Summer pressed her back against the spaceship's exterior, bleeding.

A blue laser ruined the Freeman's head, and he dropped onto the grass. He released the strife dagger that he had used to stab Summer's forehead. Someone laughed.

"Goodbye, Freeman!" a man shouted. But Summer couldn't see him.

The Freeman's corpse morphed into smoke before a gust blew it away.

A man became visible, armed with a Soynite pistol. He grabbed the strife dagger, then tossed it away. After rushing closer to Summer, he pressed a hand against her wound. It healed.

The Freeman hadn't killed Summer. Thanks to this man, she hadn't died. Neither had Anne.

"You're fine now," the man said. "My name is Bane Sinister."

"I'm Summer Locket," Summer said.

Bane Sinister wore a white shirt and white pants, but he didn't don a Soynite pendant. His long gray hair touched his shirt. He looked at Summer with his blue eyes. He had wrinkled skin, and he seemed to be decades older than she was. Summer didn't want to stop looking at him. This handsome man had saved her and Anne.

"Did you come from the royal palace, Summer Locket?" Bane said. Summer nodded. Bane caressed Anne's blonde hair. "Who is this little one?"

Summer held Theo Majestic's daughter, but Bane didn't have to know that. Even though he had saved her and the baby, Summer didn't have to tell him Anne's birth parents were Theo and Lilly.

"My daughter," she said. "Her name is Anne. You saved my life. And you saved Anne's life, too. Thank you."

Bane took a napkin from his back pocket, and he wiped off the blood on Summer's forehead. He tossed the used napkin onto the grass.

"Thanks," Summer said.

She had seen Lilly kiss the foreheads of her children before. Summer would have to breastfeed one of them. She had taken Anne from her first mother, but the baby would drink milk from Summer's nipple someday, and Anne would love her more than she already did.

"Are you ready to go?" Bane asked.

"Go where?" Summer said. She bumped the spaceship with her foot on purpose. "I was planning on leaving in one of these spaceships."

Archer and Holly had stood in the backyard, but they had left. The two Endmans had wanted Summer to leave with them. If she lived with Archer and Holly, they might learn she had kidnapped Anne. And if those Endmans learned what Summer had done, they might try returning Anne to Theo and Lilly.

The royal palace stood not far from Summer. Theo might be inside it, or some of the other Highs might have returned to the home. Someone might try taking Anne from Summer. Escaping the planet with Bane would be wise.

"I can become invisible, darling," Bane said. "With me on your side, you and your daughter will survive. I promise."

Bane moved a hand into his pocket before pulling out a teleportation stone. He could turn invisible. The man could help Summer and Anne survive.

"I'll go with you," Summer said.

Bane grinned. Summer didn't. She could grin after she and Anne found safety.

"With this wonderful object, we won't need a spaceship," Bane said, holding his teleportation stone.

They teleported.

Summer stood in a huge room that lacked furniture and decorations. The floor was blue and hard, like the walls and the ceiling.

Bane returned the teleportation stone to his front pants pocket. He had used the object to teleport him, Summer, and Anne to this place. He put his laser pistol into his other front pants pocket. After taking a few steps forward, he gestured to the space around the safe Soynites.

"Welcome to Bane Sinister's space station!" Bane said. He walked toward the room's center.

Anne couldn't walk, but her sister Hailey could. She had been in that hall when Summer shot the girl's father. Hailey might see more of her loved ones bleed in the future. Summer hadn't killed Theo, and he could spend time with Hailey, Lilly, and Nick. But he couldn't be with Anne. Summer wouldn't let that happen.

"I am so ready to get to know you, Summer," Bane said. After he reached the room's center, he faced the woman. He smirked. Summer approached him, still carrying Anne. "The three of us are safe here, and we can get to know each other. No Freemans will interrupt us."

Freemans had gone to Soy, and they had murdered too many Soynites.

"I've suspected that Lilly Majestic went through several pregnancies," Bane said. "You told me you came from the royal palace. Theo Majestic lives there. I found you with a baby who has blonde hair and blue eyes. The youth in your arms isn't your daughter, is she?"

Summer had taken Anne from Theo and Lilly, yet the baby's new mother held her.

"Not in the biological sense," Summer replied. "Anne comes from Lilly and Theo, but I'm her mother. I wasn't before today. I'm her Watcher."

"How did the darling Anne end up in her Watcher's care?" Bane said.

"I kidnapped her."

Bane laughed, and pointed at Summer.

"You are such a naughty lady," he said. "You can't go back to Theo and his wife. You took their baby from them. This space station is my home, but you're welcome to stay here. My space station is your space station. If you want it to be, of course."

Summer and Anne would sleep in the same home as each other. They had become family. Bane, their savior, had given them sanctuary within his space station. Sweet sanctuary.

"Me and Anne will live here," Summer said. She glanced around at the room. "You have furniture, right? What about a crib?"

"This home has everything we need, including cribs," Bane said.

"I hope it has raze milk, too. Anne will starve to death without it. I plan on breastfeeding her, but it should take weeks for me to induce lactation. She needs raze milk. Until I can produce my own milk, at least."

The home had something Anne could sleep in, but did it have enough food for her?

"There is a lot of raze milk here," Bane said. "Don't worry, Summer. Your baby won't starve."

Summer almost smiled. "Okay, good. And I can't wait to breastfeed her. I'm her mother now, and she's going to have my milk. One day."

"I'm sure she will. Anyway, I need you to tell me more about the Majestic family. How many children does Theo have?"

Nick. Nova. Hailey. Anne. Theo had four children, and Summer had adopted one of them.

"Four," she said.

"Don't be shy," Bane said. "Tell me about them."

"Anne was born in December. That happened last year. Nick is the oldest of Theo's children. He's his only son. After Nick was born, Theo and Lilly had Nova. Hailey came after that. Anne was born after she was. She's Theo and Lilly's youngest child."

Theo had three daughters, and Nova had been born as his first one. He hadn't held her in years. Neither could he hold Anne. The man had refused to destroy the Freemans when Reed Pisces was still a High, and Soynites had died because of Theo's compassion for those horrible, pale-skinned people.

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Anne would always be greater than her father, who wanted Nova to be more special than she already was.

"And I have to tell you more about Nova," Summer said. "She was adopted because the owner of the Ascend Museum, Land Preachman, convinced Lilly that the Freemans were going to attack Soy. He was right."

The Freemans had attacked the royal palace on Soy, and Nova hadn't been there when it happened. Lilly's paranoia had worked in the girl's favor.

"And Freemans attacked the royal palace," Bane said. He rubbed his thumb against his index finger. "Land Preachman's belief probably saved Nova's life. The beloved Lock Tannis hates Theo more than He hates anyone else."

"Beloved?" Summer said. "Why did you call Lock Tannis beloved?"

"I love Him," Bane said. Summer took a step back. "I worship the man. I love Him, Summer."

No Freeman stood in the room, but Bane did. Summer had a Freeman pistol and a Soynite one. Space stations were laserproof. If Summer fired a laser within this one, it could ricochet off the walls and the floor and wound someone.

Did Bane want to wound Summer or Anne?

"Stay away from me," she said, backing away.

Bane took a step closer to the woman, one who would rather shoot Lock than support him.

"I don't want to hurt you, Summer," Bane said. "I believe we can assist each other. I need to build a family. I am a man, and you are a woman. And there is a baby who needs two parents. If you help me spread the glory of Lock Tannis, I will love you forever."

Summer had survived Soy's invasion, and Bane had helped her do that. But she wouldn't let her savior kill her. The Majestics might hate her, and she couldn't return to them. Bane could help her survive against the Majestics and other people who might want to kill her.

"Do you mean that?" Summer said. "You will love me forever?"

"Just as long as you praise and worship the greatest being of all time, darling," Bane replied. He rubbed Summer's cheek. "Anne also needs a father. If you want an easier life for her, you and I have to fall in love. It's your choice, ultimately."

Summer had chosen to abduct Anne. Bane had chosen to save them, and he had taken them to his home. Lilly had married the Supreme High, and Summer could fall in love with the person who had saved her and her baby not long ago.

"I know," Summer said. Anne kept her blue eyes open. "I took Anne away from her birth parents, but it was my choice. And now you're giving me the choice to join you. If I don't do it, you will kill me."

Bane might try murdering Summer, but she would find a way to kill him if he attempted to murder her.

"Erase that negativity," Bane said. He put a hand on his chest. "I've only killed one Soynite, Summer. You don't have to become my second Soynite kill. I like you. There's plenty of time for you to believe in the glory of Lock Tannis. I had less patience with my father, and that didn't end well for him."

Bane smirked. Summer didn't.

"Not only are you a great lady, but you're a Watcher," Bane said. "Our future brothers and sisters are going to need a great warrior who will help them survive. Are you a good shooter?"

"I won't miss," Summer said.

"You are wonderful."

Bane ran his fingers through Summer's brown hair, and she smiled. She saw no Freemans she had to kill, yet her heart pounded.

"You took Anne from her parents," Bane said. "You did what Alice Endman's kidnapper did. You abducted a baby. How did you manage to take Anne away from Theo and Lilly?"

"The Freemans were attacking the royal palace," Summer said. "My parents were dead. I assume that a Freeman had murdered them. I went to the royal palace to protect everyone who lived there, and I definitely wanted to protect Anne. I found Theo. I blamed him for what was happening, because he was the one who decided not to help Reed Pisces destroy the Freemans."

Bane nodded. "Reed Pisces was right. Theo shouldn't have banished him."

"I was angry with Theo, and I was disappointed in him. What's happening to Soy right now is his fault. Anyway, I wanted to protect Anne. I needed to get her away from her family. And I needed to get her away from Soy. I shot Theo in the leg. The strife daggers that were close to him let me do that. Vera showed up. She is Hailey's Watcher. Vera was holding her, but she still could've killed me. She didn't, though. I got away from her, Hailey, and Theo."

Summer's breath shook, as if she were running inside the Soynite royal palace as Freemans attacked it. She didn't have to do that anymore. She had escaped that home.

"I had a baby to take," Summer said. "But there were Freemans inside the palace. I saw Lilly and Nick. His Watcher, Pristine, got shot by a Freeman. She died. I killed some Freemans, and then I reached Theo and Lilly's bedroom. Anne shared it with them. She was in her crib. This baby girl was so adorable, as usual. I picked her up, and then I ran out of the palace."

Theo hadn't stopped Summer from taking Anne from the royal palace. No one had.

"There were Freeman spaceships in the sky," Summer said. "You saw them. Freeman spaceships were in the sky, but there were Soynite ones parked in the backyard, and I was going to take one of them. A Freeman showed up. Archer Endman's wife, Holly, killed him. Archer was with her. We talked. And they wanted me to go with them. Me and Anne."

"But you didn't," Bane said.

"I couldn't leave with Archer and Holly. If I went with them, they probably would've found Theo or Lilly. And one of them might have taken Anne from me. I couldn't let that happen. But I really do hope that Archer and Holly are still alive, and I do hope they find Alice."

Alice Endman might have died years ago, or maybe her abductor hadn't murdered her. Whoever had taken Alice from Archer and Holly had baby-stealing experience. So did Summer.

"I know that I kidnapped Anne, but I'll be good to her," Summer said. "I'm not going to hurt her."

Summer stood in a blue room, one within a space station. Freemans might be able to use Soynite teleportation stones to infiltrate Soynite space stations, but Summer saw no Freemans. Thanks to her new ally, she had found a safe place.

"Follow me," Bane said. "You will put the baby to bed, then we'll talk some more."

He turned before walking.

Summer followed.

They moved through several halls, ones that were blue and not splattered with blood. Soon, the three Soynites were inside a room with a bed, a wooden dresser, and a blue crib. A desk hugged a wall. And a chair remained under it.

"I'm assuming that this is my room now," Summer said.

"Yes," Bane told her. He leaned against a blue wall. "Years from now, this space station will have many people living inside it. They will be our brothers and sisters, wonderful Soynites who will praise and worship Lock Tannis. He had a good reason for making His Freemans attack Soy. When I tell you that reason, you will know why He deserves to be worshiped."

"I hope you're right."

Bane gestured to the crib. "Put Anne to bed."

Summer kissed Anne's forehead before putting her in the crib. Summer curled her thin fingers around its railing.

"I love you, Anne," she said.

Summer took her Soynite laser gun from her pocket before setting it on the desk. She removed Anne's pendant and placed it beside the weapon.

"How old are you, Summer?" Bane asked.

"Twenty-one," Summer said.

"You're young. Good. I'll die of old age before you do. Our family will need a new leader when I'm gone. And I want that person to be you."

Summer faced Bane. If he hadn't killed that Freeman earlier, she and Anne might have died.

"I appreciate you, Bane," Summer said. "You saved me and my daughter, but can you keep us safe?"

"I can, and I will," Bane said. "Safety is what I want, too. I can't help Lock Tannis if I'm dead. If you were dead, you wouldn't be able to, either. I need you and Anne to be safe, which the two of you are."

Bane had teleported himself, Summer, and Anne to his space station. No Freemans tried murdering them. Summer had gone to a better place, but how long would she be safe for?

"You will be part of my family," Bane said. "I can see the past. And I can see the future. I haven't seen you in a precognition, but you will be part of my family. You will love me, and I will love you. The Majestics will try to take their daughter back, and you and I both know that. It's best for you to oppose them. Side with Lock Tannis. That's a must. You hate Him, but that hatred won't last."

Bane looked at the pendant Summer wore.

"No family of mine will wear a Soynite pendant," he said. "When you become a worshiper of Lock Tannis, you won't wear that pendant anymore. No worshiper of His will wear one."

"Right," Summer said.

Bane left the room, and he gestured for Summer to do the same. She obeyed. As they stood in front of each other in the hall, he put a hand on her shoulder. It was nice, like seeing Anne smile.

"I'm going to tell you the truth," Bane said. "When I tell it to you, you will understand why Lock Tannis deserves to be worshiped."

Bane told Summer a dreadful truth, and they spent time talking to each other.

Summer removed her Soynite pendant. "Okay. I'll worship Lock Tannis."

"You've made the right choice, Summer," Bane said. "Don't forget that. Anne should make the right choice, too. She's a baby. It will be easy to make her realize that she should worship Lock, not fight Him. As for her birth parents, we can't let them live. Theo Majestic will never realize that Lock deserves to be worshiped. And Lilly will always side with Theo."

Summer hadn't killed Theo, but she could have. If he died, he wouldn't be able to take Anne back, or kill Lock. Summer had chosen to worship Him. Theo and Lilly might never make the choice Summer had made.

"You're right," Summer said. "We'll have to kill them."

Bane held her hands. "And you and I will have to marry each other. One day."

Summer had become Anne's second mother. The girl hadn't gained a second father, but she could. Summer looked at Bane's lips. Holding hands with him, she pressed her lips against his. Her first kiss.

"We'll do it for Anne," Summer said. "And she will know that Lock Tannis deserves to be worshiped. I serve Him now, and Anne will do the same."

"Her siblings will be given a chance to worship Him," Bane said. "We'll give Nick, Nova, and Hailey the opportunity to join our family. If they decide not to, something terrible will happen to them."

Bane smiled, as if someone had told him Anne's siblings had agreed to worship Lock.

"Our family is called the Lock Tannis Church," Bane said. "It's just me, you, and Anne right now, but other Soynites will join us."

"And me and you will be in love," Summer said.

She had fled the Soynite royal palace with Anne, a baby who relied on Summer to keep her alive. Bane had saved them. He deserved a reward, like he deserved a wife.

Summer removed her shirt before dropping it onto the floor.

"What are you doing?" Bane asked.

"I'm taking off my clothes," Summer replied. She unclasped her bra and placed it on her discarded shirt. "I want you, Bane, and I know that you want me. I'm ready to do this."

"In that case, keep taking off your clothes," Bane said.

Not long after that, Summer stood naked in front of Bane. He smiled before embracing her. She hugged him back. Bane had saved Summer tonight. She had never done what Theo and Lilly had done to make the precious Anne Majestic, but she would.

The hug ended, and Summer gave Bane a kiss. She did it with pleasure, as if they had been lovers for years.

"Come on," she said. "We have to put my bed to good use."