Page 47 of Rite of Unity

“Adah Stark.”

I looked at the girl in spot five.

Her composure dropped, and she lifted her skirts, running for it.

A man tackled her to the ground, and she screamed and kicked, fighting to get him off her.She was no match for the man who was clearly one of Elias’s security detail, though, and he pulled her up roughly.A second man wrapped his arms around her shoulders while the first produced cuffs and fastened them around her wrists.

My gaze snagged on the blue ribbon, forgotten as they trampled it, working to keep her subdued.

“A rebel has infiltrated our walls.”

Gasps and a few cries burst from the room, as everyone moved back several feet.

She fought as though her life depended on freeing herself from the men, her hair falling in her face.Another collective gasp as a patch on the back of her head was exposed.Raw, red skin covered nearly a third of the back of her neck.

The men holding her loosened their grip, but even radiation poisoning wasn’t enough to deter them from their duty.

Her head snapped up, and her eyes found mine.The air left my lungs in a whoosh as I froze, heart racing.

She opened her mouth.“Our worth is not our womb.We will—”

From the dark, Calden Charles materialized, swinging a fist, and her head fell to the side, eyes sliding shut.

My stomach dropped.

Our worth is not our womb.

I clicked my teeth together, air sliding between them as I worked hard to compose my features, remaining in place.The words were still ringing in the space where she'd been standing, and I pressed them flat before they could settle.

More people scattered from the area, making room as the two men dragged the unconscious woman away.

“Well.”Elias’s voice cut through my terror, and I laced my hands in front of my skirts, squeezing.“Tonight is full of surprises.”

Nervous laughter broke some of the tension, and people slowly moved to fill the space where Adah had been.

“I suppose there’s no right time to say it.”Elias clapped his hands together, and my fingers squeezed tighter.“We learned this week that a former Elite was hiding right in front of our faces.”

The women around me turned to stare at one another, and I stared with them.

“Maryn.”

I jumped, gaze returning to Elias.

“Did you think we wouldn’t find out about your father’s past?”

I glanced around.

“Me?”

“Come here.”

Elias held out a hand, and I hesitated before starting toward him.

My steps slowed as I searched his face.Am I about to be eliminated?

My heart was hammering so hard my chest hurt by the time I reached him.

His hand found my back, and some of my nerves settled.