Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy (ARIA) novel Chapter 631

Chapter 631

ARIA

"Define specific atmosphere," I said.

"Crime, clubs, and things that happen in both simultaneously," Ivory said. "It's functional. It operates on its own economy. The specific rules of the Old Haven are not the rules of the rest of the territory." She looked at me steadily. "You'll be with us. I'll brief you on the specific rules before we go in."

"We're going to rescue Clara," I said.

"We're going to retrieve Clara," Ivory said.

"And then rescue her," I said.

Ivory looked at me with the expression she used when she'd decided to let something run for a while.

"You know," she said, "you can do what you feel you should do for her. Before barely two days ago you didn't know she existed and now you have some kind of self-righteous arc developing that makes you want to save people." She held my gaze. "Whatever happens between you and Clara will be between you and Clara. I won't compromise myself to save your ass if she pulls the moon dagger. And I will get what I want from her regardless."

"She's fifteen," I said.

"You keep saying that," Ivory said.

"Because it keeps being true," I said.

"It is true," Ivory said. "She is fifteen. She is also someone who has been surviving in conditions you have never encountered and has developed tools for that survival that don't include trusting people who show up with compassion and good intentions." She closed the compound file. "When she's done being useful to us — either she remains alive at the end of this, or she doesn't. That is entirely up to her. If she helps us, she's out of Cassium's reach and she has the document's outcome working in her favor. If she tries to double cross me—" she paused.

"Ivory," I said.

"I have given you my position," she said. "You have given me yours. We understand each other."

"She's a child," I said.

"She's a survivor," Ivory said. "The two things are not mutually exclusive."

I looked at the map.

At Old Haven.

At Clara's location, marked with the specific notation that Ivory had put on things she'd been tracking for a long time.

Silver said: *You're going to try to save her.*

*Yes,* I said.

*Ivory isn't going to stop you,* Silver said.

*She said she wouldn't,* I said.

*She also said she wouldn't compromise herself to save you if Clara pulls a knife,* Silver said.

*Ivory's telling the truth about that,* I said.

*I know,* Silver said. *So you go in with both things being true. Your intention and Ivory's non-involvement. And you figure out which one Clara chooses.*

"The compound," Ivory said, shifting to the practical.

She opened the second file.

"Before tomorrow, everyone in the infiltration team takes the accelerated healing compound," she said. "Kael specifically — the left side needs to be fully functional before we go in. The compound I gave you last night is the primary treatment. The secondary dose tonight completes it." She looked at Kael. "Unless you'd prefer to wait three days."

The room held.

Kael looked at her.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify