Exported [Book 3 in the Expiring Series]

7 I Thought We Were Past the Killing Me Fiasco.

Iris~

Moretti has consumed Jonas's day and I've been an anxious wreck. I shouldn't be this worried that Moretti will discover he's Expired. Jonas has been hiding his Date for years, but there is always a chance someone will slip.

I pace across his room, waiting for him to arrive and twisting at my left ring finger where the phantom sensations of a ring that isn't there linger.

What if he can't convince Preeminence Moretti to let us marry? I mean, what reason could Jonas give to him that would make him receptive to our request?

The door opens, and Jonas steps inside. The tightness in his face has me crossing the room.

"What happened?"

"I have to go to Amoria?"

"What?"

"He said he can't tell me yes. The decision must come from all the Orders on Amoria."

"But you can't go there. As much as I want to marry you, I'd rather you be alive. I can't marry you if you're dead."

He places his hands on my arms. "I'll have to go eventually. My father went often."

"Then you're not going alone."

"No, Iris." His thumbs rub circles into my skin. "I don't trust the Orders around you."

"I can't protect you from here."

"Please, trust that I can do this. If I don't marry you, Iris, the Amoris I do would very likely turn me in the moment they learn I'm Expired. Marrying you is not what's putting me at risk. This is giving me a chance to save myself."

"How am I supposed to let you go?"

"If you love me, you will."

I place my palms flat on his chest. "Then take someone else. Someone in your Order. Riley."

"Riley has meetings next week across the country. Eli as well."

"Okay, what about Enzo?"

He sighs. "Having someone would be nice. I'll—I'll ask him."

I step forward, and he encircles me in his arms. "Thank you."

He rests his cheek on the top of my head.

"When do you leave?"

"Three days."

"And how long will you be gone?"

"Over a month. It takes almost two weeks just to get there."

"Will we be able to speak? Will we know if you're okay?"

"Not as easily as we can on Earth but yes. Colton will help you. I'll make sure of it."

I have to tell him about Vienna, Erik, unless he saw the newspaper as well.

"What is it?"

I tilt my head back to look up at him. "Colton knows where Vienna is."

His arms around me tighten. "Where are—no, actually I don't want to know. It's easier that way. But keep an eye on him, won't you?"

"I will. Promise."

He kisses my forward. "I love you. Don't forget."

"Moleve qui soleil cie." I love you too.

"You'll be fluent by the time I get back."

"For that to be the case, you'll have to be gone too long."

******

It's been a week since Jonas and Enzo left, and I've only heard from Jonas once. I weave my way through the Society members leaving the dining hall after lunch. It doesn't feel right without him there, and Seong-ho has started taking a good number of his meals up in his room. Colton wasn't even at lunch.

Rubbing at the band of my ring where I've been keeping it on my right hand, I recall the words Jonas had inscribed inside the band.

Moleve qui sentair soleil cintea dali quint severa torna.

It's Amorian Latin. Amorian, but in the Latin-script alphabet. The Society created this version so the Order's rankings would remain the same in English and any other language on Earth that used the Latin-script alphabet. Of course pronunciation is another matter. An example? Undici's c is pronounced like an s rather than a chi sound like in Italian. Thank Colton for that lovely tidbit. I listened to a two-hour long lecture on the differences in pronunciation from him. He said that was part one of five.

The translation of the inscriptions repeats again and again in my head in Jonas's voice. I will love you until my days are up.

They aren't up yet.

I head for Colton's office, supposing I should see about part two of that lecture. Also maybe I can pilfer one of his werewolf books and find out why he loves them so much besides for the fact that they both exude a mutual aura of creepiness.

After lunch which most of the Order are missing from, I head for Colton's office, the only person left in the Society who can cheer me up. He would be at the airstrip right now but had "pressing business matters to attend to," quote: Colton. Maybe I can check out one of his werewolf books while he works and see what he finds so great about them besides for the mutual aura of creepiness they both exude.

When I reach his office, I raise my hand to knock, but the door opens, revealing Colton with a valise hanging from one hand.

"You're going to France."

He looks at me like I'm a bug he's tried squashing but just won't die. "Actually, Riley and Eli called. There's been a hiccup and they need me." He sets the suitcase to the side of the door, keeping it in his office. "Is everything okay?"

I eye the suitcase. "I was going to see if you had time for another Amorian lesson."

He looks down at his watch. "I have ten minutes."

Usually, I would not like imposing myself on people when they're busy but Colton is clearly lying to me and thinking he's doing a pretty damn fine job at it.

I step into his office and take a seat at his desk. On top of a stack of paper is none other than a werewolf novel. My Best Friend's Werewolf, the title says. Huh, weird. That'd be like Jonas having a pet werewolf. I wonder if Colton would ever try his hand at writing one of these novels. I'm surprised he didn't pack it for reading on the plane.

Colton rustles with something in a drawer behind me, and I twist in the seat to see what he's doing when his hand clamps down on one of my shoulders and he shoves a cloth in my mouth. Whatever it's been doused in prickles at my tongue, tasting metallic, and my heartrate kicks up.

I manage to stand enough to knock the chair over with a resounding clang. Colton wraps his arm around my waist and tugs me back against him, keeping the cloth trapped in my mouth. I try spitting it out, but my lips have gone numb.

"What the hell is going on?" I recognize the voice as Bently. Colton has me faced away from him, and my heartrate suddenly starts to drop.

Colton groans. "Not you too," he says right before I succumb to the poison.