“Pumpkin,” she quietly scolds, even as she pulls his shivering body closer to hers, tucking him into her cloak for warmth. “You were supposed to stay back with Khijhana.”

That was the only drawback to this plan, that it doesn’t allow the giant cat to accompany us. She couldn’t swim this distance, and she is far too big for Danica to carry. In response to my wife’s chiding, the monkey makes a small, simpering noise that sounds like a whining child.

I roll my eyes at them as I finish dressing. It’s not like this mission isn’t dangerous enough already. Now we have Aika’s monkey-child to worry about as well. The damned thing had better survive.

As soon as I’m dressed, Zaina pours the contents of a dark vial onto a cloth and secures it around my neck. It’s a protection in case I have to use my darling, savage wife’s favorite immobilizing concoction. It’s one of many safeguards, an addition to the small emergency packs of tonics Zaina made each of us.

I thank her, and she nods in response before turning to go. She doesn’t say goodbye. Neither does her husband as he follows her into the treeline where they will wait for me to complete my part of the plan.

Goodbye is not something any of us can afford to acknowledge, not when we are walking headfirst into the riskiest odds I’ve played yet. Our plan is far from perfect, but in a sea of bad choices, it’s the only one that makes sense.

Aika finishes securing her braid, then crosses the distance to me. She leans up on her toes, pressing her lips to mine. I crush her body against me, savoring the taste of her like it’s both the first and last time. Her tongue darts out to taste mine as she deepens the kiss, and for a moment, there is nothing but her.

When she pulls away, it’s too soon. She gives me a cocky smirk, though her eyes tell a different story—one where she is far less flippant than she lets on.

“See you soon, Remikins.” Then she winks before she literally disappears into the treeline.

She is pure shadow, an extension of her surroundings. Visceral memories of watching her in the alleyways of Bondé come back to me. The Flame. The Vigilante. The Queen. My world.

A pang shoots through my chest and I remind myself of Einar’s words. There is life on the other side of this. Now, it’s time to fight for it.

Securing the poisons and daggers to my sword belt, I consider the argument I had with Aika before we left the ship.

“It would be easier to just kill them.” Her hands are clenched into tiny fists. “They knew what they signed up for.”

I shake my head, taking a step closer to her, my hands resting on her shoulders.

“No, Aika. They could be trapped like you were. No one else needs to die because of Madame. Let’s end this the right way.”

Her dark eyes meet mine, softening just a little as she stretches up to wrap her arms around my neck.

“You and your infinite mercy.”

It wasn’t only mercy, though. Aika and Zaina explained Madame’s meticulous system. Even immobilizing the guards at the back gate could cause too much attention from the others.

Which is where I come in. I stroll up like I belong there.

“Madame is expecting me,” I fib easily.

That’s why I’m here. Aika is too recognizable, and the other two are mediocre liars, at best. The several men on guard exchange dubious looks.

“She said not to let anyone pass,” the one in front says hesitantly.

Hesitant because Madame no doubt did say that, but there isn’t a trace of dishonesty in my tone.

“It must have slipped her mind. Of course, I could always leave. I’m sure she won’t be too upset if she has to wait another few months for me to come back around. I mean, not with you, anyway,” I add congenially. “It would hardly be your fault, after all.”

The blood drains from the guard’s face, and he scrambles to open the iron gate. I whistle through my teeth.

“Must be quite a boss you have there.”

One guard scoffs, and another shakes his head rapidly in warning, like this is a test from Madame. It does sound like something she would do. I sigh in sympathy as I walk through the gate, then turn as though I’ve forgotten something.

I’m close enough to use the drug that’s in my sleeve if I need to, but too far for them to attack without warning. The others are in the treeline, but if they have to intervene, our plan is already half-blown.

“She’s not invincible, you know,” I say quietly.

The men freeze, which is what I wanted. They’re still facing me, and not the open gate.