Rovos raps the back of his knuckles against the—I suppose the boarded-up thing must be a door—a second time, and a moment later, a gangster-like peephole slides open and then slams shut before the door is thrown open with a bang.
“What are you doing back here?” an angry voice growls from under an oversized cloak. “We barely have the place cleaned up from your last visit.”
“Let us in,” Rovos growls right back. “Or do you want to draw more attention?”
With some creatively petulant grumbling, the cloaked figure steps aside so we can file through.
As I walk past the figure, I can’t help notice a pair of green-flecked eyes flare wide when they land on Skylar. Then suddenly the figure straightens, standing tall, but not quite as tall as Rovos and Treto. As soon as we’re all inside, it slams the door shut behind us and whips the cloak over his head.
“I’m Ravi,” he says with his eyes locked on Skylar, as if she’s the only one present.
A smile tugs at my lips, because Skylar’s mask has fallen away, and she’s twisting a lock of her hair and looking away coyly. Ravi can’t be much older than she is, and it’s quite obvious he’s as smitten with her as she is with him.
“Come on, lover-boy,” Anna says as she pulls Ravi toward the back of the room. “You better let Deja know we’re here.”
* * *
Bela
We follow Ravi through the dimly lit anteroom, passing other humans, both men and women dressed in black tactical gear, and through a doorway at the back that opens up into a large, open living area. To my left is a wall of windows—except half of them appear to be boarded up—and chairs and couches that are occupied by men, women and children, all human and giving us wary looks.
Ravi vanishes, and then we hear a loud voice, “By all the stars. What is going on here?”
“We’re sorry to burst in on you again,” Anna says, hurrying toward the source of the voice. She wraps her arms around a taller, much older woman. “Treto found more human women.”
The older woman pins me with a scrutinizing gaze over Anna’s shoulder. But then she smiles, a smile that is warm and welcoming, and when Anna steps aside, she opens her arms to me. I’m not much of a hugger, but something about her has me stepping forward and into her warm embrace.
If I had to guess, I’d say she must be in her sixties at least. Her skin is a lovely shade of rich brown and deeply lined in a way that makes me think she’s lived a full life. A long rope of silver-threaded hair hangs over her shoulder, and she’s wearing a dark green tunic dress that brings out the flecks of emerald in her hazel eyes.
“Welcome. Welcome to Pamia,” she says as she enfolds me in a hug that makes my bones creak. “I’m Deja.”
“I’m Bela,” I say, then I wave my hand at Sky. “And this is Skylar.”
Deja lets go of me and then swoops Skylar up into her arms next.
“You don’t look like you should be away from your parents,” she says, setting Skylar back so she can look at her. “How old are you, dear?”
“I’m sixteen.” Sky’s face begins to grow red, and soon she’s sniffling.
“Oh, sweets,” Deja croons, wrapping her arms around Sky again and rocking back and forth. “We’ll see what we can do, hmm?” Deja turns to where Ravi is standing across the large room. “Why don’t you take Skylar to meet some of the other kits?”
Ravi’s face brightens, and he nearly launches himself across the room, grabbing hold of her hand. “C’mon, some of the others usually have a VR game going around this time; maybe we can join in.”
“VR—likevirtual reality?” Skylar asks, her interest piqued.
“Of course, wanna try it out?”
“Yes, I’ve always wanted to try VR, but my parents don’t believe in electronics.”
“What?” Ravi balks. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Come on, I’ll show you anything you want!”
I don’t miss the pink tint to Sky’s cheeks as she lets Ravi lead her away.
“Ravi just turned seventeen; he’ll take good care of her,” Deja explains, watching them disappear. Then she turns her attention back to us. “Well, Treto, I must say, you were the very last in this bunch I expected to show up with a female, especially two.”
“Bela’s his mate,” Igid speaks up when he stays silent.
Mate?Does everyone think we’re…mates?“Um, I don’t know—”
