Clearly, he was also having a hard time wiping her from his memory. As Xandros regularly visited the female courtesans, he should not be having the same intensity issues I was.
“I want to know why she wore a fake eartag,” I acknowledged. It was another oddity, although not unheard of. I supposed if I were human and female, I might try to evade the regulations. “Nevertheless, we have matters of more importance.”
We reached an intersection with a major thoroughfare, and Xandros glanced across it to where two more large figures stalked along the parallel walkway. The Drakes had their hoods down, proudly displaying the razor cheekbones and black hair so prevalent in the Tazier Clan. I tensed, but they did not even glance our way.
As we traveled along, I noticed that there were few Drakes among the humans, Drolgoks, and other species. Most of our kind preferred to live and party with their clans.
As if following my thoughts, Xandros twisted to stare at the Tazier’s residential towers, which had been built in the very heart of the city. “They are taller than those of the clans’ in Montreal. Look.”
“Do not look. I doubt the Taziers spend a lot of time gawking.”
He obediently pulled his gaze away. They were worthy of gawk—tall enough to be visible from most of the downtown section of the city, and built right where two rivers joined.
While Xandros tried to eye the towers without looking like he was doing so, I kept a cautious eye on the Drakes. I breathed easier when they vanished into a store that sold liquor. The local human bouncer rapidly backed away to let them in.
“Do not suppose we can stop to sample? I heard this place has a great selection of local brews,” Xandros muttered. He was a mutterer when he was on edge. I tended to go silent. The third member of our triad, Rhodes—he would just become even more dangerous.
My brother didn’t expect an answer. We worked seamlessly together as a team, which in this case was useful, as we were not here with any kind of permission. Drakes did cross into other clan’s territories, but it was customary to notify the local enforcers of entry. Considering our mission, I preferred to operate covertly. This was the fourth city we had entered into in five days. So far, we had been successful.
Xandros’s hood turned as he scanned the darkening street. His fingers tapped against his massive thigh with every stride. “Rhodes is already there. Of that, I am sure.”
Splitting up our triad of brothers had worked well every place we had been. Triplets had always been a Raptor Clan thing—twins or even singles were more the norm for the other clans.
Back when there had been females to have children.
Although Raptor was a shattered remnant of what it had once been, our clan’s past efforts to push radical new policies had not been forgotten by the other clans. It was best that the resident overlords not know we were here. Slipping into their territories as a duo was less risky.
Therefore, Rhodes took a different route to the meetings. My left side felt exposed as Xandros and I prowled along the walk. I pulled out my datapad and checked for a message—just as one popped up on the screen.
We were not exactly telepathic, but that kind of thing happened all the time between the three of us.
The message was brief, and written in Drakonian. “Checkpoint achieved.”
Xandros would have typed in English, “Where are you?” His restless and slightly nervy energy while on a mission was the reason I had kept him with me, while sending Rhodes off on his own. Rhodes always kept his focus. Always.
But even he had been edgy when we hid our landhopper and slipped into Winnipeg. Because the risks grew with each meeting, and rumors were already spreading that something big was transpiring. If they reached the clan leaders…
So my fingers typed out a message to Rhodes in our native language. “Almost there. Keep eyes open.”
I imagined his dark auburn brows drawing low as he stated the obvious. “Always.”
Texting may be limiting, but comm communications were tooeasily intercepted. I pocketed the small datapad as we diverted off the main thoroughfare, and down an alley.
A few minutes of weaving through back lanes later, we rounded a corner. By now, the only lights were dim bulbs in tiny fixtures over delivery access doorways. Drake eyes were sharp, so I did not flinch when Rhodes moved out of one of them.
“All clear?” I asked.
“So far,” he rumbled in his deep voice. To Rhodes, trust was for those willing to die.
I did not need to see it to know that Xandros was rolling his eyes. He was the complete opposite of our relatively silent, dark brother—his fiery red hair seemed to complement his emotive personality. Fortunately, he swung to optimism rather than pessimism—most of the time.
It was good. If I had to manage two of Rhodes, I might view life through far too dark a lens.
Our intense brother dropped into place on my left. Life immediately felt more balanced, and we headed deeper into the alley.
They were watching for us. A doorway opened as we approached it. Two humans—large by their standards—stepped aside and gestured us in.
Our risk was nothing to what these people embraced. They had no reason to trust us, and every reason not to. I respected their ability to grant us a chance.
