The Pack by LM. Preston Page B

next meeting with Valens that night. She pictured his face, and her breath caught at how beautiful he was. She knew it was stupid to think of him this way, he was simply too beautiful for her.
I just don’t deserve him for myself—not like that, anyway,
Shamira’s thoughts teased. But part of her wouldn’t let the desire to have him for her own slip away.
    She took a deep breath and thought to herself how things were a lot easier when she couldn’t see. Being blind, she wasn’t captured by a person’s outer beauty. She could stay in the safe shell she created for herself. Now, she had to work harder at not being charmed out of it. She forced her mind to put thoughts of Valens away.
    Reminiscing on her brother, she couldn’t help but picture the horrible things that could be done to him if she didn’t find him soon. She didn’t want to involve so many others in her quest, but unfortunately, she realized that for now, she needed Valens’ and Mitch’s help. She needed them as backup and for the information they were easily able to gain from their friendships with other street kids. She put her face in her hands, took a deep breath to relax, and went to change to meet Valens in a few hours.
    When she drove Pearl to the designated meeting spot, they were waiting for her. She was not surprised. Valens was always punctual. He was wearing black leather pants and a matching jacket. His wavy blond hair escaped from his black hat. Mitch cleaned upwell, too, with jeans and a matching jacket.
    â€œShamira, we figure we can hit the hideout in the Outlands if you’re up to it. Mitch knows the way there. We’ll have to walk about a mile to get to the place, but I brought something to help us with that too. These shoe tags will help us glide at a faster speed to get there and escape if we have to. They also have guns there, so Mitch and I are wearing bullet- and laser-proof jackets. I brought one for you, too, if you want it,” he said with a sly smile, holding the jacket out to her.
    â€œSure, I’ll take it. You lead. I’ll follow right behind,” she said and hoped he wouldn’t ask to ride with her.
    â€œUm, Mitch is driving my cycle.” Valens cleared his throat and said, “How about I ride with you and direct you where to go.” He looked back at Mitch who appeared temporarily shocked at the statement before putting back on his angry guy face.
    â€œOh, yeah, that’s definitely best. Let’s go,” Mitch said flatly as his expression recovered. He got on the motorcycle quickly, as if he didn’t want to catch Shamira’s eye.
    Just my luck. This is not going to be easy.
Valens climbed on her motorcycle behind her. She took off her jacket and replaced it with the much safer one he had brought for her. He helped her put it on, and Shamira wasn’t sure whether to be annoyed or flattered. He leaned in toward her neck to adjust the collar. The skin of her neck tingled as his breath touched it.
    His hand left her collar to rest on her shoulder, and she stayedperfectly still, not wanting him to know that he was affecting her. He leaned close to her ear and spoke softly, “That should do it. Mitch is leaving us.” She felt his breath on her ear, and then shivered.
    Snapping out of her embarrassment, she grabbed her helmet from the handlebar and put it on her head. Then, she leaned forward and took off at top speed behind Mitch. She drove thinking of how they would get into the facility unnoticed. She had brought some devices that would help. Her heart started to pound when she thought about the fight ahead of her. She was thirsty for it—the hunting, the fighting, and the joy of finally seeing David again.
David, David, David.
Seeing his face in her mind was the best way to keep thoughts of Valens away.
    The Outlands were rarely traveled. They were extremely cold and windy. Sand kicked up at high levels, causing gritty