Page 30 of Fever

Alphas wolf-whistle as we walk by, and I’m both embarrassed and uplifted. I look good, dammit. I look real good. And there’s a man here who’s gonna take me out to dinner. I deserve a good time.

Sotay practically loads me into a Telean pod, and I find a seat next to what appears to be the pilot’s chair. Sotay sits and swipes a hand over the dashboard, and the pod lights up. We lift.

“You ban air traffic, but you can fly,” I mutter.

“I’m running the city now. I can do whatever I want. This is Dreikx’s pod, and he kept the power on, so I don’t even have to try to figure out how to start it when the tech is down. I take it the Serpent showed me the way. Though Dreikx must be using some other energy source, which means it’s a limited supply. But we’re not going too far.”

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“I don’t like surprises.”

“Me neither. But you’ll like this one, I promise.”

Sotay flies slowly over the city. It looks dark, dead, and a sense of foreboding comes over me. A hologram map replaces the large front-view screen. I point. “Is that my neighborhood?”

“Mm-hm.”

My house is a single dark space between two homes with porch candlelights on. At this time of night, I normally sleep or read. Occasionally, I hang out with Tabby, but that’s become rarer since she’s gotten a male. I’ve got a male now too, though we won’t last past my heat, and I probably won’t survive this at all. I have things to say to him, and I can’t say them. I can’t even joke anymore. “I’m sorry,” I tell him.

“About what?”

“About what I said earlier. About how you came after me and turn my life upside down. It’s not your fault. You didn’t… I mean you can’t… I mean, your intentions are good.”

“Are you finally admitting my great looks and stardom voice are irresistible?”

“Actually, it’s all about your cock.”

We laugh as he flies over the different districts, heading for the line of beachfront hotels. I glance at him, and he catches my gaze.

“The prince can’t leave Anna,” he says, amusement still lighting up his eyes. “And Anna can’t walk anymore, which means people haven’t seen any of us for a while. Since the collection night, Arkin is unpopular with most of the wealthy, particularly the restaurant owner whose daughter is at the compound. People associate Seer with death, and everyone fears death. He’s also an asshole with no people skills and a short fuse, who can only make things worse. Which leaves me. I’m gonna visit the restaurant, eat some food, and show people they’ve got nothing to be scared of. The press will show up. Be ready. Smile and nod. That’s it. If anyone bothers you, I’ll kill them. Questions?”

“Is it true, though?”

“Which part?”

“People have nothing to fear.”

Sotay turns in his chair and faces me. “The enemy outnumbers us, we estimate twenty to one, not counting any human armies that may have joined them. But the Warlords are returning.”

I clap my hand over my mouth and speak in hushed tones. “What happens if the Warlords don’t come?”

“The Horde will hold the front.”

“And people shouldn’t fear the Horde?” Everyone knows their call to battle.

“It depends on which people. You kneel, you live. Simple, no?”

The Hordesman lands dead smack in the middle of the hotel’s lawn. Several people point, and a few approach, two men and one woman. She holds an ancient camera with a giant flashbulb. Perhaps that’s the only thing that works during Silence. The pod’s door slides open, and Sotay’s armor clanks as he exits first. He lifts a hand and extends the other toward me. “Hey, John,” he says, “you got a new camerawoman?”

“Hey, Fever,” a man says. “Simon retired.”

“Where to?”

I take Sotay’s hand, and he helps me down. Which is nice. The dress limits my mobility, and I’d like to look like a lady for the papers.

“Canada.”

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