24

Blair

Present

When Asher and I are together, everything makes sense.

But when we’re apart… Everything gets confusing. The trust, the warmth, the solid ground we’ve rebuilt in this night’s insanity—it all fades into something dark and distorted, and I feel like I’m drifting back into that hollow emptiness.

After we’re separated, Lex beckons me over with a smile that sends a chill through me. His presence is as cold and calculating as ever, but now there’s something even darker in his gaze.

“It’s been beautiful watching you two tonight,” he says. The word “beautiful” lingers in the air like a curse.

I stiffen, caught off guard by his choice of words. I’m sure Lex’s idea of beauty has nothing to do with love or trust. It’s a perverse fascination with watching people break.

“It’s a perfect reminder that this isn’t just about adrenaline or thrill-seeking,” he continues. “It’s about what risking your life can give you. What it can unlock within you. You and Asher—you’ve both done that tonight.”

I nod slowly. “I guess so.”

“But the Collective’s attention isn’t really on Asher,” he says, leaning closer. “Blair, tonight’s star is you . The Collective is more impressed with you than you know. They’re eager to see more from you, to see what you’re truly capable of.”

Unease coils in my stomach, and I shake my head, taking a step back. “I don’t want to give them anything else. Anyway, I know was just brought here to motivate Asher, that’s all. I’m just a pawn in whatever game you’re playing.”

His eyes glint with something unreadable. “But you’ve done so much more than that. You’ve shown us a side of yourself that’s powerful. Independent. It would be a shame to see that potential crushed, wouldn’t it? Especially if… you end up leaving here with nothing.”

A shadow of doubt creeps into my mind, but I push it away. “I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to mess with me, get inside my head. I trust Asher. We’re going to split the money.”

Lex chuckles. “Trust, Blair? Trust is a dangerous thing to gamble with in a place like this.”

“You’re not changing my mind.”

He leans closer, his eyes fixed on me with a hypnotic intensity. “Everyone has their reason for coming to the Mortalis Society, Blair. What’s your reason? Seeking freedom? Running from something?”

I don’t answer, my heart pounding as his words dig deeper. How does he know that? How does he know about the cage I feel like I’ve been trapped in all my life?

“You don’t want to be controlled,” he murmurs, his gaze unyielding. “But do you really believe that man is the key to your freedom?”

I clench my fists, forcing myself to hold his gaze. “I know Asher. We understand each other now. I know he’d never betray me.”

“You’d be surprised how little you know. There’s so much he’s kept from you, Blair. There’s a reason he’s here tonight. He has his own secrets, his own darkness.”

My mind flashes back to the months and years I spent apart from Asher, the times I’d wondered what life he was leading without me.

But then, a name slips from Lex’s lips, and my heart stops.

“Michael.” He watches me, the satisfaction in his eyes unmistakable. “Does that name sound familiar?”

A cold wave of shock courses through me. Michael, my old dance instructor—the one person who had believed in me after the injury, the one who had given me hope of a future in dance.

“How do you know about him?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper.

“People tell the Collective everything, Blair,” Lex replies, his voice smooth. “All their secrets. And Asher has shared quite a few of his own.”

My stomach sinks, the world around me tilting as memories of Michael flood back. He’d approached me after my injury and had promised to help me audition for one of the best dance programs in the country. He’d even said he could use his connections to help me get a scholarship, despite my slowly healing ankle. For a while, I had hope again.

Then, out of nowhere, he’d vanished from my life. Brutally attacked, hospitalized, gone from my life. I heard about what happened to him, but he never answered any of my calls again. And just like that, on top of the tragedy, my one hope of escaping my family’s control had disappeared.

Lex’s words feel like daggers. “You should ask Asher what he knows about Michael. How his emotions got the best of him one night. How he let his anger turn into something dark and destructive.”

“You’re lying,” I whisper, but my voice wavers. “You have to be lying.”

“Think about it,” he says. “You never saw Michael again, did you? One night he’s helping you achieve your dream. But the next, he’s dead. Leaving you with no path forward. How convenient for Asher.”

My mind reels, grasping for explanations, for something that could make this all make sense. I never blamed Asher for my fall that hurt my ankle. But this—if he’s the one who destroyed my only chance at freedom, who shattered my dreams out of some twisted idea of love…

A horrible clarity settles over me. Asher has been watching over me . Stalking me. He’s the one who killed my teacher. He’s the one who robbed me of my last shot at escape just to keep me close.

Visions of home flash into my head. Mom and Dad, their grip on me so tight it feels like they’re crushing my body into splinters. Wes, the man I’m supposed to marry—his smug, privileged smile. The life I’m expected to lead as some hollow, perfect wife.

Asher was supposed to be different. He was supposed to be the one person who saw me for who I really am, who believed in my dreams, who wanted me to be wild and free. But if Lex is telling the truth, then he’s just another person who wants to keep me in a cage.

Tears sting my eyes, but I blink them back, squaring my shoulders, letting the anger rise up like fire. I’m not thinking straight through the exhaustion and pain in my body and heart, but I don’t care anymore.

Asher wants to control me. He wants to own me. He wants to ruin my life, just like everyone else.

The door to the stage opens, and I step into the spotlight, the crowd’s cheers fading into background noise. Asher’s there, waiting for me, his eyes searching mine with a warmth that feels like a mockery now.

He’s so beautiful, standing there with that look in his eyes, but I now see it all for what it is. Deception. Control.

My final realization is the very worst:

Asher is going to steal.

He’s going to choose to take the money, just like he took my chance at freedom. Because in this world, money is freedom. And Asher will never let me have it.

Fine, Asher. Underestimate me, just like everyone else has. I have one choice left, one last sliver of control. I can steal, too.

We’ll both walk away with nothing.

But I’ll walk away knowing I ruined him just like he’s ruined me.