Exported [Book 3 in the Expiring Series]

17 Me Save You?

Iris~~

France's Directorate-General for External Security is a maze of a building. The room the royal twins lead Colton, Bently, Vienna, and I to is sleek and smooth with screens lining the walls. If someone isn't over a monitor or a desk, they're talking to someone. A tall woman with tawny-beige skin approaches us from where she stood over a gray table. Her mouth is turned down in a frown, and her hair is pulled back in a hijab.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness. Beta, Digamma." Her hazel eyes give me a once over. "Miss Levine. Miss Rosen."

"This is Mid'haa Iman," Abella introduces us. "Head of the DGSE."

Bently and Colton simply nod while I hold out my hand. She hesitates before shaking it.

"Please follow me," she says and takes us to a screen along the left wall. A picture of the dead man is on the left side of the screen; though, in this picture he's alive and standing against a solid color wall. On the other side of the screen, information on him scrolls downward.

"We have identified the body as Reece Durand. Age thirty-one." She motions to the screen. "Monsieur Durand has no record of traveling to Elleany."

"There wouldn't be record of it in the first place," Bently points out.

"Yes, but he has never been out of the country at all." She touches the screen, and a two-story brick house appears. "This was his final residence—on the outskirts of Paris."

Alix says something to Abella in French before addressing Mid'haa. "Do you know how he spent today?"

"All we know is he went to work and left at his usual times."

Colton straightens, chest puffing forward. "The three of us will remain in France until the murderer is caught."

My heart plummets. I can't stay in France. Not when I'm sure the Amoris is going to come after me. It's possible we could never catch her.

"Would either of your cousins be behind this?" Mid'haa asks Colton and Bently.

Bently shakes his head. "No. They don't have any idea of the technology required to Mark someone. And they're both against Marks in the first place."

Mid'haa looks as if she doesn't believe him. "We'll need to bring them into custody for questioning though. As of now they're the only connection we have to any of this."

Colton pins her with his glare; she's at eyelevel with him. "They're still citizens of Elleany. Arrest them and we'll consider it a threat."

Mid'haa purses her lips. "If things get worse, I'll have no choice, but we would appreciate it if you could at least examine the body."

My stomach churns. I've had experience with dead bodies but not with examining them after they've laid cold for some time.

"Of course," Colton says bitterly. How many bodies has he examined? How natural is a human body in its final state to him?

Mid'haa holds out her hand to the side. "Right this way then."

I grab onto Bently's arm. He tenses and looks down at me.

"Would you excuse the two of us?" I ask. "I'm not overly fond of dead bodies."

Alix nods.

"I think you'll be all right on your own, Iris." Bently takes a step away, but I grip tighter to his arm.

"I'm still shaken up from earlier and would appreciate having someone with me."

"Very well." Colton looks at Bently and waves his hand. "Stay with her."

Despite Bently's composed face, I know he wants to whine to Colton about this. I don't give him the chance to, dragging him to the side of the door as the rest of them are led to see the body. His eyes narrow at me, and his mouth draws into a thin line. That look would intimidate a lot of people. It would have intimidated me in the past.

"And what might your highness need?"

"You and I both know Colton is all too happy to have to stay in France. The . . . murderer will come after me, and I refuse to be bait, and I don't trust you both not to use me that way."

He crosses his arms. "You want me to keep you alive?"

"I want you to get me a plane home."

"Again, you want me to keep you alive? You don't want to stay and help? Aren't you the girl who always risks her life for others?"

"I risk my life for those I care about. You wouldn't understand because you've never had to risk your life. You never will. For you and Colton, catching a murderer isn't that frightening. For me, it's . . ." Deadly.

"Why should I help you?"

"I helped you save the Society. Your mother."

His shoulders sag. "Fine. If things get worse, I'll arrange a way for you to go back to Elleany."