Page 31 of Ruthlessly Mated
“You were so brave,” Conroy says. “I am so proud of you. Such a stoic little thing.”
It is nice to be praised and looked after. I am not used to it. I usually have to take care of myself, and give myself a pep talk when I’ve done something particularly hard. I’m even more surprised to be praised by Conroy of all people. I thought he was going to tell me that I’d fucked it up.
“You were brave too,” I tell him. “You didn’t cry at all. I thought I was going to cry.”
“I wanted to,” he says. “Not because of the pain…”
“Not because of the pain,” I repeat, as if that’s true. It was definitely the pain. The pain sucked. I can still kind of feel it, but not because it still hurts, because I am pretty sure that my body is replaying the echoes of the pain. Shifting inside this city is going to be impossible.
It occurs to me that, aside from what Tailor said he did in the desert, we’re a wolf pack who have never actually shifted. I wonder if we’re really wolves at all.
“Not because of the pain,” he repeats. “But because I had to sit and watch you be hurt. Please don’t do that again. We need to leave this city as soon as possible. It’s a death trap for creatures like us.”
“We’ve had that talk already, and you’ve got to stop saying things likecreatures like us, that really gives it all away. Just imagine you’re a normal person. Chill. It’s going to be fine. This is a very good idea.”
Conroy does not look convinced. He is a man out of his element. He should be back in a smuggler’s port, running a bunch of criminals for his own ends. He should be roughly dominating the landscape. Instead, he’s going to have to act real normal and real small for a while.
Rock City was always part of my plan. It is inaccessible to vampires, and I was hoping to lay low here for a couple of days to ensure that I had not been followed. I have been followed, obviously. That means I’m activating my extra contingency plan.
Rock City looks like a city. There’s a lot of red dust covering bits of it, and most of the houses are constructed in such a way as to keep the searing desert heat out. Lots of big arches and verandahs. Outdoor cooking is wildly popular. The whole place smells like a barbecue.
There’s a transport yard, where I plan to leave the truck. I’ve hired a spot for it. I’ve also gotten an apartment. It was supposed to just be for one person, but I guess the four of us can fit in there if we really try.
I park the truck and indicate for everybody to get out. “Come on, boys, we’ve got nothing to do.”
“Where are you unloading the cargo?” Conroy asks the question as if he expects this to be straightforward and over. I am going to disappoint this man so hard in so many ways.
“Nowhere. It’s not for sale here. I’m going to Eclipse, remember?”
“What’s in the shipping container?”
“Nothing. Don’t worry about it. And don’t tell anyone about it either. And don’t open the back of the truck, for god’s sake.”
“I am very worried at this point,” Tailor says.
“Well, that’s something to work on. Like a self-development sort of thing. Alright. Let’s go to the apartment. It has great views.”
Conroy
She’s acting like we’re on vacation.
This is truly ridiculous. Yes, we may be evading Alexander for the moment, but at what cost? And what the hell is in the back of this truck? I need to get control of the situation. The price of letting this girl get her way is multiple instances of torture at the hands of people who do not deserve to be anywhere near power.
“Come on. The place is nice. And it’s a walk away.”
This is not a safe place for us to be. Every person in this city hates each and every one of us. The very water is poison. And this little mate of ours is practically giddy to be here.
She leads us up through the streets, to a building atop another building.
“I rented this place for a couple of nights, but we can extend it if we need to.”
It is a one-bedroom bricked dwelling daubed with mud. I don’t actually particularly care what it is made of. We have nothing but the clothes on our backs, and the prospect of further nonsense at the mercy of our mate.
“We’re going to go for a walk,” I tell her. “We need to get a lay of the land.”
“Okay. Be careful. Don’t get murdered.”
Damon stays behind, while Tailor and I go for a walk together. My first reaction to realizing I was going to have to share her with the others was not good, but now I am glad I am not doing it alone. I don’t think anybody would survive Kita on their own. Maybe Damon. He seems to be able to survive pretty much anything.
