Page 20 of Strays
But a few minutes later, Commander Eneas steps into the lobby, and one look at his face tells me this isn’t a test. Something’s wrong.
I don’t feel my legs as we follow him into an empty room. There’s a long table with chairs and a video camera set up on top. We sit across from him and brace ourselves.
He looks at us for a long moment, and I catch something in his eyes I’m not used to seeing from other aegis: sympathy.
“I’m sorry, officers,” he says. “Despite having previously agreed to this meeting, the nyra didn’t show. As I’m sure you know, it is the nyra’s prerogative to withdraw from the match process at any point prior to the bonding bite.”
No.
No fucking way.
“Maybe something happened, sir.” Jay says, his voice tight. “I know you can’t give us her information, but could you try contacting her?”
The commander sighs. “We’ve been trying for the last two hours. Her phone’s off. It’s not common, but this isn’t the first time a nyra has backed out of a match possibility.”
He stands. “The Matching Center will continue trying to reach her. If she changes her mind, you’ll be contacted to reschedule. I wish you the best ofluck.”
Then he’s gone.
We sit in stunned silence. I don’t know how long we stay frozen until a staff member comes in and tells us to leave.
So we do.
I don’t even know where we’re going; we just wander through the MAB grounds in a daze. I want to scream. I want to break something. I need to run, but the track’s inside the training center, and we don’t have clearance to use it.
So we just keep walking.
I only realize we’ve reached the gate when a woman’s voice cuts through the haze, sharp and furious, yelling at the pack guarding the entrance. I wouldn’t have given it a second thought, except for what she’s saying.
The human has courage, yelling her lungs off with her finger in the face of an aegis at least a foot taller than her. “Look, assholes, I just drove for five hours, I left my kid home to help my friend out, just to get here and none of you can carry a fucking message? Is it really so hard for you lazy asses to walk over there and tell your people why she couldn’t make it to her meeting?”
I stop cold.
Could she be talking about our meeting? I’m running before I know it, my brothers on my heels.
“Can I help you?” I call out as I approach.
The blond woman turns to me, still fuming. “Oh, you can help,” she snaps. “My friend had an important meeting here today at one p.m., but she got involved in an accident last night. She’s in the hospital. I tried calling your center, but all I got was some useless guy who says meetings can’t be rescheduled.”
“How bad is she hurt?” Shane asks. “Take us to her!”
The woman whips her head toward him. “Oh, sure. I’ll just lead three giant strangers straight to my injured friend. Great idea!”
Smart girl. Shane’s not thinking straight. Neither am I, if I’m honest.
“You don’t understand,” Shane insists. “I think we may be the pack she was supposed to meet.”
“Then go back and tell your people to reschedule,” the woman fires back. “I’m not taking you to her.”
“Wait here,” I tell her, and I sprint back to the administrative building.
Shane and Jay don’t follow this time. I think they’re afraid the girl might leave if she’s left alone with the guards. I know I am. I need this girl to fix everything that went wrong for us today.
Once Commander Eneas takes over, we’re told to return to the housing unit and wait. I feel hope crawling back into my chest. After thinking everything was lost, we’ve got another shot. I’ll wait another lifetime if it means a second chance.
Less than an hour later, a MAB pack knocks on our door.
One of them speaks, and the words feel like magic. “The nyra you were supposed to meet today was hit by a car last night. She’s in stable condition and cleared to receive visitors. She’s agreed to hold the match meeting at the hospital. There’s a car waiting to take you.”
