Vanish by Sophie Jordan Page A

Where we are. The danger that still threatens . . .
    Deep down, I know Tamra won’t reveal Will’s identity, and not just because of her loyalty to me. My sister’s not a killer, and she knows one word from her would end his life. Right or wrong, she wouldn’t do that. It’s not in her.
    But that hardly means he’s safe.
    The air stirs as someone steps up next to me and I turn to see Cassian staring across the distance at Will. For a moment, I had actually forgotten there was someone else who could recognize Will. I follow his gaze, the air hard to breathe, too thick to drag inside my constricting lungs as I process that Cassian is staring at Will— here on his turf . The boy he nearly killed when they rolled off a cliff. Sick misery coils like a serpent in the pit of my stomach.
    Nothing’s stopping Cassian from finishing that fight. He’s not like Tamra. It’s in him, down to his very essence, to kill. Onyx draki have been killing for thousands of years. That’s what they do best. Right now, in this moment, I’m caught in a living nightmare.
    I look back at Will. Two armed sentries that I went to primary school with flank him like he’s a prisoner. If he’s lucky, they won’t see him for what he is . . . what he means to me. Nidia will simply shade him—useless as that seems to be—and send him on his way. As long as I stay calm. As long as Will gives nothing away. As long as Cassian doesn’t say or do anything.
    I sneak a fearful glance at Cassian, silently willing him to say nothing—to hold silent and spare Will’s life.
    His expression is tight, almost pained as he stares intently at me. “Please,” I mouth, all I dare risk as Miram steps up, her arms folded across her chest in a militant pose.
    “Hiker?” she asks.
    Still staring at me, Cassian answers, “Looks like it.”
    “They gonna try Tamra out on him?” Corbin wonders aloud.
    “Probably,” Miram says, stretching on her tiptoes in an attempt to peer into the group to see the hiker .
    I resist moving closer, not about to look too curious and alert them that Will and I aren’t strangers.
    “He’s young,” Miram muses. “Cute, too.”
    Az snorts. “For a human, I guess.”
    “For a human,” Miram agrees, sending me a sly glance. “What do you think, Jacinda? You’re the expert on cute humans. How does he compare?”
    Heat tingles in my face, and I fight to look blasé, calm in the face of her jibes.
    “That’s enough, Miram,” Cassian snaps.
    “Look,” Corbin quickly says, “they’re taking him into the house.” He laughs low. “That guy won’t know what hit him.”
    Will doesn’t look in my direction as he’s led inside the cottage, but I know he’s as aware of me as I am of him. My entire body hums in response to him. What was he thinking? He had to know how dangerous it would be to come anywhere near the pride. The truth is painful to face. As much as I tried to forget him, he never forgot me. Did that make him stronger than me? Or weaker?
    Everyone goes inside except the two guards. They remain just outside the door. If all goes smoothly, Nidia will do what she does best, assisted by Jabel. Tamra, too, I suppose. Then the panicked thought hits me that Jabel’s talent will work on him. What if she succeeds and he comes out of there confused and bewildered, with a head full of lies, unable to discern reality from fiction?
    I twist my fingers until they ache. There’s nothing I can do except wait. And hope he remembers again.
    And what then? He knows where the pride is . . . where I am. He’s seen me. He’ll come back. If he’s caught again they’ll know he’s different—that shading won’t work on him.
    “C’mon.” Cassian takes my arm. “I’ll walk you home.”
    I resist only a moment. Of course I should go. The last thing I should do is linger here and give anyone cause to suspect that the trespasser means something to me.
    Turning, I let Cassian lead me away. One thought pounds through my