“I can’t just tell her. What if she laughs at me? What if it makes everything weird?”

“That’s the risk you take. Either you resign yourself to keeping things just the way they are, or you put yourself out there knowing that it could end in rejection.”

He shook his head. “Not helping. Seriously. How did Adrian win you over?”

This time, Nova did laugh. Win her over? Adrian hadn’t won her over.

But then her laugh cut off abruptly.

He hadn’t.

Had he?

She tried to think back to when her feelings toward him had started to shift. When he went from being another Renegade, the son of her sworn enemies, to something … more. It had happened slowly at first, but then … not so slow. The past months blurred together, and she’d witnessed his goodness, his kindness, his talent, his charm. All the little things that made him … him.

“I don’t know,” she finally confessed. “He asked me to go to the carnival with him. I mean, it was sort of a work thing, but also … sort of a date. I suppose.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve tried that. Asking her to go places with me. But she always assumes it’s for the Renegades, or we’re going with the whole group. She’s always like, ‘great, I’ll see if Danna wants to carpool.’” He huffed.

A nerve twitched in Nova’s brow at the mention of Danna, and she thought again of the butterfly trapped inside that mason jar.

“Adrian brought me sandwiches once,” she said. “When I was working late at headquarters.”

Oscar gave her an appraising look. “I like sandwiches.”

“Ruby probably does too.”

He spun Nova away from him again, and his expression seemed warmer when she spun back. “Who doesn’t like sandwiches?” he said, sounding borderline jovial.

Remembering all the tips that Honey had given her on flirting and the art of seduction, Nova added, “And you should try to find little ways to touch her. Subtle, but not too subtle.”

He nodded intently. “Right. Got it.”

“And make sure you laugh when she makes a joke. Even if it’s not really that funny.”

He considered this. “She’s not not funny. I mean, I’ll obviously be the funny one in the relationship. If … when … well, you know what I mean. But still, she’s got a great sense of humor.”

“Oh!” said Nova, excited that she remembered so much of Honey’s tutelage. “And surprise her with gifts once in a while, so she knows you’ve been thinking about her. Flowers are good. And jewelry.”

At this, Oscar seemed uncertain. “She can make her own jewelry.”

“It’s the thought,” said Nova. Taking her hand from his shoulder, she pulled up the lacy sleeve of her dress to reveal her copper filigree bracelet. “The first time I met Adrian, he fixed the clasp on my bracelet. He may not have given this to me, but I still”—her voice faded, almost sadly—“I can’t help but think of him, you know … Every time I see it…”

A hand grabbed Nova’s forearm, twisting her wrist around. She tensed and prepared to break the perpetrator’s arm—but it was only Magpie, gawking at the bracelet.

“Oh,” said Nova, wilting. “You. Funny, we were just talking about that time you tried to steal—”

“What is this?” said Magpie.

Nova realized with a start that she’d revealed the glowing orb in the bracelet’s setting. She’d forgotten it was there. She yanked her hand away and pulled the sleeve over it.

“Nothing,” she said.

“That wasn’t there before,” said Magpie, pointing at Nova’s wrist.

“No. I took it to a jeweler.” She started to turn back to Oscar.

“But what is it?” Magpie persisted, grabbing Nova’s elbow. “It has a different signature from … from anything.”

Nova scowled at her. “Signature?”

“Yeah. Not amber. Not a citrine. Definitely not a diamond…” Her surly expression was even more annoyed than usual as she tried to puzzle through whatever she was sensing from the bracelet. “But it’s…” Her breaths became ragged, and Nova didn’t resist this time as Magpie lifted her arm and pulled up her sleeve again. “It’s worth something. It’s worth a lot.” Her eyes were wide with … with yearning.

Nova snatched her arm away again and shot Oscar a baffled look, which he returned in kind.

“Where did it come from?” said Magpie. She seemed desperate to know, but Nova fumbled with what to tell her.

It came from a dream? A painting? A statue?

What was it?

Nova didn’t know.

The strike of a clock echoed through the room, startling her.

“Nothing,” she said hastily. “It’s nothing.” She linked her elbow with Oscar’s. “Let’s head back to the others.”

He didn’t argue, but she could sense him watching Magpie as they left the dance floor. “What was that about?”

She shook her head. “No idea. For some reason, that kid is obsessed with my bracelet. If it ever goes missing, I’ll definitely know where to look for it.” Spotting Ruby at their table, Nova paused and squeezed Oscar’s arm. “Hey, Oscar?”

“Yeah?”

She met his gaze and, after a hesitant beat, she smiled. For the first time she realized that … this could be it. She might never see Oscar or Ruby again after this night. At least, not unless it was from opposite sides of a battlefield.

She hoped he would know how much she meant this. “I know this is kind of trite, but seriously, you are a catch, and … I think Ruby already knows that. Just be yourself. How could she not fall in love with you?”

He stared at her, and for a heartbeat, she could see the depths of his insecurity. Gratitude shimmered in his brown eyes, mingling with hope, overcome with wanting. For the first time, Nova wondered how much of his confidence was an act.

Or maybe that’s all confidence ever was. An act.

Then the moment passed and Oscar’s crooked smile was back. “Kind of trite? Honestly, Nova, did you pull that off the front of a birthday card? ‘Just be yourself.’ Please. Of all the useless advice…” He clicked his tongue as he walked away, using his cane to clear a chair from his path.

Nova shook her head. She was grinning, but it vanished when she spied the clock again.

She had stayed too long already.

Adrian was at their table, too, entertaining Ruby’s brothers with stories of all the amazing things they had at headquarters, from the training halls to the virtual reality simulators.

“Adrian,” Nova said, settling a hand on his wrist. He jolted. “I’m so sorry, but … before I left home tonight, my uncle told me he wasn’t feeling well. That’s why I was so late. I didn’t want it to ruin our night, but … I’m a little worried about him. I think I should go home and make sure he’s okay.”

Adrian jumped from his seat. “Do you want to call him?”

Nova faked a laugh. “I could, but he’s so stubborn. He could be halfway to dead and he wouldn’t say anything. No … I just really think I should go.”

“Of course. Can I take you? Or—”

She shook her head. “I’ll call a cab. But thanks.”

He didn’t argue with her, and she wondered if it was because he knew she could take care of herself, or because he had seen her “home” once and didn’t want to embarrass her further by seeing it again.

“I hope he’s okay,” said Adrian. “I’ll see you at headquarters tomorrow?”

“Yeah, of course.”

There was a moment—the briefest of moments—when Nova thought he might bend down and kiss her. Here, in front of everyone.

And in that breath of a moment, she longed for that kiss. Just once more.

But he hesitated too long, and Nova forced a smile as she turned away.

Adrian caught her by the wrist and tugged her back. Nova’s heart jumped and then he was leaning toward her, pressing a single kiss against her lips.

He pulled away, a little sheepish. “Good night.”

Nova’s body tingled and, for an eternity trapped inside a heartbeat, she considered staying.

But the moment passed and she pulled herself away. “Good night.”

She moved through the sea of tables in a daze, her mouth burning, her legs like jellyfish. Finally, she shoved through the exit doors and as soon as the chilly night air struck her, her addled thoughts began to clear.

Adrian was problematic. Bad for her conviction. Bad for her loyalties.

Her head would be a lot clearer after tonight.

Because she would no longer be a Renegade. This charade would be over, and with it … any ties she had to Adrian Everhart.

“Good-bye, Adrian,” she whispered into the night air.

She allowed herself to be the tiniest bit sad as she walked the three blocks to the parking lot where she had agreed to meet Leroy and Honey. The sports car was there, sickly yellow and mottled with dents and scratches. Honey Harper was perched on the hood, buffing her nails. Leroy was in the driver’s seat, his elbow draped outside the window.

“How was it?” said Honey, jogging her leg.

“Dandy,” said Nova, tearing off her wristband. She handed it to Honey, who peered at the high-tech device with vague distrust. “This will need to be taken back to the house.”

“Do you think I wasn’t paying attention to all that plotting we did earlier? Don’t worry about your precious alibi. I have money for a cab, and I even prepared a disguise.” She pulled out a pair of oversize sunglasses and slipped them on.

“In the middle of the night,” Nova said, nodding. “Not suspicious at all.”

“Not suspicious—mysterious.”

“Fine. Just make sure you go straight back to the house. No detours.”

Honey flicked her fingers through the air, a gesture that only increased Nova’s nerves. Maybe she should have given this job to Phobia. Tracking the wristband would provide her with an alibi if anything went wrong. She didn’t expect it to happen that way. She had every reason to believe that her lies were at an end.