We didn't take the armored SUVs. We didn't take the drones. We slipped out through the ventilation shafts, the same way we had escaped the refinery back in the beginning. By the time we hit the riverbank, the moon was high, casting silver ripples across the water.
"We have to get to the old jetty," Alexandra said, her breath hitching as we scrambled through the thick mud.
I stopped, pulling her back into the shadow of a massive mahogany tree. The pursuit was close—we could see the flashlights cutting through the trees like hungry eyes.
"Wait," I whispered. I looked at her, really looked at her. Her emerald gown was torn at the hem, stained with the Delta soil. She looked more beautiful than she ever had in the glass throne room.
I reached into the hidden pocket of my tunic and pulled out the silver key—the one from the very first day. "I kept this. Not for the power, but because it was the day I realized I couldn't live without you."
I pressed the key into her palm, closing her fingers over it. "If we get separated in the brush, head east. To the heart of the Delta. I'll find you. My blood might not be linked to the satellite anymore, but it's still linked to you."
She didn't argue. She just leaned in and kissed me with a desperation that burned hotter than any refinery fire. "Don't you dare make me hunt you down, Xavier Vane