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mean I’m going to help them do anything against our interests. My contract says only that I have to work for them until they come out.” And David had just about convinced me that it was wrong for the Movement to reveal themselves if that action would eventually make the world aware of demons’ existence as well.
    “What if they never come out?” David persisted. “Are you okay with that?”
    I shrugged. “If they don’t come out within the next five years, I’m still released from the contract.” But that meant five years in servitude to bloodsuckers. I could also be released if Alejandro chose to do so out of the goodness of his heart, but I didn’t see that happening.
    David said, “While you’re there, you might want to be careful when dealing with the Austin Underground. I’m not hearing good things about them.”
    “Like what?” Micah asked, looking surprised.
    “Like strange things happening, people gone missing, and Dina Bellama making the Underground into her own private playground.”
    DINA IS THE UNDERGROUND LEADER IN AUSTIN, Fang told me.
    Exasperated, I asked, “You want me to fix them, too?” Ridiculous.
    “No,” Micah said. “But it wouldn’t hurt for us to know what’s going on, just in case it spills over onto us.”
    Turning to him, David challenged, “This mean you’re going to step up and be the leader you should have been all along, or are you going to have the Memory Eater erase the memories of anyone who tries to make you do your duty?”
    “I am ready to ssserve,” the Memory Eater said.
    I shivered. Would she really rip out my memories if Micah asked her to?
    YOU KNOW IT, BABE.
    Judging from the expression on his face, Micah was mighty peeved. “I wouldn’t do that,” he said, but a flicker of guilt in his eyes showed he’d at least thought about it. He glanced at the skeletal woman. “You can go back to your home, now.”
    She nodded, and moving as though the weight of the world was on her shoulders, left through the door at the back of the cell. The bright light on the other side blinded me temporarily until she shut the door behind her. The light cut off and I wondered if that’s how she felt—severed from community and hope.
    “Come on, Val,” Micah said. “You know I have everyone’s best interests at heart.”
    Until now, I’d considered Micah my hero, my guardian angel. But I had to admit his halo was tilting off its axis, looking a bit tarnished. I glanced at him and said thoughtfully, “I know you think you do. But I wonder, is your way—your father’s way—what’s really best for the Underground?”
    He looked hurt. “I’ll think about David’s concerns, but why would you believe his judgment over mine, Val? They represent a bitter minority.”
    Pia stepped forward, glared at Micah, then signed at David.
    David nodded. “Pia wants me to tell you that we may be in the minority, but it’s a significant one. We’re the lost, the maimed, the demons who counted on the Underground to protect us but were disappointed by Micah and his father. All we want is a chance to make it what it should be, so no one else has to suffer.”
    “I said I’d think about it,” Micah said in exasperation. “Why are you even listening to them, Val? They locked you up.”
    It was a good question. I knew and trusted Micah, but I also trusted Fang’s judgment. “They locked me up so Pia would feel safe,” I told him. “And I understand why now.”
    “It’s theater. They’re just trying to turn you against me.”
    David started to protest but I stopped him with a raised hand and answered Micah myself. “No, you’re not hearing what they’ve been saying. They want you, as leader, to help them feel safe.”
    David nodded. “That, or step down and let someone else lead.”
    “Who?” Micah challenged him. “You? You think you can do better? You haven’t got a clue what I’m dealing with.”
    “I couldn’t do worse.”
    Anger flared in Micah’s eyes, but