Lucas crossed his arms. “From Watchers?”
No, not from Watchers. The Morph had a point.
Lucas continued, his jaw set. “We’re taking you through to my home city. I have connections there, and can keep you among the humans. I doubt the Watchers will try anything with others around.”
As a strategy, it wasn’t a bad one. Nikolai nodded.
Lucas rubbed a hand over his face. “We’d better decide how we are getting a giant to the gate among a population of Smurfs.”
Aria frowned again. “What’s a Smurf?”
“Small blue-skinned fictional characters from the human realm,” Nikolai answered.
Lucas’s brows rose. “People in the Kalahari Desert know what a Smurf is?”
“Everyone knows what a Smurf is,” Nikolai pointed out. When Aria turned back to him and opened her mouth, he added, “Except her.”
Aria’s glare returned, this time focused on him. “Well, I really have no idea, but I doubt any amount of slouching is going to make you look like a Smurf.”
Lucas shook his head. “Nope. Short of dressing him up like a hairy riding beast, we’re going to have to wait until the middle of the night. And then make a run for it.”
* * *
Lucas walked ahead of Aria and Nikolai.
He was back in his local guise, in case anyone took a hard look. The other two wore hooded garments—Lucas scored another off a clothes line, but it was ridiculously small on the big guy.
There was no point in getting Nikolai to slouch. He had instructions to crouch if anyone showed, as though checking out his footwear. It wouldn’t hide the way the cloak pulled far too tight across his shoulders, but in the shadows, Lucas hoped no one would notice.
They’d waited until the dead of night, but a disturbing number of forms bustled through the squares, and Nikolai spent an inordinate amount of time inspecting his feet.
They progressed through the town in increments. When Lucas focused on avoiding the locals, he was too occupied to be worried. But the rest of the time, his mind spun.
Nikolai was a monster. And they were helping him escape.
Aria would have it no other way, and Lucas asked himself for the hundredth time—what the hell was he doing?
“Don’t get involved” had been his motto for as long as he could remember. Yet here he was. Getting involved. Gettingveryinvolved.
He’d obviously lost his fool mind.
As he paced down a deserted street roughly a hundred feet in front of the other two, his brain reasserted control, urging him to bolt and leave Aria and Nikolai to whatever fate had in store for them.
A small figure leading a hairy riding beast rounded the corner. Lucas gave a low warning whistle to his companions. The form glanced at him in surprise, and the mount twitched its long ears. But when Lucas continued walking, so did they, passing right by Nikolai crouched over his feet, with Aria’s slouched form standing beside him.
One glance from her and Lucas continued his progress. He cast his senses outward, watching for locals. He’d done this more times than he could count—decided to bolt, and then somehow, even her silent presence was enough to stop him.
He didn’t understand what was going on. It was like she had hooks in his very soul. Perhaps he would help them escape through the gate and then go his separate way. Go back to his life.
Sadie had likely inhaled every bit of crystal dust she could glean in the few days he’d been gone. She’d be desperate for currency, and all he had was the pouch he’d stolen. He’d have to come up with another score, and soon, if she wasn’t to go into full withdrawal.
Which could kill her.
He asked himself why he cared. She’d raised him, but she’d twisted that relationship beyond any chance of redemption. Maybe it would be best to let her go. She wasn’t alone; she had her new male cohort to turn to.
But where would that leave him? Homeless. He’d still have to steal to be able to afford a new place. And keep doing it to survive.
Lucas turned a corner and almost ran into a group of four locals. Curses flashed through his brain as he uttered the warning whistle. The hoods all swung his way, but he continued on.
