be grabbing new, clean chips to insert. Master Akai handed them to us last time. I can't ask him for this, which leaves us on our own. We also need to use our current ones for our trips to Earth.” My fingers absently plucked at my lower lip.
“I think I can get us some replacements. My compulsion comes in handy sometimes, and I can convince them to forget about it. The rest? I don't know how to fix that problem. We need exchangeable chips, but that's impossible unless we have that big-headed guy switch them out every time we want to go somewhere we shouldn't.” Kian leaned back and threw his feet up on the table and his arm on the back of the couch.
I glanced over at him, a smile breaking across my face, drawn out by his toothy grin and bright eyes. When he winked, I thought about sliding over and leaning against him, letting my problems take a break as I soaked up his warmth for a while. I never got to. Just as I decided, a smack sounded, and Kian's expression transformed. His mouth formed a circle, and his eyes widened as he jerked up.
Trace's laugh boomed as he withdrew his hand. Kian's feet no longer rested on the table. Instead, they were on the floor, and his body had twisted from the force Trace used to knock them there.
“No boots on the table, remember?” Trace asked between bouts of laughter.
Axton just shook his head and stood, gathering the empty boxes. When Kian jumped up and launched himself at Trace, Axton extended his unoccupied hand.
As my gaze darted between the pair rolling on the floor and his hand, Axton asked, “Want to get out of here for a little while?”
“Should we split them up first?” I gestured to where Kian snarled before he started nipping a howling Trace.
“Nah. They'll survive. Probably.” Axton shrugged, and his dimples made an appearance as he smirked.
We had so much work to do, and the futures of billions of souls stood on my shoulders. But, it had been a while since I'd seen those dimples. And one date wouldn't produce an apocalypse, right? Right?
Chapter Twenty
Axton pulled me up and promptly disappeared into his room, leaving me standing by myself. When he returned, he carried a blanket over his arm and gripped a bottle of weak, flavored alcohol.
I raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Both items were worthy of pointing out. One seemed rather presumptuous, and the other he'd been dead set against. I chewed my cheek to keep from mentioning anything as we left the still fighting pair and our unit.
He switched forms, and I followed, twisting a strand of my essence into his. The memories tried to circulate between us, but I locked down the connection before more than a fragment could penetrate. All that passed through was a blurry image of a woman with ebony hair and a tinkling laugh. What I showed him, he didn't reveal as he led us through the city and beyond.
Just outside of town—past the units and buildings and ignorant shit—we slowed. At a stroll's pace, we glided beneath the tan-colored light of Umla until Axton found the spot he preferred.
There appeared to be nothing extraordinary about the area that he solidified in. The blanket whipped in the air as Axton shook it out before arranging it across the black moss-like ground. I twirled around, taking in the surroundings and only finding the occasional tree or bush.
When I faced Axton again, he knelt on the blanket and looked in my direction. I dragged my husk forward, and once corporeal, I took his outstretched hand. Then, without warning, the monster decided it had given me enough of a reprieve.
My knees hit the ground, the dull ache not registering against the sensation of my insides being shaved, the pieces fluttering into the dark infinity below my well. All of that melted into the background when I caught sight of his black eyes. They sparkled, reflecting the pinpoints in the sky and oozing with a glimpse of what he could be.
Then he glanced away, and the pain returned. I slipped my hand free and adjusted myself, utilizing the excuse to sort through the next few moments. He worked the cap off the bottle of alcohol, and a fruity scent drifted in the air, causing my mouth to water. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be enough to satisfy the thing inside. The monster wouldn't even accept the blend of emotions