Darkside Sun by Jocelyn Adams

that.” She went out and left me.
    Only Asher’s threat to take my memories kept me from freaking right the hell out. Images of me chained in some circle of ruins waiting for the giant gorilla to come and snatch me up flitted through my brain before I shoved them into the don’t-be-stupid bin. They were not going to hurt me. I was pretty sure the Machine wanted me to work for them. I wouldn’t leave my life behind, of course, but they could have their little meet and greet. At least that was my theory on what tonight would be. Asher said we needed to make an impression. So I’d make one and get out of here.
    Shoulders back, my trembling nearly stopped, I walked across the tile in high-heeled shoes that must have had stilts as cousins. Girly shoes and I had never been good friends. I’d take my hiking boots every time if given a choice. If Asher had burned those along with the rest of my clothes, I’d kick his ass. Well, I’d think about kicking his ass, anyway, since he could probably make me say “uncle” without even touching me.
    I poked my head through the doorway and glanced into the brightly lit hallway full of closed doors. The end seemed a mile away as I eased out. My heels clicked against the floor as I went. And went and went. What did they keep behind so many doors? Did all of the guardians live here? Or maybe Asher kept his torture implements behind them. Most of them were dark underneath the raw metal, no light spilling out to give a hint that anyone was home inside.
    My curiosity just wouldn’t sit still, so I stopped and tried the handle of a door with a gold handle. Locked. The next three were the same.
    Could I use the Shift to get into another room? I stood there for a second, wondering how I might find out. I’d never been on the other side of the door, and with no image to draw from, I wasn’t sure how to make it happen. Maybe Sophia would tell me.
    Finally I made it to the only door glowing with light around the edges, and since it was at the end, I figured Asher would be inside. Maybe I should have walked slower.
    Somehow I felt more naked and vulnerable with the dress on than when I’d only had on the bra and panties. Stupid and irrational. With quiet horror, I realized I wanted him to be impressed, and I had no idea why I cared. The guy was an egotistical brute in a pretty package.
    I jacked open the door, glad it didn’t screech and moan like the one in the AL. A golden glow spotlighted me from lamps dotting a room that appeared part kitchen, part living room, part entertainment room. Was this where Sophia spent her time? As far as islands went, it could have been worse.
    I stepped inside, taking in the intimate group of beige sofas arranged around the giant TV mounted on the wall above a gas fireplace. Did they have a satellite that could broadcast to this false reality? A pool table sat in the far corner with one of those fancy green glass lights hanging from the ceiling above it. Beside it, there were two old-fashioned pinball machines blinking multicolored lights into the dim part of the room.
    I turned toward the lit kitchen area. There was a giant, rectangular oak table long enough to seat about twenty, with benches on either side. That couldn’t only be for Sophia, so at least some of the other members of the Machine had to live in the gray maze. A serving window allowed a glimpse into the kitchen, too dark to make out much other than a stainless-steel fridge.
    Asher stepped out of a doorway beside the serving window, a small tumbler of amber-colored booze in his hand. He stopped when he noticed me. Pulled a statue while his gaze roved over me from nose to toes. Too much silence. Too much staring. My face turned into a hot plate.
    “Stop gawking and say something,” I said, itching for something to hide behind. Or to hold my own peep show of him in his sexy uniform. Both desires were equally strong.
    He made a sound that could have been laughter, which seemed to touch those