“And could you call Bruno and Isaac for me? I’m heading out in
a minute.”
Solomon sighed noisily. “Fine. Be there
in fifteen minutes.”
The line went dead. Greyson rubbed his face, then padded
downstairs to get dressed.
****
“God, does this road never end?” Eva muttered from the passenger’s
side of Lucy’s borrowed car. The headlights barely pierced the darkness. Off to
the west, an owl hooted, giving her the willies.
“This is crazy, you know that, right?” Lucy said to Eva, not for
the first time. “Does your Sentry know you’re slinking away in the middle of
the night? I mean, I’ve had my share of hookup walks-of-shame the next morning
and it sucks, but I don’t think Mr. Dark is going to be happy about this.”
“I have to get home. I have to check something,” Eva said,
clenching her fingers into fists. She was so nervous she was shaking. “Just keep
going.”
Lucy looked disgusted, but she kept her foot on the gas, driving
slowly through the trees. “This is insane, you know.” She put on her high
beams, wincing as she barely missed hitting a shrub.
“No, it isn’t. Having sex with him was insane,” Eva muttered.
Lucy huffed. “Yeah, no. Sleeping with him
was the smartest thing you ever did. Leaving? Not so much.”
“I have no choice,” Eva said, biting her lip to keep from crying.
She really didn’t want to leave him, but the thought of what could happen… She
shook her head.
“Why? Why do you have to sneak off? He’s going to freak out.” Lucy
finally pulled onto the road and sped up. “I’m having palpitations and he’s not
even going to be mad at me.”
“He won’t hurt you,” Eva said, rubbing her eyes. God, she was
tired.
Lucy flashed her a hostile look. “Yeah, right.”
“He won’t. Anyway, this is more important than one man’s hurt
feelings.”
“He’s not a man, Eva. He’s a Sentry. That’s an entirely
different animal. They call us mortals, did you know that? Because they live
almost forever and we don’t. Who knows how he’s going to react to this?” Lucy
turned onto Eva’s road and slowed down. “Was the sex not good? Is that why you
bolted?” She shook her head as she pulled into Eva’s driveway and shut off the
car. “I can’t imagine him sucking in bed.”
“No, for God’s sake, he didn’t suck,” Eva said, feeling her face
go hot. Just the thought of the things they’d done had her blushing. “It was
good. Great, actually.”
“Then why this?” Lucy opened her door and got out.
Eva sighed. She’d tried to get Lucy to just drop her off and go
home, but her friend ignored her. She got out and followed her to the house. “There
are other things at stake here.”
“What, the fate of the world? Please. Tell me another one,” Lucy
scoffed.
Yeah, exactly that, she thought, looking away from her
friend’s too-penetrating gaze.
“No. Oh, no. You can’t be serious.” Lucy frowned.
Eva opened the front door and flicked on a light, blinking as her
eyes adjusted. The box with her computer was… right over there. She headed for
the sofa.
“Eva, please tell me you’re not doing something crazy.” Lucy
followed her inside.
“That depends on your definition of crazy,” Eva replied, ripping
open the box and pulling out her laptop. She set it on her knees and booted it
up before she lost her nerve. Surely the ring would protect her and Lucy,
right? It had the last time. And Greyson had charged it for her, too. He’d said
so.
“The definition of crazy?” Lucy snorted. “There is no other definition! Crazy is crazy.”
She plopped down beside Eva. “What does crazy have to do with your computer?”
Eva took a deep breath. “You know that the Sentries have tech we
don’t understand, right?”
Lucy nodded. “Yeah.”
“Well, someone managed to hack into their net, Stronghold.”
“That’s impossible,” Lucy said flatly.
“I wish,” Eva muttered under her breath. “Well, Bruno Day thinks I’m
the
a minute.”
Solomon sighed noisily. “Fine. Be there
in fifteen minutes.”
The line went dead. Greyson rubbed his face, then padded
downstairs to get dressed.
****
“God, does this road never end?” Eva muttered from the passenger’s
side of Lucy’s borrowed car. The headlights barely pierced the darkness. Off to
the west, an owl hooted, giving her the willies.
“This is crazy, you know that, right?” Lucy said to Eva, not for
the first time. “Does your Sentry know you’re slinking away in the middle of
the night? I mean, I’ve had my share of hookup walks-of-shame the next morning
and it sucks, but I don’t think Mr. Dark is going to be happy about this.”
“I have to get home. I have to check something,” Eva said,
clenching her fingers into fists. She was so nervous she was shaking. “Just keep
going.”
Lucy looked disgusted, but she kept her foot on the gas, driving
slowly through the trees. “This is insane, you know.” She put on her high
beams, wincing as she barely missed hitting a shrub.
“No, it isn’t. Having sex with him was insane,” Eva muttered.
Lucy huffed. “Yeah, no. Sleeping with him
was the smartest thing you ever did. Leaving? Not so much.”
“I have no choice,” Eva said, biting her lip to keep from crying.
She really didn’t want to leave him, but the thought of what could happen… She
shook her head.
“Why? Why do you have to sneak off? He’s going to freak out.” Lucy
finally pulled onto the road and sped up. “I’m having palpitations and he’s not
even going to be mad at me.”
“He won’t hurt you,” Eva said, rubbing her eyes. God, she was
tired.
Lucy flashed her a hostile look. “Yeah, right.”
“He won’t. Anyway, this is more important than one man’s hurt
feelings.”
“He’s not a man, Eva. He’s a Sentry. That’s an entirely
different animal. They call us mortals, did you know that? Because they live
almost forever and we don’t. Who knows how he’s going to react to this?” Lucy
turned onto Eva’s road and slowed down. “Was the sex not good? Is that why you
bolted?” She shook her head as she pulled into Eva’s driveway and shut off the
car. “I can’t imagine him sucking in bed.”
“No, for God’s sake, he didn’t suck,” Eva said, feeling her face
go hot. Just the thought of the things they’d done had her blushing. “It was
good. Great, actually.”
“Then why this?” Lucy opened her door and got out.
Eva sighed. She’d tried to get Lucy to just drop her off and go
home, but her friend ignored her. She got out and followed her to the house. “There
are other things at stake here.”
“What, the fate of the world? Please. Tell me another one,” Lucy
scoffed.
Yeah, exactly that, she thought, looking away from her
friend’s too-penetrating gaze.
“No. Oh, no. You can’t be serious.” Lucy frowned.
Eva opened the front door and flicked on a light, blinking as her
eyes adjusted. The box with her computer was… right over there. She headed for
the sofa.
“Eva, please tell me you’re not doing something crazy.” Lucy
followed her inside.
“That depends on your definition of crazy,” Eva replied, ripping
open the box and pulling out her laptop. She set it on her knees and booted it
up before she lost her nerve. Surely the ring would protect her and Lucy,
right? It had the last time. And Greyson had charged it for her, too. He’d said
so.
“The definition of crazy?” Lucy snorted. “There is no other definition! Crazy is crazy.”
She plopped down beside Eva. “What does crazy have to do with your computer?”
Eva took a deep breath. “You know that the Sentries have tech we
don’t understand, right?”
Lucy nodded. “Yeah.”
“Well, someone managed to hack into their net, Stronghold.”
“That’s impossible,” Lucy said flatly.
“I wish,” Eva muttered under her breath. “Well, Bruno Day thinks I’m
the
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