The Lonely Orphan (The Lost Planet 5)

“Thank you for letting me know. As soon as we have things settled here, I’ll send out a search party. Go take a break, you look dead on your feet. I can’t stand to lose anyone else. We need you.”

Julie nods and heads to the elevator.

“You should get some sleep, too,” I say to Zoe, who sways a little at the monitor by the isolation unit.

She shakes her head. “I can’t sleep. I’m the only one with any training whatsoever to take care of these people. If I’m not here, there’s no one else.”

“There won’t be a you unless you get some sleep. Go on, sleep on one of the med-beds. I’ll wake you up when we have news or if anyone else gets sick. I promise.”

I don’t react as her shoulders slump. I can’t. I have to be strong for her, for everyone.

“Or if these three get worse. I mean it, if their temperatures climb more than two degrees, if they show any signs of rash or madness, you wake me up the second you notice.”

I forget sometimes the reason why Zoe is so brash and…well, kind of a bitch. It’s because her heart is so big, she cares so much, that it nearly consumes her. Seeing people you care about being hurt and unable to do anything about it, well, it must drive her a little mad.

“I promise.” I nudge her shoulder with mine. “Now go. Get some sleep. One of us should.”

Zoe does as I order and that’s when I truly know how tired she must be to comply without more of an argument. She climbs into bed with her shoes still on and pulls the thin sheet over her body. There’s a few minutes peppered with the sounds of her rustling around to get comfortable, and then she’s out like a light.

Pain in the ass she may be, but she’s good people. I guess I’d consider her my family after all we’ve been through together, overtaking the prison, restoring order. Without her and Willow, I’m not sure I would have survived it. I can’t imagine losing them now after finally regaining our freedom. I can’t imagine getting this close to seeing Aria again and not being able to hug her—one last time.

I wipe a hand over my brow as though it’ll erase the thought. I’ll be fine. We’ll all get through this. We have to.

* * *

Hours pass, unimaginably slow.

Every creak in the building, every whisper over my shoulder, makes me jump to attention thinking Hadrian has returned with news. But there’s only me and the sick, who slumber in their beds like the dead, their breathing growing more and more shallow until I’m certain they are dead, and I have to check the monitors over and over to make sure they’re not. Their fevers still hover dangerously high. Just on the line between concern and outright panic. Any higher and we risk neurological damage. Fatalities. I volley back and forth between waking Zoe and letting her sleep several times, but in the end, the fevers hold. Still terribly high, but not rising.

At least not yet.

“Lyric.”

I jump at the sound of my name from the quiet voice behind me. I press a hand to my heart and whirl around to find Hadrian standing a few feet away, a somber expression on his face.

Tall. Muscular. Handsome for a monster man.

My truth in this moment?

I want him to kiss me again. Want him to kiss away all my fears and my doubts. I want him to kiss away the loneliness.

Because I want it so much, I cross my arms over my middle and steel myself. “Is it time?” I ask.

Time to see Aria again.

Time to learn more about The Rades that may destroy us all.

Time for change, perhaps not all of it good.

He nods, eyes watchful, but he doesn’t say anything else.

I cross the room to where Zoe is sleeping and lay a hand to her shoulder. She bolts upright at my touch. “What is it?” she asks breathlessly.

“Hadrian’s here. I have to go to the command room.”

She rubs at her eyes, then stifles a yawn. “Any changes?” Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, her gaze goes straight to the isolation units.

“None so far, and no one else has contracted the fever. At least not yet.” I pause. When she looks back at me, I say, “Stella and Henry are missing. They must have slipped out in the commotion.”

Zoe merely shakes her head.

“I’ll be sending a group out to look for them.” My throat closes and I give myself a little shake. “Once everything settles down. I’ll let you know if we have more news.”

She nods and downs a cold cup of instant coffee as I follow Hadrian back to the elevator. He pulls me into his arms as soon as the doors close behind us.