Free Chaos by Sarah Fine Page A

lives unless they threaten mine. If some have helped, the alliances are fleeting and motivated by a mutual need to survive, nothing more. There isn’t room for more, not here,” he said bitterly.
    Ana frowned but remained silent.
    “But you don’t think Malachi got away? You don’t think anyone would have helped him?” I watched him closely, looking for the truth. As soon as I saw the corners of his lips hitch upward in another show of fake optimism, I shook my head. “Don’t bullshit me.”
    He stood up. Without his cloak, I could see that the scars on his face weren’t the only ones he’d collected. Silvery gashes laced along his honey-colored skin, descending into the neck of his shirt. “I don’t know what the truth is. But if you want my opinion, I’ll give it to you. When the Mazikin captured me in the dark city, it was luck. I was weak, and they pounced on the opportunity. When they brought me into the city, they underestimated me. They treated me like anyone else. They thought it wouldn’t take much to keep me contained, and they were wrong.” His eyes met mine, cold despite the natural warmth of their color. “But Ana told me they were waiting for Malachi, that they had planned to take him.”
    I swallowed back nausea. “They set a pretty elaborate trap, made just for him. Juri was waiting to take over his body.”
    Takeshi tilted his head. “They will take no chances with such a valuable prize.”
    “So you think they have him,” I said, ashamed at how small and broken I sounded. From the moment I’d found out Takeshi was free, some tiny part of me had hoped Malachi had gotten away, too, that he would find me the way Takeshi had found Ana.
    Takeshi nodded, slow and deliberate. “I not only think they have Malachi—I think they will guard him with every bit of cunning they possess. And I think they will show him absolutely no mercy. I think they will destroy him, over and over again.”
    “Takeshi—” Ana began, but he held up his hand to silence her, never taking his eyes off me.
    His voice was deadly but gentle, which made it all the more brutal. “No, Ana. She wanted to know. Didn’t you, Lela?”
    “Yes,” I whispered, aching to slit the throat of any Mazikin that laid a clawed hand on Malachi. “And that’s why I’m here. Can we leave now, Captain?”
    “If you’re ready,” Ana said, a shade paler after Takeshi’s blunt words.
    Takeshi released her and moved across the room with a barely contained sort of energy, controlled but crackling with life. It might be difficult to stay whole in this city, but it seemed like Takeshi was in his element. He swung the satchel onto his back and took Ana’s hand. “When we go topside, I’m going to wear the mask,” he said to her. “And I want you two to wear disguises, too. Few humans walk these streets independently, and as you saw, there are traps to capture those who do. Nearly every person in this city is a slave, every creature a master.”
    Ana wrinkled her nose. “Ugh. That Mazikin skin stinks. I don’t want to wear one of tho—”
    “You don’t have to,” Takeshi said, arching an eyebrow. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a studded collar, connected to a long black leather leash. “You can wear this.”
    The sun hung low and menacing at the rooftops when we left our underground haven. It was still hot, but no longer unbearable. “The Mazikin will be emerging from their dens soon,” Takeshi told us. “Fortunately, the crowds and the darkness will help us more than they hurt. Unless we’re caught. Keep your heads covered and follow my lead.”
    He smiled and yanked playfully on Ana’s leash. Anyone else would have had one of Ana’s knives rammed into his soft spots, but Ana rewarded Takeshi with a look hot enough to make me blush.
    I pulled my cloak around me and tucked the end of my now-braided hair under my tunic, fighting the urge to tug at the stiff collar around my neck. “Where are we