“You…” She sounded like she’d been punched.The flash of red rage pushing through him at the thought of anyone striking this particularliraitightened his skin, lifted his lip with a snarl.“Oh my God.”She probably thought she was screaming, but it was merely a shocked whisper.
He turned his head slightly, not enough to catch her in peripheral vision though he longed to, but enough to let her know he was waiting for orders.Soon she’d understand that posture and wouldn’t leave one of her guards without guidance for long.
Of course, by then Erik would be back on duty in some other satellite, maybe even part of a different trio, depending on how badly he fucked this up.She’d probably want to keep Jake but get rid of him and Ignatius, and he didn’t blame her one bit.
It took a short while for her to realize she was still alive.She recovered more quickly than most, slight noises telling him she was pushing herself upright.Probably trembling, too, if the fearful little sips and gasps for breath were any indication.
“Is… is it gone?”she whispered finally, and he allowed himself a moment of believing she might almost understand.
“These are.”The growl was in his throat, and he still sounded close to murder.At least he was completely as advertised, and she’d figure that out sooner or later.“The others aren’t.”
“You mean there’smore?”Amazingly, the last word broke on a pale, shaky little laugh.It was the kind of sound a woman made before she passed out or underwent a complete psychotic break, and he wondered which way she’d jump.
She wasn’t retreating for the iron gate and the safety of the temple, though.A girl with mettle.
“Plenty more.”He really shouldn’t be talking to her, should just let events speak as they would.You’re safe,he longed to say.I’m here.
But that wouldn’t get him anything but kicked in the teeth, so he shut up.
“Planned this.”Very softly.“You guys got together and… An object lesson.Right?”
She was too smart by half.Erik kept his mouth shut and stayed where he was, though the underbrush was alive with thin sliding sounds.Crackling.Tiny creaks.
Amazingly, he also heard a soft, padding footstep.Then another, and the warmth of a Dreamer approaching fell on his back.Sunshine, on a cloudy day.
Wasn’t that a song?And why was he thinking of that when there were shadowbeasts drawing closer?What was she doing, hiding behind him?
Good instincts, though she didn’t know it.Maybe she was planning on stabbing him with a fork.
She stepped even closer.“All right.”The words broke midway on a not-quite-sob.“What do we do now?”
We, little girl?But that was a good sign.“Don’t suppose you’d like to go back inside.”
“I’m thinking about it.”A long shuddering exhale, soft and ragged.“I, uh… what areyougoing to do?”
Smart and brave, wasn’t she just the whole package.“Wait for you to make up your mind.”He wanted to addI’ve got all night, but they really didn’t.The longer she was out here, the higher the risk, even with Jake lurking atop the wall ready to reinforce and Father in the dark wilderness attempting to deter or outright slay most approaching predators.
“I’m really not feeling all that capable of handling this situation correctly,” Liv informed him, primly.It would have sounded better if she wasn’t shaking so hard her teeth chattered.It took her two tries to get the entire sentence out.
His mouth opened, despite his brain issuing strict prohibitions against the very act.“I’m surprised you haven’t passed out.”
“Me too.”A tiny, pale whisper, barely audible even to his enhance senses.“These things.What are they?”
That’s the right question.Good girl.“Shadowbeasts.Bits of the underside.”His throat was extremely dry.“You’ve seen them before.”
“Not while awake.”The admission, probably wrenched out of her by shock alone, wasalsosurprising, even if he’d suspected.“I’ve seen this, uh, before.But in my dream, you died.”
Ah.“Dreamers often have—” he said, but she made another soft, distressed noise and crumpled.
He almost dropped his knives, whirling to catch her before she hit the ground.In fact, he was a lot slower than he liked, and she almost struck concrete.He had her in his arms and was over the wall again in a hot second, the border protections a warm weight briefly stroking his entire body, given fresh strength by a potential’s nearness.
Erik didn’t like how everything had gone silent—underbrush, animals, and even the wind.“Jake?”
“Right here, oh master of discretion.”A theatrically sepulchral laugh drifted from the top of the wall even though little brother was all but invisible, his bright hair blurred with hunting camouflage.“She screamed.”
“Not after the thing was dead.”
Jake hated losing a bet even more than he hated spidery, greasyukkar-trawlers.“She still screamed.”
