Silver Elite

by Dani Francis

“I think the Uprising corrupted your mother’s mind.” “What?” “I don’t believe she’s a Mod. But I have no evidence of anything I’m saying right now. We can demand answers from Adrienne when we get to their base.” He goes silent for a moment, his jaw tightening. “So much for not harming civilians.” I understand his anger. I can’t stomach the idea that they’re destroying civilian minds in their war against the Company. The only saving grace, after what I gleaned from Adrienne, is there aren’t too many corrupters on the Continent. “I think it’s a rare ability. The fact that nearly all the Primes in society still have their minds intact tells me it’s not something they can readily do.” I take his hand, lacing our fingers. “Thank you,” I tell him. “For what?” “Not letting them kill me. Coming with me. Being my best friend since I was six years old.” Our eyes lock. “I love you.” His voice is gruff in my head. “I love you, too.”

When we finally reach the edge of the Blacklands, both guys are on guard. Their gazes drift toward the ominous black mist rising from the earth and hovering far above the top canopy of the trees, blending into the already black sky. “It’s really not that bad,” I assure them. They both stare at me in disbelief. I can’t help but grin. “I lasted in there for three years, and you two babies are scared to walk inside for three hours?” To be fair, it’ll be a longer trek than that, but I don’t share that tidbit. They’re rattled enough as it is. From what I recall Jim telling me, it’s at least a seven-hour walk from here to the clearing. And then who knows how long it’ll take to traverse from the clearing to the Blacklands’ end.

“Please don’t leave me,” I whisper, embarrassed that Xavier might hear the crack in my voice. “I’m not leaving you. I’m just staying behind.” “For how long?” “Until I figure out what the hell is going on here.” He grips my chin with his big, capable hand. “I promise I will see you again.” He bends his head as if to whisper in my ear, but really, he’s opening a path, his husky voice surrounding my senses. “I’m still in your head, Daisy. You can talk to me whenever you want, you know that. I love you. I will never leave you. Ever.” I cling to him, the tears flowing as I bury my face in his chest. “I don’t want to do this without you.” “You’re never truly alone. You know that. I’ll be right here, every step of the way.”

“We spent our whole lives loving each other from a distance. We can do it for a little while longer.” Gulping, I wipe at my wet eyes. “You can do it, Dove. You’re the strongest person I know.” My heart throbs as he presses a final kiss to my lips. Every ounce of emotion he feels for me ripples through my body. I cling to him, my mouth locked with his. I don’t care that Xavier is watching. This man is everything. I don’t want to say goodbye, but I have no choice. “Keep her safe,” Cross says to Xavier when we break apart. “I will.” He touches my face one last time. “Be safe, Daisy.” “You too, Wolf.” With a lump in my throat, I watch as he straddles the bike. As he starts the engine and then takes off like a bullet on the landscape. He’s the only person I’ve ever been completely, truly, unequivocally myself with, and now he’s gone. I twist my gaze away only when I can no longer see him. I glance at the black mist, then at Xavier. “Are you ready?”

“You seriously grew up here?” Xavier’s voice slices through the darkness. “Only for three years,” I answer. “Stop. Stop, damn it.” “Stop what?” “You’re walking too fast. You need to slow down and be more careful.” “Like I keep telling you, I’ve been a soldier far longer than you,” he grumbles. I halt. Grabbing his arm by feel, and not because I can see it. I curl my fingers around his biceps, keeping him in place. “You don’t get it. This isn’t a Silver Elite operation. One wrong step and you’re drowning in a pit of black sand. So please, stay close to me. Follow me and I’ll get us where we need to go. And should you continue to be stubborn, I’m going to step aside and let the horned bear eat you.” His breath hitches. “Fuck off. There isn’t a horned bear here.” “Don’t worry. He doesn’t usually come out in the morning.” “This is morning?” he squawks. “Of course. It’s positively bright.” He snorts out a grudging chuckle. “I kind of see why he likes you.” “He more than likes me. He’s obsessed.” That gets me another chuckle. We press forward.

“You really a ’fect?” “What, you think Cross was lying to you?” “No, he’s never lied to me. It’s just you hid it well.” “Thank you.” “I’m sorry I wrote on that report that you weren’t cut out for covert ops.” I throw my head back and laugh. “I’m more surprised that he is,” Xavier confesses. “Who?” “Cross. He told me last night.” “Yeah? What else did he tell you?” “Last night? Not much. Just that he has telepathy. But this other time…This one night, a couple of years ago…He was still with Eversea at the time, but he was thinking of ending it with her.” I’m not sure where he’s going with this, but I don’t stop him. Curiosity tickles my stomach. “So we went to a bar in the city. Pounded synth whiskey until we were both good and boozed. When I asked him why he was dropping Ivy, he got this really serious look on his face and then said, Because she’s not the girl of my dreams. And I laughed and said, Okay, then who is?” “What did he say?” “He said the girl of his dreams loves daisies.” I smile in the darkness. “Said he’d loved her his entire life. I thought he was just talking crazy, drunk off his ass, so I laughed and said, Sure you have, buddy.” I feel a poke in my ribs. “I think he meant you, Darlington.” My smile grows so wide it almost cracks my face in half.

I hear it as the toe is instantly sucked into the quicksand like the slurp of liquid through a straw. I lunge toward him, and it takes considerable effort to help him pull it out. He almost loses the boot. “Why do you refuse to listen to me? I’m not making this shit up!” “Noted,” he mutters. “Thank you. Now walk slow, stay behind me, pay attention to your footing, and don’t fucking touch anything.”

“This was my childhood home,” I remind him with a wry laugh. “My uncle taught me about every inch of this forest. There are tons of poisonous plant hybrids in here, some of them far deadlier than the animals.” “I hate plants,” Xavier grumbles, and I laugh.

Kaine glances at her. “Do you mind giving us a minute?” She leaves without a word. “What? You call the shots here?” I say bitterly. “Sometimes,” he admits. A helpless feeling lodges in my throat. “Did you kill Tyler?” I ask, and my stomach drops when I see the regret flickering in his eyes. “Struck was collateral damage.” “You let her walk into a building that you knew was about to explode. How could you do that?” “In war…we do a lot of things we don’t want to do.”

Wren, If you’re reading this, then I’m probably dead. Because if I were alive, I’d be there with you right now and I damn well wouldn’t let you read this letter. But if you are reading this, I need you to pay attention, little bird. There are some things you need to know. Your name is Stella Hess. Your mother’s name was Marina Serrano. She was executed for concealing her Modified identity from the Company. I loved her deeply, despite what she was. Your father’s name was Jake Hess. He died in the Sun Post attack, a Modified retaliation to the bombing of Valterra Ridge. The bombing your parents coordinated. To the Uprising, your parents are known as the Tin Block Traitors. They are responsible for the loss of countless Modified lives. Your mother betrayed her people, and your father helped her do it. I love you as if you were my own daughter. I will love you even after I’m gone, little bird. Burn this letter after reading. —JA