Page 68 of Mindeater

“You can’t leave me here,” Saren interrupts my thoughts. I snatch the rock Kaya made for him and place it in my side pocket.

“I can and will,” I say automatically.

“I’m half naked,” he argues, gesturing at his shirtless torso and bare feet.

I don’t look.

I’ve already memorized every inch of him, so I’d know him anywhere. The slight upturn of his nose, the way his lips pout, his red eyelashes and stardust freckles. How they decorate his chest and stomach muscles. The puffy circles around his nipples. Saren is easy to look at, which is why I can’t. His physical form should be unremarkable to me. The fact that it isn’t—quite the opposite—is ungodly distracting.

“You’re the all-powerful Maven,” I say dryly. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

Pushing past him, I get only a few steps before he grabs my arm. Even through my long sleeve, his power tickles and pricks my senses. A reminder of what happens when our flesh meets. My stomach lurches as my nose instinctively tries to scent him. I jerk free of his hold, shove him away, and keep moving.

“I can find them,” he insists. “I’ll be able to sense any Telex before they know I’m there. Any humans too. And especially Others. The void is louder than anything else.”

“I don’t need you. I know where they’re going.”

“But what if they don’t end up there?” he argues, jogging to get in front of me. “What if they don’t, Ryx? You’ll never find them alone.”

I hate that he’s right—hate even considering letting him help. I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him.

And yet, I don’t have much of a choice. I have to track them down on foot, forced to suffer the elements and any threats along the way. Every time I use the pulse, my disease spreads. One day, I won’t remember my own damn name.

“How do I know you won’t stab me in the back the second I turn around?” I demand, pumping pheromones into the air in some pathetic display of dominance.

His nostrils flare, eyes narrow. “You know that doesn’t work on me.”

But it does. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be mouth breathing again.

Little liar.

“How about this?” My hand shoots out and wraps around his throat. The glove spares me from that horrible clash of our abilities. I tighten my hold, letting him feel how strong I am. “Imagine what it’d be like without the glove,” I warn, arching my eyebrow in challenge.

The little shit pulls a stunt of his own. His eyes flash, a violet glow swallowing the lilac, and pressure slams into my esophagus. I struggle to appear unaffected as my windpipe squeezes unnaturally. “I could have killed you a thousand different ways already,” he rasps.

“Do it, then.”

We both know he won’t.

You like me too much.

I blink. My hand falls away. The memory is like a bolt of lightning through my skull. Quick and sharp, blinding and wicked. I said that?

His eyes soften a fraction, just enough to terrify me. He allows me to take the much-needed step back. “I’m coming with you,” he says softly. “Just like you wanted.”

“Fine,” I snap. “But you fend for yourself. I’m not holding your hand.”

***

Saren is surprisingly resourceful—to the point I’m extremely irritated. I gave him five minutes to find supplies. He raided a nearby tent and grabbed a navy button-down, Danny’s weird teal shirt that Nina hates, and a pair of worn jeans. Confidently stepping forward with boots, a sack slung over his shoulder, and a rolled-up sleeping bag, the man looks smug as fuck.

“Ready.” He beams.

I’m keenly aware I didn’t pack any form of bedroll, but it’s irrelevant. I’ve slept in worse conditions. I’ll be fine.

Offering a clipped nod, I head off in the direction the vehicles went. Saren follows me, but keeps his distance. We walk in silence; the only sounds are our breaths, the wind, and the crunch of snow. Every now and then, he huffs.

My cloak is thick, keeping most of the chill off, but even I’m starting to dread when the sun sets. And it’s close. Traversing through the mountainside at night is just asking to be picked off by the numerous predators lurking in the dense woods. Not to mention the shadows always twist into monsters.