Page 71 of Red Marked

“I know.” I do the same with the bacon. “If only I hadn’t been so damned efficient.”

We take our plates and go to sit at the four-seat table.

“It was during all the chaos that Scarlet and I saw that male giving the orders.”

“The one in the suit?”

“Yep, he was definitely the ringleader. We were taken to an unknown location, and a male called Halleron told us his job was to kill us. He said he chose to save us instead, and that we should be grateful. He must have gotten cold feet when it came to actually murdering all of us in cold blood.”

“Halleron,” Flint repeats, committing the name to memory. I’m sure he’ll look into him, just like everything else. I hope he does. I want to know who these assholes are.

“Yep. Let me tell you, when your whole world is turned upside down, you don’t forget names or faces.”

Flint nods. “I can imagine.” He puts a piece of bacon in his mouth and starts chewing.

“Halleron told us our families would believe we were dead. That the clinic had been blown up. It would be labeled as a coolant-system rupture near the generator. That would be the official finding. A freak accident. At least, that’s what everyone on Mistveil thinks.” I look at the food on my plate. “We didn’t die, though. And they told us if we ever tried to leave that mountain, we’d be killed. Let’s face it, it’s almost impossible to escape the jungle. The five males who were working that day were left there to become feral. You already know what became of the females.”

“Five males?” Flint frowns.

“Yep. Nineteen females and five males, all dumped. The males with the rest of the ferals,” I say, pointing in the general direction of the jungle. “Thrown away and forgotten. I told you that not all the feral males are bad. They aren’t, because five of them are completely innocent of any wrongdoing whatsoever. The humans working at the clinic were shipped back to the Mainland. They had to sign NDAs and were threatened with their lives and those of their loved ones too. They got off easy by comparison. They got to go back to their lives, while we were sent to that jungle to rot.”

Flint’s jaw gets really tight, and his eyes blaze. “That’s fucking insane.”

“We’ve had opportunities to leave, but we can’t. As you know, it’s too risky. I don’t have anything else for you. I can give you names. I can⁠—”

“No, that’s fine. I have enough. Sit tight today. I won’t come back until I’m done with work, and then we can talk more. Maybe come up with a plan that’s a little more solid than the one you have.”

“Okay. Look it up. You’ll see I’m telling the truth.”

“I intend to.”

I feel a sting but push it away. I’m being silly. He’s right not to trust me, just like I can’t fully trust him either. Not yet.

“I will try to get some basic supplies for you today as well,” he tells me.

“That would be great.”

“Maybe my she-dragon friend Rift can lend you a couple of items of clothing. She’s one of the few I trust.”

Rift. I wonder if they’re in a relationship. I heard that guard asking last night.

It doesn’t matter. I push the thought aside.

Flint pushes his plate away. I note it’s empty when I haven’t even touched mine.

“I’d really appreciate whatever you can organize for me. I will pay you back at some point…I swear.” I put a small piece of bacon into my mouth and groan. “That’s so good. I forgot about crispy bacon.”

His eyes have this weird thing going on when I look up.

“What?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “Nothing. I need to get to work.” He stands.

“Do you need me to do anything today aside from cleaning up after breakfast?”

“Nope. Take it easy. Rest. Things are going to get busy. Watch some television and brush up on living in civilization.”

I feel my cheeks heat. “I will,” I mutter, looking down at my plate.