabric she had given me before.

“You be careful fucking your boss’ consort, Jac,” she warned. “Someone who doesn’t like you would use it against you.”

“Do you plan to use it against me?”

“No.”

“Does that mean you like me, Omen?” I teased.

“I could be persuaded to hate you less. Probably. One day.”

I grinned at her. “I’m wearing you down.”

She chuckled and rolled her eyes at me. “Get out.”

I left Omen Ayext’s house-ship and rode back toSovereign, hoping Silence’s whole birth thing would be over by the time I returned, but I doubted it. Ladrian labor could go on for days.

The ride back was long and full of unwanted thoughts.If the conduits believe Sarah is the contra, then they will never stop coming for her. To try to kill her.

I didn’t know how to stop over a hundred of the most highly trained, best educated Ladrians who ever existed. Outside of that, I didn’t know how to tell Sarah that they were going to hunt her down. I hoped Predict hadn’t told them anything before she had died, but I didn’t know for sure. And I really needed to know for sure.

When I pulled up to Valor’s property, everything seemed fine, which told me Predict probably hadn’t been able to send before her demise.

Wave was outside with Camp Deo. The pair came to me, and Wave said, “Silence had her babies.”

“Babies?” I asked in shock. “Plural?”

“A girl and a boy,” Camp said happily.

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