Obsidian - Miranda Bridges Page 0,45
fortune told?” she asks, her wings billowing behind her.
Jade backs off and vigorously shakes her head at the creature. “After what we’ve been through, I don’t think we should tempt the fates,” she says to me. “Plus, I’m worried they’ll tell me I’m going to get hit by a bus or something. That’d totally be my luck.”
I wonder if there is a particular happiness to be found in our tale; I’ve longed for a family of my own. However, at my mate’s unease, I do not press the matter. Jade’s contentment matters more than what any gifted one can tell us. And I’ll make sure she gets all the joy the universe has to offer and more.
Castien
The beast cradled in my mate’s arms is an endearing sight. It almost touches the ground, yet she insisted on carrying it herself with a smile that rivaled it in size.
“Have you selected a name yet?” I ask as we walk back to the hotel.
She squeezes the peculiar creature, her chin pressed into its furry head. “I haven’t decided yet. I need a good name. A strong name. A name worthy of what it means to me.”
I look away, unable to stop grinning. Jade never ceases to amaze me. She has transfixed me, this little one. Every word uttered from her binds me with a fascination I have never known. I had grown tedious in my pursuit of a mate, perhaps even hopeless, until this demoria flew into my life and changed me irrevocably.
When I first laid eyes on her, her wings had been broken and her song was all but dead.
Today I saw her fly for the first time, and the way she sang in glee shed light upon my darkened soul. I have always known how important mates are and grieved the loss of them with my fellow warriors. I did not expect mine to penetrate my darkness and alter me in so many ways. And this is only the beginning.
In less than a day, we will leave this planet and begin our lives together. The moment cannot come sooner. Indeed I have encountered fouler planets than Lixis, but this one is up there with the most unpleasant of all. Slavery is not something I will ever accept or condone, not least when my mate is concerned. The only good to come out of this entire expedition is the discovery of her.
I glance up at the buildings that overshadow us. This particular side of the district is filled with narrow alleyways that overlap each other like a maze. The homes built into the stone are stacked vertically, so towering that they block out the sunlight. If I weren’t concerned about the Enforcers detecting us, I wouldn’t have selected a hotel nestled in the heart of such squalor, but I had little choice in this case; hiding from enemies is more important than luxury hotels.
A shadow of unease creeps over me when we enter one of the alleys. Rodents scuttle by, and a tinge of motor oil permeates the stagnant air, which is enough for me to reach for my knives. I drape an arm around Jade and hold a finger to my lips. She nods, her eyes large and glistening in the near darkness, and grabs her own weapon.
So far there is no threat, but that doesn’t mean we’re safe. This particular alley splits into a series of four before we finally reach the hotel. My body locks up, ready to fight and protect my mate, as I lead the way through.
A glint of silver skims over my line of sight, halting my steps.
I grab Jade and snarl at the approaching android. “You just can’t seem to take a hint, can you?”
“Koraxian DNA detected,” the machine says. “Target has been located. Pursuing.”
It walks forward, the disk on its chest fading from blue to red. I take aim, but a knife hurls past me before I release mine, and it penetrates the android’s hard drive. Sparks of electricity flicker off the machine before it staggers to the ground, releasing a series of shutdown notices followed by a gush of silver fluid.
Jade moves to stand beside me. “I killed it.” She looks at me, her eyes wide. “I killed a freaking robot.”
I yank out the knife and wipe the synthetic blood on my coat. “And while I am proud of my demoria, we need to get out of here before the others find us.”
She retrieves her knife and takes my hand, then follows me