Page 11 of Red Marked

Quake nods slowly.

Holy shit!

“I’m listening.” I keep my voice low.

We wait, and then we wait some more.

Quake frowns. He seems to be thinking about what he wants to say. Maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part.

After a time, his jaw works.

“You…right.” His voice is deep and rough with disuse.

I nod once, keeping my eyes on his.

Pryce makes a strangled noise, but quickly catches himself.

“Females.” Quake pushes each word out separately from the last, like he has to dig for them. “Live…in…mountains.” It’s a rough rasp.

“How long have they been there?”

He shakes his head. “Long…time.”

I wait to see if he has more to say, but he doesn’t.

“How did they get there?” I ask.

He gives one shrug.

“How have they survived?” I almost ask myself. Not even expecting a reply.

His jaw works again. “They kill…males who try.” He drags in a breath. “Not…see again.” He shakes his head.

Dr. Pryce clears his throat.

“The two without markings,” I say. “Do you know anything about them? Where they came from?”

He shrugs his massive shoulders and shakes his head, looking down at his feet.

“Are they Draig females?”

Nothing.

Fair enough. He’s confirmed the part that matters. It sounds like there’s a settlement of them out there who are killing anything male that gets close. I’m sure the Draig females are there too. At least two of them are.

“Thank you,” I tell him.

Dr. Archer walks over and crouches in front of him at a careful distance. “You did well,” she says. “Really well.”

She smiles at us before looking back at Quake.

He doesn’t answer her. His eyes have already gone somewhere else, that flat middle-distance stare he had when I first looked through the glass.

Pryce is grinning when I look back at him.

“Flint, that’s remarkable,” he says.

“It is,” I say. “We’re doing good work.” I start toward the door. “I have to get moving; my team will be waiting.”