Green Jacket was assessing him.
You’re prey to her.Recognizing the need to assert himself before he appeared vulnerable, he stared back, hardening his jaw.
“I see the resemblance,” she remarked.
“To my father?”
Green Jacket’s lips curled enigmatically.
Her companion wrinkled her nose. “He smells different.”
Yiran sensed she wasn’t talking about odor. She was a Hybrid, her sense of smell honed to pick out spiritual energy. What was it abouthisscent that warranted that remark?
“Different as in more delicious?” he joked, testing his boundaries.
The Hybrid raised her overplucked brows. “Nope.”
“Different can be interesting,” Green Jacket purred. “Who doesn’t like something more exotic sometimes.” She ran a tongue over her teeth.
“You’re making him uncomfortable, Celeste,” Henry chided good-naturedly.
Celeste made a sucking sound through her teeth, but she didn’t retort.
For want of something to do, Yiran picked up the device the other Hybrid had left on the ledge. Shaped like a small battery pack, it reminded Yiran of the kind of equipment the Guild designed.
“That little gem in your hand takes everything offline, and I mean everything,” Henry told him. “All those qi sensors the Exorcists placed around the city? We’ve been able to disable their older models. It’s only a matter of time before the new ones are useless against us too.”
“Why did he use it on me?” Yiran asked, putting the device down.
Henry grinned. “Our engineer embedded a new function recently that allows us to sniff out certain tracking devices implanted into the flesh. Can’t be too safe.”
The Hybrids used technology to their benefit. They had engineers andcombat teams, and they recruited new members regularly. It sounded so familiar.
What and whom the Guild created will ultimately destroy it.
His father had built a well-oiled machine modeled after what he knew best.
“Turned out to be a good thing,” Henry went on. “Just the other day, we used it on a—”
“You’re talking too much, Henry,” Celeste said abrasively. “You barely know the boy—don’t forget what he did.”
“Not that again,” Henry said, shaking his head. “He’s with us now, and he’s the boss’s son. Give it a rest.”
“Give it a rest?” Celeste spat. “They were myfriends, Henry. And they were my friends before the boss came along.”
She shot a venomous look at Yiran. He could feel the heat of her animosity, but he wasn’t sure why he was her target. Who were thefriendsshe was talking about? She stomped out the back door and slammed it shut.
“Don’t mind her,” Henry said, placing a bottle of cider on the counter. “Have a drink.”
Yiran popped the cap and slid onto a barstool. “So... you just hang out here?”
Before Henry could answer, the trapdoor opened, and Yuki’s head poked out. Ignoring everyone else, he went to Yiran. “Let’s go.”
Nodding goodbye to Henry, Yiran took his cider and followed.
“Made any friends?” Yuki said wryly, after the door had shut behind them.
“Henry seems nice,” Yiran said, jogging to keep up. Yuki was speed walking away from the bar for some reason.
