"I don't see the point to this," Jackson says, dropping the large book onto the table. "Why should I care about planting seeds and maintaining vegetables? It all gets delivered here."

"Because you might be transferred to a farming centre someday," I say. "You'll be responsible for making sure that humans have food and for the upkeep of many animals."

"And their slaughter," he whispers. "Christian said that the slaves here are rarely ever transferred. Once here, they die here."

"That isn't going to happen to you," I say.

"You can't promise that if you're dead too."

I fold my arms, smiling at him. "You're going to live a long life, Jackson."

"A long life is averaged at seventeen," he says.

"Stop doing that," I mutter. "Cain will protect you. He's not going to like my soul's reaction if he doesn't."

Jackson grins. "I miss Angelica. I never thought I'd say that."

"Me too," I say. "I hope they're all alright."

The door bursts open, making both of us jump. Christian pants breathlessly, his face leaking with sweat as he tries to calm himself to speak.

"It's happening," he says.

"It's happening now?" I say.

Christian nods. I rise from the chair, grabbing my jacket from the bed quickly. Jackson stares between us in confusion.

"Stay here," I say. "I'll be back soon."

"Where are you going?"

"Keep reading," I say as I move towards the door. "I'll be quizzing you on corn later so don't skip it."

"But-"

I close the door and lock it. Christian runs down the staircase and I run after him. We hurriedly make our way through the palace, climbing a steeper staircase around a bend.

"Where are we going?" I say.

"To the tower," Christian shouts.

There are no guards anywhere. I imagine most of them are outside. Witnessing this just like we will be. The tower is at the top of a hundred steps. I cling to the railing tightly as we become higher. The room at the top is an oval shape with solid walls, there is a circular seat that joins together. Christian puts his knees onto the seat and cracks open a large window. I sit up beside him. The first thing I see is a set of enormous wings grazing past us, it makes me flinch and I almost fall backwards. Christian puts his hand around my arm, steadying me back to the seat.

"Thanks," I say.

I look down at the ground, seeing so many creatures that it makes me nervous. They form a crowd at the palace entrance. There are hundreds of them. At the front is the council, along with Axel who is wandering his eyes around the windows of the palace. Many windows are open as the other humans are listening too.

"Do you see that long line of creatures at the back?" Christian says, pointing to the blurry line of figures that are remaining still. I nod. "They are the law enforcers. Whenever the King poses a new law, they come to witness it. They are neutral. They don't react or intervene in any issues. Their only purpose is to hear the laws and spread them to the corners of the world." He looks at me and grins. "They've been busy since you arrived here."

I grin back, turning to the crowd. "So the ones gathered down there can react?"

Christian nods. "They feel braver in crowds. He usually ignores their protests though. Look up to the sky." He points upwards.

"Oh wow," I say, turning my head to the top of the window.

Above us, there must be a thousand guards in the sky. They flap their wings gently, staying completely still as they stare at the crowds below.

"I've never seen so many guards at a law gathering before. They're not there to protect the King," Christian says. "He doesn't need protecting."

"Then what are they protecting?" I say curiously.

"What'd you think?" he says, smiling at me. "You."

"Me?" I chuckle. "Does he think they're going to break in or something?"

"You said that the council and the bidders witnessed Axel calling you completed," Christian says. "Even though he retracted it, rumours will still spread. Look, right there." Christian points to a male creature that is slowly separating himself from a small group, he walks a little closer to a side building of the palace, his eyes scanning every inch of the wall, looking for an entrance. "If we can see it then they can." He cocks his head up at the sky, three creatures drop out of the sky at once, forming a barricade between the wandering creature and the wall. He scurries back to his group. "He won't be the last to try it. The ones up there are only guarding the front, there will be hundreds more around the back."

"They're testing his defences," I say. Now Christian has mentioned it, it becomes more obvious to pick them out. I watch as a female creature stares hard at an open window, she starts to separate herself too. She doesn't make it far before she's met with an intimidating guard that drops out of the sky and forces her back to her place. It doesn't phase her, her eyes are already looking back at the palace, searching for another opportunity.

"They won't find weakness," a voice says.

Christian and I both flinch in panic as Cain enters the tower room. Christian distances himself from me immediately, moving further around the seat.

"Didn't you tell her that my head guard declares the laws?" Cain says.

"I didn't get to that part," Christian says.

"He's always late." Cain drops to the seat beside me, turning to stare out of the window. "He reads the laws but this is the first time I won't be present for it."

"What are you doing here?" I whisper.

"Did you think I'd rest easy knowing there's hundreds of my kind so close to you?" he says. "I'd rather you stay within my sight." Cain lifts his arm up to the top of the seat and drums his fingers against it. "This makes good entertainment."

"I haven't seen you in days," I say. "Is this what you've been doing? Preparing this?"

"It takes a lot of preparations," he says. "Introducing new laws is never easy. It was the hardest on the day we arrived. I always consume a lifeform first, no matter which planet we are on. They cannot feed until I do. And while they waited and waited for me to adjust and know everything about humanity through that one person, we were being met with your kind's strongest forces. They almost destroyed their own planet trying to kill us."

"One person?" I say, looking at him confusion. "But you said you need a body to. . ." I widen my eyes, pushing myself further away from him. I don't know why this has never occurred to me before. "This is the first person you consumed? You're him."

"How else do you think we take on the disguises?" he says. "We become the first specimen we consume. We can change it. We can become any of them. Though I never did. Some change but it's rare. There's an entire group of my kind just running around as wolves because they don't like the taste of humans." He shrugs. "Each to their own."

I exchange a look with Christian and he isn't shocked by that. He already knew. "You took his body?"

"No," Cain laughs. "His body is bones now. It's just a disguise, a mimic. When we arrive on a planet we are in our true forms, we can make the first connection before we have to produce a body."

"So you could have been a female?" I say.

Cain laughs again. "In every species on every planet there are two genders. Including my own. I have always been male so I am always attracted instantly to a male host. The only difference is that we don't procreate."

"And you consume souls," I say.

"That too."

"Can I ask you something?" Christian says, nudging closer back to us.

Cain stares over my head. "Of course."

"When you eventually leave a planet, are there any of them still alive?"

"Barely," Cain whispers, the question makes him uncomfortable. "The breeding process is often too slow. My kind have to feed constantly to sustain their power. The souls inside of us eventually get weaker, even the pure. When they almost make the species extinct, I exile them from the planet. The extinction has happened a few times and it was difficult to watch. I try to preserve as many as I can before we leave but there wouldn't have been enough to procreate an entire world again."

"There's still millions of us," Christian whispers.

Cain smiles. "It's only been eight years. The extinction is almost a century later. They get angry about anything." Cain sighs and looks through the window. "How many slaves there are, how many nannies there are, how many children are being raised with pure souls intact that grow impure as they get older." He rubs his head. "If I didn't have laws, humanity would be extinct a lot sooner than a century."

"So you do this to preserve us?" I say. "The farming centres are to keep us alive."

"Yes," he says, grinning at me. "Though I thought that was obvious. There are probably more of you serving us and being released from nanneries for service positions than there are being bid on. Another thing that makes them angry."

"But that's up to the watchers," I say.

Cain nods. "Every nannery around the world must release at least fifty humans for service every month. Whether that's for farming, breeding, medical training or manufacturing. It is the watcher's decision on who gets picked but you'll find it's often those with less bids. And then it just becomes a circle of transferring and trading."

I already knew that so I don't linger on it, there is another question I want to ask. Something I have never had the courage to ask because I am terrified of the answer. "What is the age restriction for the breeders?"

"Sixteen," Cain says, smiling at me softly. "I am not completely devoid of compassion. Most of them are nannies or farm workers. Those that have never been fed on. At sixteen they are transferred and given an educational course before their first pairing. They can be transferred there at thirteen but they would just be coached for three years about what to expect."

"I hope that isn't one of the laws you're changing," I mumble.

"It isn't."

There is a loud bang below us as the doors to the palace open. Cain straightens, his attention turning back to the window. Everyone is silent, the only voice heard is the deep one far below us.

"On order from the King," the guard yells. "I introduce the following laws to take effect immediately from today. I am to remind you that any attempt to break a law or defy the King is punishable by death. From this day forwards, in the interest of preservation, you are only permitted to own two humans at a time. You cannot bid for more than two a month."

"Two a month?" a creature screams.

"What preservation?" another yells. "There's more nannies than there are children! They aren't dying out!"

I look up to see Cain's reaction. He's smirking. He really doesn't care about their retaliation. I guess he's been doing this for too long to start now. I sigh. It gives the humans more time to live and they'll be fed on more slowly over the weeks but it's still a drawn-out process.

"In the interest of slowing the suicide rates at centres," the guard shouts, over several of them. "Those at the breeding facilities will be. . . they'll be offered a. . ." There is a long pause as even the guard who is reading the piece of paper looks stunned. He stares up at the tower, right at us. Cain nods his head. "They will be offered a choice to attend a new nannery that is being built as I speak. There they will be transferred after giving birth, with their babies, and will remain with them for thirteen years. The mothers will be the nannies and the male breeders will be the slaves that will help them. The nannery will be built close to the palace so the King can monitor it and there will be. . ." The guard's eyes widen in astonishment. "There will be none of our kind there."

No one shouts but there are many conversations across the crowd. Cain isn't bothered, he rests his fist against his cheek, almost like he's bored.

"The ones that have previously given birth will be offered a choice to reunite with their children at the new nannery," the guard continues. "Even if they are owned. Those that are owned and still alive will be brought before the King by the end of the week so he can transfer their souls. His law enforcers will be watching closely. Any attempt to consume them before bringing them here will be a defiance against his law."

"What of the male breeders?" someone shouts.

"Them too," the guard shouts. "If they choose."

"Great," Christian says. "Ronan gets an entire nannery full of his previous conquests. His words, not mine."

I grin just slightly. My grin drops to a sudden shock as I realize Jase will be among them. He's a male breeder. If he's still alive then he'll be transferred close to here. He isn't owned though so he wouldn't be able to have his energy transferred back but at least he has a chance to meet his children. This new world is too emotional. I wipe a quick tear before they notice anything.

I stare at Cain. "How big is this nannery?"

"Very big," Cain says with a smile. "My guards will watch over it but they will only enter if needed in an emergency."

"Creatures are building it?"

He nods. "I've got five thousand of them working on it. It'll be finished by tomorrow."

"Jesus," Christian mutters.

"All the humans will want to be breeders after this," I say. "If it guarantees them thirteen years without creatures."

"I know," Cain says. "Smart, right?"

I give him that. It is smart. Until the thirteen years, or five, or ten or whatever it is, is over and they have to watch their child get taken away when they come of age. Axel said fifty thousand have been born in the last eight years. I can't imagine many of the mothers surviving without medical care so it would probably be about half of them that did. Then taking into account how many were sold if they did survive, the numbers will be lower than I hoped. Still, it'll be a few hundred, a few hundred distraught and depressed lives that are about to get the news of a lifetime.

"Breeding is essential to preserving the human life on this planet for as long as possible," the guard shouts. "The King wants them to have hope. He wants them to see that there is another way apart from taking their lives. New mothers are to be given medical treatment after the birth, those that die are to be recorded in data sheets so that the King or his law enforcers can investigate personally if something more could have been done. For babies born without either parents surviving for whatever reason, they will be transferred to a normal nannery as usual. Both parents have a choice to remain with the child or surrender them over to a normal nannery. This new law will be effective from tomorrow when the new nannery is complete. Law enforcers will inform your leaders when it is."

There is a long silence as they take that in. And then one voice screams through it. "Two humans a month?"

Cain slaps his head with his hand and sighs. "I knew it'd circle back to that."

"Yes," the guard confirms. "Two humans a month."

"It's alright for those of you consuming your precious pure souls but we're starving! Two souls won't satisfy us for a month!"

"This is outrageous!" a male creature shouts. "Where is the King? Why won't he face us!"

"Come out and look us in the eye you coward!" a female squeals.

Those are just the voices closest to us. There are voices behind them, hundreds echoing the same angry noises of screaming.

"He has a completed soul in there," a male creature shouts from directly below us. "He makes us starve while he consumes the most powerful soul in the world!"

Cain's mouth twitches. "Hm."

"I can understand why they're angry," I say. "I mean, I'm glad—obviously—but they do have a point."

Cain shrugs. "They shouldn't have backed out of bids. They'd be consuming their own pure souls if they didn't give up so easily."

"I heard the pure humans sell for close to five thousand souls," Christian says. "I'm curious, what would Aurora have sold for?"

I glare at him and he points his eyes down with an apologetic look. It interests me though; I look back to Cain for the answer.

"If we knew about her then one million," he whispers. "Thousands of them would have backed out before that. It would have been between the world leaders at the end and they didn't even know you existed to be bid on. If the world leaders did bid on you, they would have sacrificed every pure soul within them."

"And you would have too," I say.

Cain smiles and shakes his head. "I would have sacrificed every soul."

"Lucky me."

Cain laughs. "Lucky watcher, if Raven had followed the correct procedures then he'd be as powerful as Axel right now."

"Why do you think he never released me?" I ask.

"Watchers can manipulate their positions," he says. "There are a lot of them down there right now. Hanging on to every law I make so they can be the first to hide or dispose of any secrets that they're keeping. Raven was saving you for himself. The moment world leaders hear about pure souls being released they swarm like bees, even if they haven't met you before. He waited eight years, trading souls at the nannery to become more powerful and to be confident that he'd win you at the bidding. That's why he was going to finally release you."

Things could have gone a lot differently for me if Zander hadn't showed up that night. I owe that creature my life. If he hadn't had blackmailed Raven and taken me then I would never have come here. I never would have met Cain. So many humans around the world wouldn't be free to walk around and spend their last days supporting each other.

He looks back to the window. "Blake did good. Standing in front of them when they're furious is never easy. They'll stay there for a little longer, protesting and riling each other up, and then they'll scurry away like the cowards they are when the guards drop."

Many of them are already leaving. The familiar council, along with another group that I assume are the other world leaders, are the first to take to the sky. The hundreds soon become dozens and then eventually, there is just a few of them.

Cain straightens suddenly, peering down at a female creature with short blonde hair that still stands on the path. She is the only one left, her eyes looking up at us. She walks closer to the palace and the guards don't stop her.

"Excuse me," Cain says.

Cain leaves the tower. I stare after him in confusion.

"Who is that?" I say, leaning closer to the window. The creature keeps walking, right under us, and walks right through the front doors.

Christian sighs. "That's Marina. She visits once in a while. I've never spoken to her but the others said she was friendly. She even cooked for them once."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, she only stays for a day or so. She's the only visitor that he allowed near his girls alone. She's very taken to the younger slaves; she likes to invest her time listening to them."

I slap my head. "Oh my god. Jackson. I completely forgot that he's still in my room."

Christian chuckles as we both leave the tower. "Still getting used to this mother thing, huh?"

"Yep."