Page 38 of Taken By Raider Kings
“No.”Another humorless, soft little laugh.“But I understand.I’m not stupid.”
I know that.“So I’m going to be asking you how you feel, alot.You might even get sick of that question, but I’m the alpha and it’s my responsibility to take care of you—so you can take care of talking to the spirits for us.”
“Alpha?”She sounded curious, thank God, instead of angry or upset.Or that colorless little tone that somehow hurt him, the one that sounded like she’d given up.
“Yeah.That means I’m responsible.”I’m all that’s left.“The only other choice is Eric and he won’t take it.So it’s up to me.”
“And it’s up to me to talk to the spirits.What if I don’t want to?”
He worked this around in his head for a few moments, trying to see things her way.“It’s themajir.Why wouldn’t you want to?”
“Maybe I want to be normal.”
Jesus Christ, honey, who would want that?“You mean like a bleeder?A nine-to-fiver, one of those sheep?What the hellfor?”
She withdrew.It was an almost-physical movement; he couldseeher pulling away, into herself.Walls going up, doors slamming, the essential Sophie retreating behind a blank screen.She gave him a mistrustful glance, grey eyes darkening and that cute little mouth turning into a thin line before drawing down, and she looked away.
But she didn’t demur when he kept his arm around her.
The right bus—the 48—came lumbering along, and he cursed his big mouth again.She didn’t say a word after that, no matter how much he tried to engage her in conversation.He ended up just giving her random bits of information, nothing very useful, watching other passengers around them as the bus ground on and on toward his Family and the mist thickened into actual sleet.The temperature was dropping fast, and he had never wished so hard for a brick wall to beat his head against.
Screwed up again, he kept thinking.You’ll be lucky if she doesn’t run again too, you idiot.How could you be so stupid?
seventeen
The others werein another motel—a Doze Inn, in a section of town Sophie had never dared to enter before—south of downtown, just on the edge of the core of housing projects which were always in the news.The concrete building slumped, tired and dispirited under a weeping grey sky; the room had two beds, a kitchenette, and the hopeless smell of burned food and desperation.
“It was a productive morning,” Eric said, with a meaningful glance in Sophie’s direction.“We went channel-surfing.”
“Good.”Zach shrugged out of the dripping denim jacket.It had started to pour again, as if heaven longed to wash the city clean.“See any other Tribe since we split up?”
“Not yet.”Eric still looked like he wanted to say something else.
Sophie pushed past him, heading for the bed that wasn’t piled with a mound of clothes.Her feet werekillingher, plus she was soaked clear through.Her purse was heavier than she could ever remember it being; her shoes were full of water and, she was sure, half a street’s worth of gravel.She sank down, shivering, and finally kicked the heels off.Immediately her groaning feet felt wrinkled and slightly soiled from the cheap carpet.
She almost missed the shredded nylons—they would’ve been warmer.
“Holyshit,” someone said in the kitchen, and the girl—Julia—appeared, holding a heavy, steaming china mug.“I don’t believe it.”
“You’d better.”Zach relaxed, shoulders dropping and a grin flashing across his dark-stubbled face.He filled up the room; a wave of relief spilled through the air.It smelled like warm cookies, and Sophie found her own muscles loosening, tension sliding away with a sigh.
What is that?She had to examine the feeling before she figured out it wassafety,again, that weird sense that things were going to be all right.Julia shoved the mug into her hands, and Sophie found it contained blessed, fragrant coffee.
“You brought her back.”Brenn sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the room’s puny little television, a large piece of brown leather across his lap.A shy smile lit his young face.“Hello, shaman.”
Sophie blew across the coffee’s top.Her lower back was cramping up, waves of pain tightening the muscles.
“I figured out your sizes and got you some clothes.Oh, and you can use my shampoo.”Julia’s dark eyes were wide and pleading.She looked a lot younger now, and the way she hunched down, glancing at Sophie only peripherally, was a little… troubling.The pale streak in her hair almost trembled as she settled, easily, as if it were perfectly normal to crouch at someone’s feet.
“Thanks.”Sophie wrapped aching fingers around the mug despite its scorching, welcome heat soaking into her bones.Her hair dripped relentlessly.“You wouldn’t happen to have a towel handy, would you?”
“I’ll get it!”Brenn bolted to his feet, leapt for the bathroom.Julia collided with him halfway there, and they nearly crashed into the wall.
Sophie flinched.They moved sofast.
Eric swept the room door shut and rolled his eyes.“They’ve been like this the whole time.Goddamn pups.”
“They’re young.”Zach actually grinned for a moment, but quickly sobered.“Any oddness around?”
