THE ODCC FELL with a whimper. After Lisha destroyed the gates, the citizens of Malleus rushed inside, destroying and killing whatever they could get their hands on. Eve held Cade's body in her hands. She tried not to look at his face, which was too peaceful, almost as if he was sleeping.

Secretly, shamefully, she'd been relieved when she crossed through the smoke and spied the boy's limp form in Lisha's hands. Without him, the government building couldn't be destroyed, and ...