The train shuddered to a stop.

Too soon.

We weren’t supposed to reach the next station for another hour, and there sure as hell wasn’t anything but wasteland outside.

People around us shifted, uneasy. Some muttered under their breath, others reached for weapons they hoped they wouldn’t need.

I tensed.

Lilith leaned in. “This normal?”

“No.” My voice was quiet, clipped. “Stay alert.”

Heavy boots echoed through the train car. Then, voices. Low at first, then louder. Commanding.

I recognized the tone before I saw the uniforms.

Enforcers.

Golden Land’s dogs.

I kept my head down, pulling my hood lower. Lilith, though—she stiffened beside me. Not the way the others did, not with fear. This was different.

I flicked a glance at her. Her jaw was tight, her fingers curling into fists.

She murmured, “You good?”

I didn’t believe her. But I had bigger problems.

A pair of enforcers stepped into our section, their eyes sweeping over the crowd like they owned the place.

Technically, they did.

A man in a dust-worn coat spoke up from the far end. “What’s the problem?”

The taller enforcer—a woman with a jagged scar across her chin—took a step forward. “Routine search.”

Liar.

Nothing was routine out here.

I felt it before I knew it. The shift in the air. The weight of suspicion.

They were looking for something.

Or someone.

I forced myself to stay still. To keep breathing evenly.

Then one of them turned.

Looked right at me.

“Take off the hood.”

I didn’t move.

Lilith did.

She shifted, just slightly, her body angling between me and them. Subtle. Almost unnoticeable. But deliberate.

Scarface didn’t like that. She stepped closer.

“I said,” her voice sharpened, “take it off.”

Lilith exhaled, slow and measured. Then, she did something I didn’t expect.

She reached up and pulled my hood down herself.

I tensed. What the hell was she doing?

Then she smiled. Not at me. At them.

“It’s fine,” she said, her voice smooth. Easy. “She’s with me.”

The other enforcer hesitated. Their eyes flicked between us, scanning, calculating.

Lilith held her ground.

“Problem?” she asked, her tone shifting just enough. Just enough to sound like she belonged on their side of the line.

Like she wasn’t some wastelander. Like she wasn’t some nobody.

Scarface’s eyes narrowed as she saw Lilith’s uniform, the Castellan insignia barely visible under her coat. Her gaze sharpened, recognizing her rank.

“A Castellan officer?” she said, more to herself than anyone else.

Lilith shrugged. “You might not find many, but we’re here.”

Scarface looked at her a moment longer, then glanced at me. Her expression was unreadable, but there was a shift, a flicker of understanding.

Without another word, she turned away, leading her partner off.

I let out a slow breath.

Lilith sat back like nothing had happened.

I stared at her.

“What?” she muttered.

I narrowed my eyes. “You’re getting real good at lying.”

She smirked, just a little. “I learned from the best.”

I didn’t know if I wanted to be annoyed or impressed.

But one thing was clear.

She didn’t hesitate. Not for a second.

She chose me.