Stone smooths a hand over my hair. “Absolutely. No pressure,mo stór.”
Blowing out a heavy breath, I close my eyes, trying to ignore the weighty stares boring into my skull, watching my every move. The nearly imperceptible hum of electricity is easy enough to sense and connect to, but it’s like pulling teeth to coax it into doing what I want. It alreadyhasa circuit, a pre-established path it’s happy to follow. As soon as I try to break it, it instantly seeks out a new outlet, and my fingertips go numb as I accidentally redirect the electricity into me instead of the secondary circuit.
Focus. Maybe I can’t do much, but I can at least not make things worse.
Careful not to pour all of that excess energy back in and fry the system, I picture pulling a lever to switch the tracks. The double beep has my eyes flying open, not really believing the tiny font on the screen statingSystem Unarmed.
Kodi whoops, capturing me around the waist and spinning us around, with a victorious grin. “Told you you’re amazing. Now come on, let’s see if they left anything good behind.”
Raiden holds the door open for us. “We’ll scavenge suppliesafteryou two secure the building. Amara can help me get the marker on the roof, and we’ll meet you in the lobby when we’re done.”
Kodiak sighs, letting me slide down his body as he reluctantly puts me down. “Yeah, alright.”
Stone palms the back of my neck, pulling me in for a swift, hard kiss. “Stay away from the edge of the roof. You’re swaying on your feet.”
I bite my cheek, reminding myself that I’m overtired and overthinking. Logically, Iknowhe wasn’t taking a jab, honestly concerned I’ll trip when I’m struggling to keep my eyes open. It’s me projecting my own insecurities because I’m hangry and need a nap.
“Promise.”
Raiden takes my hand to drag me away, thumb brushing over my pulse. Five minutes later, we’re trudging up a stairwell, and I’m eyeing the carpeted landing like it’s the nicest bed I’ve ever seen.
“So that’s how Avery finds you if you’re not at any of the legion-owned properties? She just flies around looking for a symbol?”
“She won’t bother circling the properties first since I told her to come straight back after retrieving the bag.” There’s a heavy rock right in front of the door to the roof that we use to prop it open, taking a wild guess that we’ll be locked out otherwise. Bringing scales to one arm and a talon to the other, he explains, “We used to do this all the time in the beginning. It’s how I trained her to be comfortable going on longer errands; she knows she can always find me.”
He begins popping red scales off, and I wince in sympathy. Picking them up off the ground first, I cup my hands under his arm to catch the rest of the morbid confetti.
“Howdidyou wind up with Avery?”
“I found her with a broken wing and nursed her back to health. The three of us had drifted apart, and I was at a particularly low point in my life, so it was nice having someone to come home to that needed me. By the time she was able to fly again, we were inseparable. From there, I started training her, and by Stone’s next visit home, I couldn’t imagine losing her. I begged him for a way to extend her lifespan, and the rest, as they say, is history.”
“How did Stone pull that off?”
Shaking out his sore arm, he gathers the pile of scales from me, starting to lay them out in a pattern in the center of the roof. “Infuses a gemstone with a fraction of his healing ability, then grinds it into a powder that I mix into her food.”
“Damn. Sometimes I forget how amazing you all are.”
Smoky grey eyes meet mine, an intensity in them that makes my skin flush. “How amazingweall are. You’re a force to be reckoned with, Amara. I wish you could see yourself as we do.”
“You’re biased.”
“It’s pronouncedwise.” Standing up, he brushes his palms off on his shorts, looking down at his handiwork. The celtic symbol has three clockwise spirals connecting from a central hub, the faint rays of the rising sun reflecting off of the red scales, traces of his blood helping keep them in place. “We can look for some tape in the morning. Come on, let’s see if there’s anything to eat in this place and find a good spot to relax for the night.” He glances at the sky and grimaces. “Or day, I suppose.”
We return downstairs to find Stone and Kodiak making themselves at home behind the concession counter. Popcorn is exploding inside the machine, a cardboard box full to bursting with boxes of candy has been torn into, and one of them has pulled bottles of water from one of the abandoned coolers. Kodi tosses me a box of candy and I rip it open, pouring half of it in my mouth and mentally swooning at the sugar rush.
Stone dishes popcorn out into several buckets. “We got theater three set up as home base.”
Snatching a cup and testing the soda machine, Raiden finds a couple flavors that aren’t tapped out yet. “Points of entry?”
Kodi loads up with snacks and leads the way to the theater. “All glass has been coated by a sheet of metal so no one can see inside, doors fused shut and barred, including fire exits. The only one I didn’t touch is the one leading to the roof, but that’s intentional. If I were to get knocked on my ass, you guys need an exit that doesn’t rely on me, and it’s difficult to access that one from the outside. We’ll have plenty of warning if someone attempts to break in.”
Raiden nods in approval. “Perfect, then let’s settle in and enjoy a few well-earned days off.”
I assumed we’d stuff our faces and crash, but as the doors swing shut behind me, the opening credits of a movie are rolling on the big screen. Kodi and Raiden start arguing over the best seats, leaving me standing in the aisle and wondering if this is all a fever dream.
Stone rests a hand on my lower back. “Ignore them, you can sit wherever you like.”
I can’t help it. The genuine concern in his voice over something as inconsequential as seating arrangements has me bursting out laughing. “Are we seriously pretending that we’re on vacation? Just going to sit around and wait for the next person that wants to kill us to show up?”
