Page 49 of City of the Lost
He flinched and closed his tawny eyes briefly. “I’m telling you to do what comes naturally, to stop listening to the world and listen to your heart. I’m telling you that it’s okay to be you.” He smiled. “The mating bond is whoIam. It drives me. Maybe this ... this need for more, is who you are. Maybe it’s what drivesyou.”
His words were like a lever prizing away the rock that had been sitting on my chest forever.
I reached up to frame his face with my hands because I needed to know. “Have I lost you?”
He tucked in his chin and pressed his forehead to mine. “I don’t know, Wila. Not yet. I need to go. I have some things I need to look into.” He pulled back, taking a piece of me with him. “I’ll see you later.”
The door closed softly behind him and Hound lifted his head and plonked it on my lap. I laid my head on his and sighed. “Thanks for the hug, boy. At least I know things between us will never get complicated.”
He chuffed.
“In a few hours, we can go and do what we do best.”
His ears perked up.
“Yeah, babe, we’re gonna go kick some alien metal ass.”
* * *
This was good,this was normal. K was locked and loaded. Hound was padding along beside me, and Azren was a few paces behind. The moon was high and bright, the sky an inky canopy of twinkles, and we were about to get ambushed by metal monsters.
This was normal.
The stadium was a mess. Turf had been overturned and raw materials like wood and metal poles were piled up along the sides of the arena. But yeah, we were taking a stroll up and down until the Genisi came for me. Hon was certain they would, and the elite were stationed around the perimeter ready to take them down.
“How you holding up?” Hon’s voice crackled in my ear.
“Ready to get this over with.”
“You and me both. I’m so ready to get off this rock.”
“Hey, it’s not that bad.”
She snorted. “Yeah, I’d say the same with that arm candy trailing me.”
“Leo’s pretty hot.”
She made a choking sound. “Leo and I aren’t a thing. He’s just ... yeah, we’re not.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I like your coat, by the way.”
“Yeah? This baby is bulletproof.”
“Really?” She sounded impressed. “I need to get me one of those.”
“I have a friend who may be able to hook you up.”
“Sweet.” There was a beat of silence. “You know, all we need is a little rolling fog and we’ll have the opening credits of a great new show. You in your dustkicker, huge hound at your side and crazy hot demon at your back. Dark, brooding, and—heads up!”
My brain glitched for a moment and then Hound was knocking me to the side as metal clanged against the spot where I’d just been standing. What did these fuckers do? Materialize in the fucking air.
Silver flashed in my periphery. I turned, raising an arm to block the blow, and the metal scraped across enchanted leather, sparking embers. I pivoted and slammed my other arm into the thing’s body; the blow threw it back a step, enough for one of the elite to get a hit with their electromagnetic gun, and the force of the blast knocked me off my feet.
Azren hauled me off the ground as the stadium was suddenly filled with the Genisi, and then the elite spilled out of the stacks and balls of blue electromagnetic power began to fly.
“Go, get out of here!” Hon screamed. “Meet us at the rendezvous point.”
