through her chest.
Her foot slipped. She lost her balance, and her fingers began peeling off the rungs.
But a tight, fierce grip suddenly clenched her left hand. She looked up at the fingers wrapped around her own, the white knuckles, cracked skin, and blue veins.
He didn’t say anything, just waited for her to regain her footing. Then let her go.
Chapter Ten
AT RISK
SHE FLED, OF COURSE. ALL HER RESOLUTIONS TO STOP running had come apart, unraveling into a tangle as fine as shredded wire. Her thoughts were at war with themselves. How had he found out she was from outside the boundary, despite her secrets and silence, and after all this time? He could not have known before because he would have used it to threaten her.
Or would he? If he had been threatening her just now on the scaffolding, why had he caught her when she slipped? No one on Vizhan would have done that. The guards would have laughed at her own fallibility, and none of the other slaves would have risked it. To show empathy or love was to give the guards power over you.
This is the Alliance. Any decent human being—
But she had not thought of Dane as decent, not since that first day in the cafeteria when he had become her nemesis. She had not thought about that day in ages. She had just moved on, her focus on the future and facing down Dane.
Because of something Yvonne had said.
About his making fun of Aerin during debate. In fact, the gist of Yvonne’s argument had been that he could not have meant what he said because he would never really criticize the Alliance with his father on the Council.
What nonsense! Dane had been by far the most outspoken critic of the Alliance all term. Less than half an hour ago, Aerin, herself, had accused him of failing to value the freedom he had here.
She slowed her steps, then pressed her head against the rough bark of a tree at the garden’s edge. That first day of classes she had been a pawn, afraid of everything, and based on one conversation, she had made a snap judgment about a young man she really knew nothing about. Hadn’t that also been part of today’s discussion? Dane telling her she knew nothing about him. Yes, just before he threatened her.
And tried to save her life.
Even now she could feel the intensity of Dane’s grip. If she had fallen, that grip would have stopped her. It had been that tight, that fierce. It had not been warm, or polite, or halfhearted in any way. It had squeezed her knuckles together in almost bone-cracking pain, and it would have held her up.
Maybe he had not meant to threaten her.
Or maybe he had. Maybe she should pack her bags right now and try to catch the first flight off the planet.
But she had nowhere to go. And no longer any desire to run.
Dane knew he had blown it. He could picture Aerin when she had left the scaffolding half an hour before, her face as drained of color as a snowbird in the moonlight. She had started talking! Five weeks he had worked at her side without so much as a “Please pass the water bucket , ” and now she had run off, her contradictory nature rushing to the forefront. One moment she was all fire, the next flight.
He could not regret his urge to laugh at her accusation. So she thought he was a good-looking spoiled snob. That was almost as rich as the fact that she was unafraid to say it to his face. But he had not meant to frighten her. He had only blurted out his realization of her foreign origin without thinking. Stupid.
Of course she would not want anyone to know. If she was here illegally, her place at the school would be in danger. Not that he would ever tell. But she didn’t know that.
Devoid of water, Dane left off washing the windows and fetched plywood to repair the platform instead. He was on his knees, pounding the wood onto the scaffolding, and kicking himself mentally, when a shadow stretched over him. Dropping the hammer, he winced at the thud. “Aerin,” he said.
“You didn’t mean to blame me for the tech
Her foot slipped. She lost her balance, and her fingers began peeling off the rungs.
But a tight, fierce grip suddenly clenched her left hand. She looked up at the fingers wrapped around her own, the white knuckles, cracked skin, and blue veins.
He didn’t say anything, just waited for her to regain her footing. Then let her go.
Chapter Ten
AT RISK
SHE FLED, OF COURSE. ALL HER RESOLUTIONS TO STOP running had come apart, unraveling into a tangle as fine as shredded wire. Her thoughts were at war with themselves. How had he found out she was from outside the boundary, despite her secrets and silence, and after all this time? He could not have known before because he would have used it to threaten her.
Or would he? If he had been threatening her just now on the scaffolding, why had he caught her when she slipped? No one on Vizhan would have done that. The guards would have laughed at her own fallibility, and none of the other slaves would have risked it. To show empathy or love was to give the guards power over you.
This is the Alliance. Any decent human being—
But she had not thought of Dane as decent, not since that first day in the cafeteria when he had become her nemesis. She had not thought about that day in ages. She had just moved on, her focus on the future and facing down Dane.
Because of something Yvonne had said.
About his making fun of Aerin during debate. In fact, the gist of Yvonne’s argument had been that he could not have meant what he said because he would never really criticize the Alliance with his father on the Council.
What nonsense! Dane had been by far the most outspoken critic of the Alliance all term. Less than half an hour ago, Aerin, herself, had accused him of failing to value the freedom he had here.
She slowed her steps, then pressed her head against the rough bark of a tree at the garden’s edge. That first day of classes she had been a pawn, afraid of everything, and based on one conversation, she had made a snap judgment about a young man she really knew nothing about. Hadn’t that also been part of today’s discussion? Dane telling her she knew nothing about him. Yes, just before he threatened her.
And tried to save her life.
Even now she could feel the intensity of Dane’s grip. If she had fallen, that grip would have stopped her. It had been that tight, that fierce. It had not been warm, or polite, or halfhearted in any way. It had squeezed her knuckles together in almost bone-cracking pain, and it would have held her up.
Maybe he had not meant to threaten her.
Or maybe he had. Maybe she should pack her bags right now and try to catch the first flight off the planet.
But she had nowhere to go. And no longer any desire to run.
Dane knew he had blown it. He could picture Aerin when she had left the scaffolding half an hour before, her face as drained of color as a snowbird in the moonlight. She had started talking! Five weeks he had worked at her side without so much as a “Please pass the water bucket , ” and now she had run off, her contradictory nature rushing to the forefront. One moment she was all fire, the next flight.
He could not regret his urge to laugh at her accusation. So she thought he was a good-looking spoiled snob. That was almost as rich as the fact that she was unafraid to say it to his face. But he had not meant to frighten her. He had only blurted out his realization of her foreign origin without thinking. Stupid.
Of course she would not want anyone to know. If she was here illegally, her place at the school would be in danger. Not that he would ever tell. But she didn’t know that.
Devoid of water, Dane left off washing the windows and fetched plywood to repair the platform instead. He was on his knees, pounding the wood onto the scaffolding, and kicking himself mentally, when a shadow stretched over him. Dropping the hammer, he winced at the thud. “Aerin,” he said.
“You didn’t mean to blame me for the tech
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