Page 77 of Kingdom of Tomorrow
A glower crashed into me, throwing me to the ground. Instinct kicked in, overriding any fear. I fought, not to defend myself but to hobble my foe, but I needn’t have bothered. The beautiful Ember hovered over my fallen form, peering down with eyes as bright as stars and as deep as an ocean. Shock immobilized me as a shimmering force field formed a bubble around us. Her light filled it, pushing out all darkness. The rest of the world faded from existence.
“So far you’ve been nothing but trouble,” she snapped, holding two feeders by their throats. The worms hissed while the infected menscreamed in pain. Contact with her flesh seared them, tendrils of smoke curling from their skin. Unbothered, she added, “Another victim is slated for the chopping block. If you wish to know more, come to Soal. But do it quickly. Time runs out.”
“Ha!” Hurry. Limited time. Almost too late. The same tacticCuredhad used to lure me here. I intended to advance my investigation into Soal and his Soalians, yes, but this wasn’t the way. “Let me guess. That victim is me.”
“Come to Soal,” she repeated. “You won’t like what happens if you don’t.” With superhuman strength, she slammed the feeders together and tossed them aside. The bubble vanished, taking Ember and her light with it.
“Where’d the glowers go?” Roman shouted.
“Get in formation,” Cyrus commanded. “Now!”
“Someone netted me,” Juniper called, and it was clear she was near tears.
“You probably shouldn’t have moved into the line of fire then,” Lark snarled.
My ears twitched in time with rustling sounds as I climbed to my feet.
“Thank you,” Juniper cried, and I figured Cyrus had freed her.
I raced to position myself shoulder to shoulder with my fellow trainees. Panting, I darted my gaze, on the lookout for a threat and wondering who had noticed my private moment with Ember. Seconds blurred into an eternity, but I detected no new flashes of light. No feeders either. Most surprising, no one launched accusations of fraternizing with the enemy my way. Maybe the bubble had hidden us.
“Everyone all right?” Cyrus called. “Sound off in order.”
“Arden, alive and well,” I rasped.
“Titus, scratched up but good.”
On and on we went—only a few soldiers with minor injuries. I didn’t expel a sigh of relief until everyone was accounted for.
“We’ll finish our trek,” Cyrus informed us. “Don’t drop your guard. We don’t know how many feeders are lingering in the shadows.” He started forward, a gun and bloodstained axe in hand, and I followed.
Our team made it to the base without incident, entering a well-lit room. We immediately relocated to a second area for group decontamination. Ragged, I ripped off my headpiece and scanned my teammates. They looked as shell shocked as I felt, with wild eyes and crimson-splattered armor.
Cyrus was just as battered, his features etched with anger I didn’t understand. His brand pulled taut as he scanned me from top to bottom. When he met my gaze, he arched a brow, silently askingAre you truly okay?
Physically? Yeah. Mentally and emotionally? I wobbled my hand back and forth. Probably not.
Turning on his heel, he escorted us to a row of private stalls. After sealing myself inside the one assigned to me, I stripped, showered, bandaged my wounds with the provided supplies, and dressed in the waiting T-shirt and fatigues.
I emerged from a second door into a sterile hallway, where Cyrus stood alone, freshly showered and changed. His fatigues molded to his strength.
Warmth danced over my skin, my nervous system awakening. Not because of the HP, his sizzling hotness or his insidious intentions, but because of the plan. Only the plan. My objective came with risks.
“Would you like to visit a medic?” he asked, his easy tone doing nothing to settle me.
“No, thanks. I have a few bumps, bruises, and gashes, but I’m in pretty good condition, all things considered.”
“Good.” All smolder, he asked, “Would you like to interrogate me over dinner, Arden? Just the two of us.”
Blood at the boiling point raced in my veins, and flutters tickled my belly.Careful.He might have taken things up a notch, but the man who claimed to hate lies was still only playing a part.
But so was I. “Yes, thank you.”
He extended his arm in my direction, as sturdy as steel. I hesitated only a beat before twining my fingers with his.Ignore his warmth. Ignore the sweetness of his hold.“This isn’t very professional of us.” Someone should say it.
“We bypassed professional on day one.” He shepherded me to an elevator, where he flattened his free palm on an ID pad. “Will I be forced to bargain with you so you’ll eat?”
“No, sir.” I wasn’t too nervous to ditch my meal bars. “I’ll consume my portion and probably half of yours.”
