Instead, I leaned back against the stone wall and closed my eyes.
“That’s not something we offer to outsiders.”
“But I just saved your life,” she pointed out cheerfully. “Doesn’t that earn me some insider privileges?”
“No.” The word was final, absolute. “Find another way to enhance yourself.”
When I opened my eyes, she was watching me with that same sharp, predatory smile.
As if my refusal was just another puzzle to solve.
BRONWEN
The dust storm finally began to subside, the howling wind dropping to occasional gusts that still sent grit swirling through the cave entrance.
The tension radiating from my Vinduthi companion was impossible to miss.
He’d gone silent since our conversation about the Claiming Bite, his massive frame rigid against the cave wall. His jaw was clenched, hands curled into fists, every line of his body radiating controlled fury.
I studied his profile in the dim light. The way his knuckles pressed white against grey skin. The muscle jumping in his jaw. The careful, measured breathing of someone holding back violence.
I’d clearly violated some cultural taboo, but the specifics were irrelevant. What mattered was the practical reality: my partner was angry, and angry partners made poor decisions.
Time to focus on what we could control.
“Storm’s clearing,” I said, pushing myself to my feet. “We should move before the next patrol cycle.”
He said nothing, but rose and followed me toward the cave entrance. The poultice had done its work completely. He movedwithout any sign of injury, his healing remarkable even by Vinduthi standards. The silence between us was heavy, but some wounds needed time.
Besides, we had work to do.
The clang of gear and muted cursing drifted up from the ravine below. My pulse quickened with anticipation. More opportunities to test the creative solutions this environment had taught me.
“Oh, company,” I whispered, gesturing for Zarek to take cover behind a nearby outcrop.
He followed my lead, moving silently despite his bulk. When he saw the scanners, his expression darkened.
Four guards moving in formation through the narrow ravine, but these weren’t random patrols. They carried tracking equipment. Scanner arrays. The kind of gear used to follow specific energy signatures.
“They’re following your trail from the crash site,” I said, unable to keep the excitement out of my voice. “Those arrays will lead them right to us.”
His hand found his weapon. “How long before they report back?”
“Standard patrol check-ins are every two hours.” I watched their methodical progress, already running through possibilities. “But with active tracking, they’ll call in the moment they find definitive proof.”
The situation was clear. Eliminate the threat or spend the rest of our journey being hunted.
“Can you disable their equipment?” he asked.
“Better. I can make it irrelevant.”
The communications relay box was mounted on an outcropping twenty feet above. Part of the network Slade had installed throughout the patrol routes. So useful.
I pulled a small vial from my pack, uncapping it carefully. “My timing needs to be just right.”
The bait spores inside were nearly invisible, but their scent would carry on the slightest breeze. I’d discovered their potential during my second year here. Glimmer Moths were drawn to electromagnetic signatures, but the spores amplified their feeding response exponentially.
I dusted the relay box thoroughly, then rapped my knuckles against the metal casing twice. A dinner bell for my favorite allies.
