Page 30 of Down to One
Unexpected Attack
Titan
She’s short and slight and limping. She’s got a rag on her head and a lizard on her shoulder. And I’d be dying of thirst by now if it weren’t for her.
“Rowdy,” she says.
“What?”
“I think we should call him Rowdy. You know, because he’s silent. It’s ironic. Funny.”
“I was thinking of Big Eyes.” I say with a straight face.
“Speedy,” she counters.
“Red.”
“You’re not getting it, Titan. We’re going for the opposite of what he is.”
“You’renot getting it. I’m going for the obvious.”
Then we both laugh. She gives a little hiccupping giggle. Who would have expected we could have a moment’s fun on the day we might die?
Although our odds are getting better all the time. The drone says there are only twenty of us left.
Blaze leans over and pulls me down by my shirt so she can whisper in my ear.
“I think we’ll be safe until tomorrow. The network isn’t going to send anyone else after us until people throw millions of credits at us during our porn show tonight.”
“I had that thought,” I say out loud. As we’re about to step away, I realize Red scampered from her shoulder to mine when she was whispering in my ear. His tiny claws are clinging through my shirt into my plating.
“Six-legs likes me,” I tease.
“Chatty’s a good boy,” she responds, tipping her chin in the air as if she just gave the definitive answer.
“You’re a hard female.”
“Yep. Had to be.”
I want to know her. I ache to know everything about her. In that alternate universe I invented when we were by the stream, Iwouldknow her. We would have talked for hours and hours in bed, after I’d pleasured her in a dozen ways.
I picture it. A soft bed under a window with the light streaming in on us. I would have kissed every spot on her silken skin while she told me about her life. She’d be too proud, too private to blurt out all the details of her history. I’d have to ask questions between my kisses, drawing her out as I provide understanding without a speck of pity.
I’d know how she got so hard—and why. I’d know how difficult it was when they abducted her, and what her parents had been like, and if she ever had a pet before Big Eyes. And I’d know why they call her Slayer. I imagine that’s an important story.
I stumble over a rock in the road because I’m one percent in the present and 99 percent in my imaginary universe where Blaze and I have time. So much time.
“Titan?” her tone is tight, fearful, even though the Blaze I know never seems fearful.
I’m fully back in the present, instantly on guard. Fuck. This might not be the work of the network. This just might be another joke the gods like to play on fools like me when we dare, for even the briefest moment, to believe something good might come our way. When we’re arrogant enough to believe we deserve happiness.
Crindles.
I didn’t know they were native to Marentine, but here they are—a swarm of them.
“What the fuck?” Blaze is going for swaggering bluster for the cameras, but she’s afraid. I can feel it.
“Crindles,” I answer.
