Page 106 of Tyton: The Spider and the Dragonfly
Callie noticed Talia’s legs twitching, like she was about to pounce.She squeezed her hand.“I’m just as nervous as you.”
Sesi stopped the tour to look at her two city girls.“I’m sorry,” she said.“It’s a lot.”
Talia laughed.“Yeah, it is.I don’t really see a better option though.”
Sesi slipped her arms around Talia’s waist.“You always were good at keeping your head down and powering through.I just hope that I’m making it a bit easier for you.”She took Callie in her other arm.“Both of you.”
“What’s the worst that could happen?”Callie chuckled.
“Mountain lions,” Talia nodded confidently.Sesi knew better, but decided to keep her mouth shut.
“I’ll take the lions over being in the city when it collapses,” Callie mused.“How long do you think we have?”
Sesi shrugged.“If we can make it another year, we can have all of this set up and hopefully make contact with another group of uninfected travellers.”
“You think there’s still people further south?I thought Sparx and Tornit didn’t find any last year.”Callie bit a nail.
“They only made it as far south as Edmonton,” Sesi pulled Callie’s hands away from her face.“That’s hardly south.”
“But they said the river had dried up.I can’t imagine anything further south than that being more than desert.”
“Maybe,” Sesi agreed.
“If we do find travellers, they’d better be friendly,” Talia growled.
“Don’t worry, we’ll have a cache of IntelArms.”Sesi pulled Talia closer.“And we’ll be erasing the flight data after the MobilePods are delivered.”
“IntelArms only work if you’re targeting people with biosigs.We’ll need to train the kids to use proper rifles.And knives.”Talia stared up at the sky, planning defence strategies.
“Did anyone tell you you’re hot when you get violent?”Callie bit Talia’s shoulder.
“Ow!”Talia yelped and then flashed her lopsided smile.“You’ve come a long way from being skittish about killing.”She lunged at Callie, but Callie squealed and ran toward the lake.Sesi followed after.
Callie ran in splashing and shrieking “Why is the water so cold!It’s so hot out!”
Talia slapped the water, dousing Callie.“It’s not hot!Your Thermabulle is still on.”
Callie looked around her, noticing the water steaming in a circle.Sesi stepped into the lake, the water parting elegantly for her, as though she belonged to it.
She stood on her tiptoes, draping her arms around Talia’s neck.“She’s right, you are hot when you’re violent.”Callie deactivated her Thermabulle and slid her arms around Sesi’s waist, sinking her teeth into her shoulder.
“You’re bitey lately,” Sesi remarked, tilting her head back into Callie.Talia took the opportunity to trail kisses along Sesi’s throat.
“It’s because you won’t let me bite my nails.”Callie bit again.
Sesi turned to kiss Callie.Talia peeled off her wet top.Half-naked in the water, she looked like a goddess.Callie moved a strand of wet hair from her face.
“This is decidedly unfair.”Sesi lectured.“Strip.”Callie obeyed.
“You can’t tell me what to do.”Talia smirked.
“Please?”Callie gazed up at her, grey eyes sparkling like the sunlight reflected on the water.
“Much better.”Talia lifted her shirt off.With her tiny breasts and tall, wiry frame, she was the polar opposite of Sesi.Both of them were the most beautiful women Callie had ever seen.“How did I get so lucky?”she wondered aloud.
Sesi was not going to miss her cue.She pushed her back to the shore, a wide expanse of smooth, green rock before devouring her mouth.The sun-warmed stone on her back and her head in Talia’s lap felt wild and exotic – like a return to some sort of natural state, despite the nanoids in her blood.
Sesi trailed kisses down her body and Talia’s fingers followed, holding her breasts like fragile objects for Sesi’s adoration.She shivered, raising gooseflesh in the gentle breeze coming off the lake.Talia smoothed her skin, keeping her warm.
