Lev watched Kara disappear into the stairwell with the backpack as Teorin explained what had happened in the alleyway.

  “We got trapped between two buildings,” Teorin was saying. “We hid in an alley, but I accidentally hit a trash can. The people wandering around came looking. I thought we’d have to fight our way out, but Kara... she told me to kiss her. So I did.”

  Lev glared. “Just like that?”

  Teorin raised both hands. “It wasn’t my plan! It wouldn’t even have occurred to me. But it worked. They caught us, but they thought we were just college kids making out. They yelled at us and then let us go. I swear, Lev, I’d never have touched her if she hadn’t asked. I’m just trying to protect her. I got her into this. I want to see her out safely.”

  Lev eyed Teorin, but his story made sense. That was a connection that Kara would make. His anger was still boiling under the surface, but he pushed it down and stepped back. “I guess I believe you.”

  Teorin didn’t move. He just watched Lev warily.

  Lev ran a hand through his hair. Too much going on. And Kara still wasn’t back. He needed to keep Teorin occupied.

  “Look, I’m sorry I assumed, but you’ve gotta understand, Kara’s not like that. She takes relationships seriously, and she’s been through a lot. I’m just… worried about her.”

  Teorin nodded. “I get it. You’re trying to protect her. I just showed up out of nowhere, and you’ve got no real reason to trust me.”

  Lev nodded back. Teorin held out a hand. “Truce?”

  Lev took it, relief trickling through him at the touch. He shrugged it off and shook. “Truce.”

  Hopefully, he and Kara wouldn’t be around long enough for him to regret it.

  “Good,” Teorin said, folding his arms slowly. “Considering how many people are wandering around down there, a fight on the rooftop would probably be unwise.”

  Given Teorin’s story about the alley, that was a valid concern. They were high up, but not invisible.

  “Yeah. Probably for the best. That’d definitely get us noticed,” Lev said.

  He moved toward the railing and leaned back against the wall. From here, he had a clear view of the stairwell. If Teorin wanted to watch him, he’d have to turn his back to it.

  He needed to hold Teorin’s attention. Plus… Lev wasn’t turning his back. His anger hadn’t fully dissipated. Teorin had still dragged Kara into this, and might be lying to both of them, even if the kiss had been her idea. That was something Lev would confirm with Kara. Personally.

  Teorin was still eyeing him warily. “Where is Kara?”

  “Ladies' room,” Lev said with a chuckle. “I guess we could’ve skipped all that drama if she’d just come up.”

  Teorin nodded slowly. “I thought you two might decide to run.”

  Lev tensed. Was that suspicion, or surprise they'd actually shown up?

  “Would you have let us?” he asked, holding Teorin’s gaze.

  Teorin looked down, fingers fidgeting with a carabiner clipped to his pants. “I’d prefer Kara didn’t leave, but I get it. This isn’t exactly safe. I wouldn’t have stopped you, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “I appreciate that,” Lev said.

  Teorin nodded and then stood there awkwardly for a moment.

  “So… we just wait for Jeron now?” Lev asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “What’s his role in this, exactly?” Lev asked, keeping the conversation going.

  “He’s…” Teorin hesitated. “He’s in charge of the ancient document division for Novem.”

  “Is that a big division?”

  Teorin’s fingers returned to the carabiner. “Sort of.”

  Movement by the stairway caught Lev’s eye. The backpack had reappeared. It wasn’t in the same spot, but with any luck, Teorin wouldn’t notice.

  “Well, hopefully, Jeron gets here soon,” Lev said.

  Teorin nodded. When Lev didn’t add anything else, he wandered back to his wing jacket, adjusting something along the back. But he kept glancing up at Lev every few seconds.

  Lev turned toward the horizon. The tower was tall enough to see for miles. On a clear day, you could spot the ocean. Tonight, though, everything bled into blackness. The city lights shimmered far below, but Lev’s thoughts stayed on Teorin.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  He’d seemed more sincere about letting them leave than Lev expected. Maybe getting out wouldn’t be as hard as he’d feared. The how, though, that was the issue. He and Kara hadn’t hashed out an escape plan. There just hadn’t been time.

  They’d agreed to improvise. Teorin would’ve come looking eventually if they’d spent too long planning.

  Maybe they could just explain things were getting too dangerous. Bow out gracefully. Lev doubted it’d be that simple, but maybe it was worth trying. Or he could claim he’d forgotten something inside. Kara would pick up the cue. Probably.

  Where was Kara, anyway? She should be back by now.

  Lev turned toward the stairwell. It cut down into the pyramid-shaped structure at the roof’s center. Teorin was still focused on his jacket.

  Suddenly, a scream echoed from the stairwell.

  “Did that sound like—” Lev started, but Teorin was already moving.

  Lev sprinted after him. Teorin practically flew down the steps. Lev followed on his heels. At the bottom, Teorin hesitated. The building had gone silent again, and he seemed unsure which way to turn.

  Lev didn’t stop. He blew past, heading toward the burstdoors. The bathroom and the hidden backup drive were both in that direction.

  He was halfway down the hall when a force slammed into him, like a punch with no one there to deliver it. The air left his lungs as he stumbled. Behind him, Teorin cursed.

  Something crashed into Lev’s back, sending him sprawling as the air vibrated. He only knew it was a person because relief crashed through his system.

  No! Not calm.

  Teorin. Teorin had tackled him, shoving him out of the path of a second, much stronger pulse. Footsteps pounded behind them, sprinting toward the stairs.

  Teorin rolled off him. Something jabbed Lev in the ribs—Teorin’s elbow. Lev hissed and jerked away as Teorin fired a pulse towards the stairs, his elbow barely missing Lev’s side this time. Lev rolled to the side of the hall and came to a crouch. Teorin’s pulse had hit the runner halfway up the staircase.

  One attacker behind them in the dark hallway. Another on the stairs. No sign of Kara.

  Lev didn’t love their chances.

  Teorin fired again, trying to knock the figure down the stairs. Then he rolled across the hall and sprang to his feet. A wave of energy blasted from the shadows, bottlenecked by the hallway. It slammed Lev against the wall. His ears rang. That Pulser was a problem.

  He squinted into the dark. Nothing. He still couldn’t see their attacker.

  Teorin loosed another blast at the figure on the stairs. Why was he so focused on the one running away?

  Teorin glanced at Lev, then shouted, “The pages!”

  Right. They’d left the backpack on the roof. The pages. Teorin’s wingsuit.

  Still no sign of Kara.

  Lev’s stomach twisted. He shouldn’t have let her out of his sight, but right now, they had a bigger problem. If that scream had been hers, Lev couldn’t help until they took care of the Pulser. Lev couldn’t win that fight—not in a narrow hallway, not unarmed.

  Teorin had the best shot. Besides, if Teorin reached the roof, Lev didn’t trust him not to just fly off with the pages. If something had happened to Kara, Lev would need his help.

  He and Teorin locked eyes. Lev jerked his head toward the stairs. Teorin glanced toward the hallway, then back. He grimaced but nodded. Lev would take the redhead on the stairs.

  Teorin turned and fired another pulse into the dark hallway. Lev sprinted for the staircase.

  “She’s a Heatsinger,” Teorin called after him.

  Bursts. Lev had been hoping for a Luminar.

  The redhead was already climbing fast. Lev followed, bursting out onto the roof. It looked like she had been searching, but she quickly whirled on him and flicked her hands.

  Lev dove back into the stairwell as a projectile hissed past. A red-hot throwing star glowed in the steps just below him.

  Bursts. She didn’t even have to get close to burn a hole through him.

  He needed cover. Or better yet, the pages. They were paper. Heated ninja stars would be a risky play if she wanted them intact. The backpack with the pages was next to the stairs. That’s where Kara had left it.

  Lev edged into position, memory guiding him, until he reached the section of stairway where the backpack would be. He grabbed the edge of the stairwell, planted a foot on the railing, and vaulted into a roll.

  It wasn’t fast enough. Something clipped his arm. The cut wasn’t deep, but blood streaked his sleeve.

  Lev spun, searching—

  There. The backpack. Untouched. He snatched the shoulder strap and yanked it into his hands, backpedaling as another star whizzed past.

  She was winding up for another throw.

  Lev dove sideways, frantically feeling for the zipper. Another star missed him by inches. He yanked the backpack open and tilted it, letting the pages show.

  The heatsinger froze. Another glowing star in her hand. She stared him down, for a second that felt like eternity he thought she might keep throwing. Then she tucked the weapon away and sprinted straight at him.

  Lev ran. He bolted around the pyramid structure in the center of the roof, the backpack clutched tight. It felt like a deadly game of keep-away. Without her throwing stars, the woman didn’t have many options. Unless she had another hidden weapon. Blasting him with heat would risk torching the pages.

  Unfortunately, until Lev found a long-range weapon of his own, he couldn’t do much to stop her either.

  He glanced behind. She was still on his heels, but a few yards back.

  Good.

  His arm throbbed as he grabbed a ledge and took a sharp turn. I should probably check that, Lev thought.

  But if she caught him… Better to lose a little blood than deal with a Heatsinger up close. The cut would be the least of his problems if she got her hands on him. At least the sleeve wasn’t soaked. Hopefully that meant the blood was clotting. If he could just stay out of reach, he’d be fine.

  Hopefully.

  He scanned the roof as he ran—memorizing obstacles, terrain, angles. Then the footsteps stopped. Lev glanced back. She’d halted. He skidded to a stop and smiled.

  It was a circle. Stopping wasn’t a bad plan. At least it would have been good if he hadn’t been paying attention.

  She was on the other side of the pyramid now, out of sight, but not gone. She wasn’t leaving. She needed what he had.

  Lev waited, listening. This was just a standoff. Stalling. If he got too close...

  Lev knew a lot of martial arts, but hand-to-hand against a Heatsinger? That wasn’t a fight. That was suicide. He couldn’t even touch her skin.

  He caught a flash of his reflection in the pyramid. The blood on his sleeve was vivid scarlet. Lev grimaced. How was he supposed to do this? One touch, and he’d be writhing in pain.

  He looked down at the pages still peeking from the backpack. Kara’s notes were scribbled in the margins, written in their shorthand. Notes on the human. The plant.

  A plan began to form. There wasn’t much he could do. But maybe...

  Footsteps again. Lev broke into a run, weaving through the path he’d already memorized. His feet moved on instinct, while his eyes scanned the pages.

  Yes… maybe there was a way out of this.

  The footsteps went quiet again, and Lev stopped. He smiled as he scanned the margins of the pages. Kara’s notes were neat. Precise.

  And in short hand only he and her could read.

  Oh, yes. He could make this work. The pages. That telescope cabinet as storage. A little distraction. The trick would be all in the timing.

  A little more running. A little more luck. And maybe—just maybe—he’d make it out of this alive.

  Goblin Teeth. Those goblins get it.