27
Nikolai
I wake up with an unsettling sense of déjà vu. Even before I roll over and feel the cool, empty sheets next to me, I know Chloe is not there.
I can feel her absence deep inside.
Logic tells me she couldn’t have run away again—the guards are under strict orders not to let her leave the compound—but my heart still thuds heavily against my ribcage as I jump off the bed and get dressed with military speed.
I have to find her. Now.
Before I can exit the room, a flicker of movement outside catches my eye. I step over to the window, and a wave of relief washes over me.
It’s Chloe and Slava, standing together on the edge of the driveway, peering into the cluster of trees on the side. As I look closer, I notice a gray-brown ball of fur in front of them—a wild rabbit. I also catch
