Cole didn’t fail to notice that Jace kept trying to create situations where he might have Mira to himself. Jace still had it bad for her. He had probably booked rooms on different floors deliberately. Cole knew he shouldn’t say anything, but some opportunities were too easy to resist. “Hoping for some more alone time with the princess?”

“Huh?” Jace asked guiltily.

“Like how you worked it to come into the city with her,” Cole said.

Jace gave an embarrassed smile and shook his head. “You really don’t know when to shut up.”

“You didn’t think it was obvious?”

Jaw clenched, Jace paused, air whistling through his nostrils. When he spoke, his voice was quiet. “It doesn’t matter how I feel. She was out of my league even before I learned she was a princess.”

Cole shook his head. “You’re probably the cockiest guy I’ve met. Why does it disappear when it comes to her?”

Jace shrugged. “Have you ever liked somebody you couldn’t have?”

Cole could feel the blood rushing to his face. “Maybe.”

“How much did you like her?”

Cole shrugged, suddenly wishing the conversation was over. How had this become about Jenna? “A lot, I guess.”

“Did you ever let her know how you felt?”

“No way!” Cole exclaimed.

“Why not?”

Cole swallowed. “I didn’t think it could work out.”

“You were scared,” Jace said.

“Mostly, I guess,” Cole said. “We became friends. That was good enough.”

“Was it really?” Jace pressed.

“No,” Cole admitted. “But I had time. I thought I would tell her someday.”

Jace chuckled. “Good luck with that now.”

Cole stared at him soberly.

“Is she back home?”

Cole kept staring.

“Oh,” Jace said, understanding dawning. “It’s that Jenna girl you talk about. Your friend.”

“Yeah,” Cole said, trying not to turn any redder.

“And now she’s lost,” Jace said with no trace of mockery. “She’s a slave.”

The last thing Cole wanted to do was cry in front of Jace, but his uncharacteristic kindness wasn’t making it easy. “Until I find her.”

“You will,” Jace said seriously. “Listen, you didn’t tell Jenna how you felt because you were nervous. But with Mira, there are real reasons I can’t say anything. She’s a shaper. I’m not. She’s way older than she looks. And she’s the High King’s daughter. Even in exile, that means she doesn’t slum with kids like me.”

“You’re scared too,” Cole said.

Jace huffed. “Maybe. And ashamed for wanting something so far out of reach. I’m a former slave with no family. And I’m far from grown up. But that doesn’t mean my feelings aren’t real. What I can do is watch out for her. And be her friend. Spend a little time with her. Is that too much to ask?”

“I get it,” Cole said. “I won’t tease you. I used to be terrified of people teasing me about Jenna.”

“Think about everything we need to do,” Jace said. “If Mira catches on to how much I like her, it could really mess things up.”

“I’m pretty sure she suspects,” Cole said.

“Suspecting is okay,” Jace said. “I just can’t make it clear. Do you think about Jenna a lot?”

“All the time,” Cole said. “Not in romantic ways,” he rushed to clarify. “I worry about her. I think about my friend Dalton, too. And the other kids.”

“I’ll help you find them,” Jace said.

“Thanks.”

Jace handed Cole a key and indicated a door. “I left some food in there that I brought from the autocoach. I’ll go out and buy more later. You shouldn’t go outside more than necessary.”

“Got it,” Cole said, wondering if he would have to spend the rest of his time in Elloweer indoors. “Thanks for finding us a place to crash.”

Jace nodded and took off down the hall. Cole watched him go, suspecting he may have spoken to the real Jace for the first time. Cole sometimes doubted whether Jace even had feelings. They were usually hidden behind serious defenses.

Cole used the key to enter his room. Four narrow beds took up much of the space. At least everything was tidy. Twitch sat on the edge of one of the beds, antennae and wings visible. Gazing at his friend, something occurred to Cole. “You’ll be like that all the time now.”

Twitch gave a nervous smile. “Yeah, outside the borders of Elloweer I looked like a regular human unless I used my ring. I’ve been gone long enough that it’s weird to think I can no longer camouflage myself that way. It sometimes made life easier. Outside of our few villages, the grinaldi aren’t commonly seen. When I went abroad in Elloweer, I always stood out.”

Cole crossed the room and sat on a bed. “Jace said you followed me after I ran into Ansel.”

Twitch stared at the floor. “I wanted to make sure you were all right.”

“Thanks for having my back,” Cole said. “Watch out, though. You don’t want to get mixed up with those slavers.”

“I believe you,” Twitch said. “What did he say to you? I couldn’t get close enough to hear.”

“He promised to hunt me down and chop off my hand with the freemark,” Cole said.

Twitch winced. “He didn’t seem like the sort of guy you’d want as an enemy.”

“No,” Cole agreed.

“I bet you’re tired,” Twitch said.

“Kind of,” Cole said. “I dozed off a little, and it helped. How about you?”

“I’m exhausted,” Twitch said. “But being back in Elloweer is strange. I feel extra alert.”

“Nice to be home?” Cole asked.

“This isn’t home,” Twitch said, blinking rapidly. “Kasori is home. My village. The rest of Elloweer is mostly foreign to me. But being back here reminds me what I left behind.”

“You left to help your village,” Cole recalled.

Twitch bowed his head, antennae quivering. “And I failed miserably.”

“What were you trying to do?” Cole asked.

Twitch gave a heavy sigh and shook his head. “It’s my burden, not yours.”

“I’ll help if I can,” Cole said. “We all will.”