Page 105 of Tempting Fate

Bekatal swallowed. “Yes. Calls herself Stalker. She’s notorious. Very good success rate.”

Shit.

I shivered, and Fenn hooked their arm into mine.

The disruption in the dome stopped. More voices from by the wall. I edged past the group, trying to see what was happening.

Bekatal held me back. “Don’t. If she knows your friend has a human companion, we can’t let you be seen.”

He was right, of course, and I paced backwards, out of sight. “I want to hear what’s going on.”

“Have you got your comm?”

“Yeah.” I pulled it out and swiped away a pop-up.

“I’ll open a call, you can listen,” he said.

A faint smile touched my lips. He didn’t have to do this for me, but like most people here, it didn’t surprise me that he would. “Thanks.”

Fenn and I crept away from the boundary. We huddled against the wall of a building, and I put my comm on speaker.

Tokki’s stern voice was faint through the connection. “You’re not getting in.”

“I’m not leaving without my bounty.” The deep, sinuous voice held an ethereal quality, yet it rasped like grit on metal and sent shivers through all my nerves.

Shadow stalker. I couldn’t imagine what she might look like.

“He’s not here,” Tokki said.

“So let me in, prove it, and I will leave.”

“Never going to happen.”

Stalker gave a guttural whistle that could have been a huff or a sigh. “I’ve succeeded in far better defended places than this. Give it time, Tokora kai Gadha.”

Tokki’s voice was colder than I’d ever heard it. “If you think that’s ever been my name, you’re less informed than you should be.”

The comm cut out.

I shivered, chills that made my whole body jump and shudder without stopping. Hearing Stalker, how determined she was, brought the situation into terrifying clarity, and for the first time, I was truly scared for Airida.

I stared at the sky. The dome was still again, the smooth blue forcefield as unblemished and perfect as if a shapeshifting hunter hadn’t been battering it only minutes ago.

A group of shaa’ith marched past, but they spoke of logistics, and I tuned them out.

“Is now a good time to tell you I’ve found a few options in town?” Fenn said as we trudged back to our beds. “I know they’re not after me, but it doesn’t feel safe here any more.”

It really didn’t. But I couldn’t leave Airida to deal with this on his own. “Let’s talk about it in the morning.”

Our days had turned into Lovers of Lietan marathons. It was far more soap opera than was probably good for a person, but between continually broken sleep and nagging worry, the distraction was welcome. While Fenn escaped into town with friends, I ran away to fictional faces and Airida’s arms.

His voice rumbled behind me. “When do you think Vaenallra will finally accept Yoria’s gift?”

“Not yet. She’s been hurt too many times. She’s not going to give in easily.”

“And yet Yoria still tries.”

In Kri’s shrine, Orbit buzzed her carapace. She plodded to the edge of the table and stepped off, dipping down before spreading her wings and flying upwards.