Sentinel - Cyndi Friberg Page 0,34
the day they met and her interest had only deepened since. The teasing preview on the balcony simply left her hungry for more.
His hand slid up and down her back as his gaze moved over her flushed features. He was obviously trying to be supportive, but his nearness ignited her senses. Even his light caress made her tingle and ache. It had been so long since anyone made her feel desirable, much less important. And Salvo made her feel both. Jaron flirted with every female that crossed his path. Salvo took his time, watching, analyzing, and likely researching until he determined that she was the one for him. Now that he had decided to court her, he was pursuing the goal with laser focus and intensity. It was exciting to finally have his complete attention.
Needing a distraction from his penetrating stare and the sexual awareness pulsing between them, she turned her head and looked around. They stood at one end of a large, oblong church, or the ruins of one to be more specific. The soaring arches and decorative stonework were largely intact, but the windows had been boarded up or replaced by uneven stacks of brick. Two railed balconies, one on top of the other, encircled the main floor. Several sections had been propped up with wooden supports or scrap metal obviously scavenged from other buildings. Mismatched doors lined the balconies, providing privacy for those using the upper levels. No such luxury was offered to those huddled together on the main floor.
Her gaze drifted back to the open area spread before her. Pews or whatever the Sarronti worshipers sat on had given way to an eclectic collection of furniture and belongings. Rusty cots lined one wall, their placement so close the sides touched and the occupants had to crawl on and off from the bottom. Along the other two walls urbanites lay on pads, homemade mattresses, and threadbare blankets. Most had slept through the formation of the portal, or like nervous children they were pretending to be asleep.
The center of the room is what surprised Natalie the most. It appeared to be an unattended flea market. A large sign suspended above the clutter of goods stated, Take what you need. Leave what you can spare.
“This is not what I expected,” she whispered. It seemed more like a homeless shelter than “Sanctuary of the Soulless.”
Salvo just smiled and motioned toward a stairway to their right. They ascended two stories then walked down a narrow hallway that took them away from the balcony. An armed male with bright green skin, a protruding forehead and tusks guarded the steel-banded door at the end of the corridor. He nodded to Salvo, glanced at her, knocked on the thick wood, then pushed open the door.
She entered first, thinking she was prepared for what awaited. A large rectangular table dominated the space. Four urbanites sat on each side, some male others female. Widely varying skin color and texture, the unusual shape of their features, and unexpected appendages identified each as a mutant. One male had wings neatly folded against his back, several had claws, and one had horns. She tried not to stare, but felt her eyes widen and her jaw start to drop. Ashamed of her childish reaction, she gave herself a firm mental shake and brought her expression back under control. She’d seen Maggie, so she knew urbanites were different than ordinary Sarronti.
Was this the “soulless” council? Circumstantial evidence certainly made it seem that way.
Dragging her gaze away from the surreal collection of mutants, she looked at the male sprawled in the throne-like armchair at the head of the table. His hair was much shorter on the sides than on top, and the color shifted from red, to gold, to orange with the movements of his head. The golden tint of his skin would have been common on a tropical beach, but in Ghost City it seemed unnatural. She thought his angular features were untouched by his mutation until she looked into his eyes. They were bright yellow with slit-shaped pupils. It was immediately apparent where he’d gotten his nickname.
Serpent nodded to Salvo, then ordered, “Give us the room.”
Without hesitation, his people obeyed.
Natalie fixed her gaze on the middle of the table as the soulless council walked by. She refused to make a fool of herself for the second time.
“It’s rather like walking onto the set of an X-men movie, isn’t it?” The amusement rippling through Serpent’s deep voice helped Natalie regain her