If being infected with nanites was something to celebrate, they were doing this in style.
Willow sat beside her, while Maura and Tom, the beaster who reminded her of an angel, parked themselves to the left of Locke. Though she was unsure where Maura had been hiding, the woman had adapted to their tenuous, linked existence and stayed near enough to be safe from the Lure. Anyone who’d felt it more than once would recognize its subtle creep.
Others arrived, people she didn’t know, and they chose places to sit at either end of the gathering.
Champagne was poured, and they toasted to Cyn’s future. Snack packets were opened, a pan of BBQ wings was passed along, and she was never going to ask what sort of wings these were. They tasted good, and the dribbles of marinade were delicious to lick off her hand, and Vargr’s too, when he laughingly offered.
Fresh fruit, it was the one thing she pined for still. The crunch of an apple under her teeth. Even a chunk of broccoli would be heaven—yes, she must be mad.
Then Rutger turned up. After many apologies, he had Willow shift along so he could sit to the right of Cyn.
“Punched enough walls then?” Though his expression said mild annoyance, Vargr looked closer to intrigued.
Here she was with the beaster who definitely wanted to fuck her on one side and Vargr on the other, and that only made him look curious? It madeherfeel all sorts of possibly taboo things. What if she had both in bed with her or wherever? On table, room, against wall…Gah.She’d seen the suggestion of size in those pants, and this Worshipper beaster had grown a cock to match his new body.
If Rutger stayed there for long, she’d need new underwear. His thigh was touching hers. Then she remembered she had none on.
Priority note: Find new underwear.
“Yes. I have punched enough walls.” His fists were bloodied. Studiously, he wet a cloth with white wine Willow gifted him and cleaned his knuckles. “I call it PNT—post nanite trauma.” Rutger tossed the balled-up cloth over the glass fence, watched it fall. “I get angry, feel the need to hit something well up inside me, and I’d rather damage a wall than people.”
“Wise. A glass for the man?” Vargr asked Locke, and he rummaged behind him, poured a new glass and handed it along. She gave the cool glass to Rutger. Fingers brushed fingers. Her chest hitched, and she became far too aware of how close his hand had been to her breast.
The conversations resumed. The electric sensations having their own party in her intimate zone subsided, a little. She sighed and tried to act civilized. Glass of bubbly in hand, thebubbles rising in the yellow, she drank and listened, smothered by maleness but happy.
How could she be happy at such a time?
Yes, it was true. Here be more than darkness. The times were… macabre, yet one could not survive by swimming in anger and turmoil, in musing of the coming end times, it would destroy you. Her dark-accustomed eyes let her interpret the moon-washed land that unrolled below. She’d not seen the ground for years.
“A game reserve?” she murmured. “Is that what this once was?”
“Yes.” Willow chimed in then squealed. “What the hell was that?” As she turned, a large tongue swiped at her again, straight up the side of her face. “Awww, it’s you, sweetie.”
The nanodog, Toother, had tracked them down. Or rather, maybe he’d aimed for Willow in particular. She was scratching under his chin and cooing at him.
“You’ve met, I gather?” Rutger asked the question she was thinking.
“We sure have. I think he likes me.”
“Or your taste?”
That made Cyn giggle-snort.
“Pfft.” Willow waved a dismissal with one hand. “Rutger, you might act like a civilized man, but I swear you arenotunderneath that thick hide.”
His laugh rocked Cyn, then his fingertips brushed her thigh. A second later, Vargr’s hand landed on her other thigh.
“And I swear this is absolutely true. I’m an uncouth sort.” Rutger squeezed her leg.
Fuck.She needed a distraction with these two playing with her legs. Cyn cleared her throat. “So. If we ever get rid of the GLs, do you think we could go down there again? Repopulate?”
“Notwithout kids.” Her man gulped some wine. “But farming and all that, of course we would.”
“We would. I’d be the first to try.” Combing her hand through her short white locks, Maura added, “And with time and scientific effort we might reverse this infertility problem. It’s our land even if we cannot inhabit it currently.”
The others agreed. More wine was poured, and Cyn held out her glass. She could sleep this off before the meeting.
Maura’s somber tone affected her. She held the glass to her chin, thinking. For the first time in a while she sensed the threads of the Lure. Pale pink threads. She’d never seen them in color before.
