Max’s expression turned sly. “Naw. The Sentinel rescued me, right? So I guess I have him to thank. You know, if I ever meet the guy in person.”
Adrian chuckled. There had been weeks when Max was the only person who knew his secret identity. Since the fight at the catacombs, he’d been forced to tell Ruby and Oscar, too, and he suspected Danna knew as well—though he wouldn’t know her feelings on it until they could figure out how to help her transform back into her human shape.
He knew he would have to tell Nova eventually. Oscar and Ruby weren’t the most discreet Renegades on the task force, and he wanted to make sure she heard it from him.
“Yeah, well, rumor has it the Sentinel might be a little fond of you, kid.” He reached forward and ruffled Max’s hair. Having only known what it was like to do that in recent weeks, he was still surprised at how fluffy his hair was. “The team’s going to be elated when I tell them the news, and I might have a surprise next time I come to visit.”
Max gave him a look that was far more suspicious than excited.
“Okay, I’ll just tell you. Guess what we found crawling through the wreckage back at headquarters? I’ll give you a hint. It’s about this tall”—he pinched his fingers an inch away from each other—“went extinct millions of years ago, and rhymes with…” Adrian paused. “Um … Burbo.”
Max was shaking his head, even as his smile returned. “Those were the worst hints in history. You could have said something like its feet are used both for running and disemboweling prey, but only if the prey is smaller than a mouse. Or, it’s likely the only one of its kind to have scales rather than feathers. Or maybe, its babies would be born from eggs, though it never was.”
Adrian’s eyebrow ticked upward. “Did you just come up with those?”
Shrugging, Max took another bite of the brownie.
“No, seriously, that’s really good. Maybe coming up with riddles is another superpower you haven’t discovered yet. Except … what do you mean by feathers?”
“Dey ad feaders,” Max said through his full mouth.
“Velociraptors?”
Max nodded and swallowed. “Don’t you know that’s where birds come from?”
“Well, yeah, but…” Adrian frowned, picturing a miniature velociraptor that was more a cross between a T. rex and a chicken. “Feathers would make him a lot less intimidating, you know? Although, Danna is afraid of birds, so I guess it’s all subjective. Still. Feathers. Who knew?”
Max finished off the brownie and inspected his plate, trying to deem what else might be safe to consume. Adrian considered telling him about Danna, that she’d been stuck in swarm mode since the night of the attack and they weren’t entirely sure why, but he thought the kid should probably stay focused on his own recovery for now.
“Anyway,” he said, “I’ll bring Turbo to see you next time I come. I’ve been taking good care of him. Discovered he really likes turkey jerky.”
“I’m not sure he’s all that discerning,” said Max. “I once saw him try to eat a pencil.”
Adrian laughed. “Seriously, I’m so glad you’re okay. When I got to headquarters and saw Nightmare crouching over you…” He stopped himself. He’d wanted to keep the mood light, but it was impossible not to think of how pale and weak Max had been. And there had been so much blood …
Max wiped his fingers on the napkin. “Yeah. It was weird, right? I know I’m lucky to be alive, but I also know that I shouldn’t be. Alive, I mean. She should have killed me. It doesn’t make sense that she didn’t.”
“Not for lack of trying,” Adrian muttered. “She ran as soon as she saw me. I would have chased after her, except … well, you were more important. Obviously.”
Max’s brow furrowed.
“But I am going to find her,” Adrian said, leaning his elbows on his knees. “I swear it. The team and I are already working on a new investigation and we have some really promising leads. I’m going to find Nightmare, and I’ll make her pay for this. She’ll never be able to hurt you again.”
Max’s face only became more confused. He blinked at Adrian a few times, then slowly pushed back the tray of food. Leaping to his feet, Adrian took it from him and set it down on the small table beside the bed. “You want some water