Page 64 of The Stone Secret
Orix chuckled and stroked the cat under his chin, then rubbed his ears. He was rewarded with a loud purr. “We’ll go for a wander later, I promise.”
“When are you taking him to the sanctuary again?” Selas asked with a smile. “You know he can’t stay here permanently. We could get called to Outpost Ten at any time. You can’t keep a pet.”
The cat slow-blinked his peridot eyes and fixed his attention on Selas, and I could have sworn he understood every word she said.
Orix sighed. “I know, I just…He’s special.” He dropped a kiss on Taz’s head, his golden hair falling forward, silver streaks gleaming in the overhead lights.
It was hard not to warm to the elite when he behaved like this. There was a tenderness about him when he interacted with the feline which was absent from most of his interactions.
The cat obviously loved the gargoyle. “Are cats prohibited at outposts?”
“Not that I’m aware,” Prasan said.
I shrugged. “Then we should definitely keep him.”
Orix beamed at me. “Thank you.”
“Do you regret trying to kill me now?”
“Urgh, woman! Will you ever let that slide?”
“Nope.”
Prasan chuckled and pushed back his seat. “On that note, I’ll get dessert.”
The next hour passed in easy conversation with the elites, but my thoughts kept straying to Serath out at Outpost Ten.
Hanging with the elites was pleasant enough, but I was glad to get away and up to my room. Prasan followed me into the elevator and hit the button for the top floor.
“Get some rest,” he said. “I’m sure Serath will be riding you hard tomorrow.”
“Nice choice of words.”
He looked horrified. “I didn’t mean…I mean…”
“I know.” The elevator pinged for my floor, and it hit me that I wouldn’t get a chance to warn Serath about Curi’s T-shirt and scent. I grabbed the door to stop it closing. “Will you see Serath when he gets back at dawn?”
“Probably. Why?”
I filled him in on our plan to get Levi off my tail by using Curi’s scent. “Can you warn him for me please?” I grimaced. “I don’t want him going all beast mode if he catches Curi’s scent on me during the day.”
“Of course.”
I headed to my room, bone weary, but I doubted I’d get much sleep tonight. Knowing that Serath was outside the safety of the academy, back at the outpost where he’d almost died…Yeah, sleep wouldn’t come easy.
CHAPTER26
SERATH
The dark expanse of space looks down on the outpost, and the world around me is silent and at peace. From high in the tower, everything seems small and insignificant.
This is my favorite spot when I’m here. Strengthening the wards is Willowman’s job; I’m merely an escort. Part of me wishes we could stay here longer. But the larger part loathes being away from Cameron.
We were told only Outpost Ten needed a fix, but once we got here, there was a message informing us of two more that needed looking at. At this rate, we won’t be back at the academy till almost midday. Goyles don’t need much sleep, but that’s cutting it fine, even for me. I’ll get maybe three hours before the training classes commence, which means I won’t see Cameron before she heads off to the dorms and her friends.
It’s stupid how much I crave simply being in her presence. Just to see her smile, to watch her eyes light up at the sight of me and know she feels what I do—that we have a connection that’s undeniable, no matter what the world says.
Bootfalls on the steps behind me signal an intrusion. The air spikes with a familiar scent, one that a few weeks ago would have spawned heat in my groin but now spawns unease.
