We drive for maybe an hour or two like this, with Krall toying with me, and the car otherwise mostly silent. After a while, we arrive at a low-slung building with a bunch of structures outside and signs with prices and such.
“Where are we?”
“Gas station and rest stop,” Krall says.
“The car needs some gas,” Skor says. “Why don’t you two get some food at the diner? I’ll keep Tabby here. She’s still a flight risk.”
“I’ll bring you back something to eat,” Krall says.
“Thank you,” I say. I sit in the car and I watch as Skor put gas in it, I guess. He’s locked the doors from the outside, of course. I am a prisoner for the moment. I take the chance to climb into the front passenger seat. I am interested to see what the buttons do.
Most of them don’t seem to do anything in particular. I twist dials, and push buttons and then I notice that the wheel itself seems to…
Beeeeeeeeeeeeep!
“Stop that!” Skor censures me through the window.
“No!” I say, pressing it again.
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!
He wrenches the door open and swats at me. I jump over into the driver’s seat and turn the key the way I saw him do earlier.
“Don’t you bloody dare,” he growls.
The car purrs into life. A loud noise comes from the dash, a sort of musical sound. And then there’s a…
“By the goddess!” Skor opens the driver’s side door and shoos me over back into the passenger seat. “You listen to nothing.”
He shuts the door behind him, does something with the stick, and starts driving out of the gas station. It takes me a moment to realize that this is not what is supposed to be happening.
“What about Thorn and Krall?”
“What about them?” Skor looks over at me, flickers a wink, and I feel my body get very still.
“What?” I can still speak, but I don’t think I can move. “What have you done?”
“I need you back in Galwich,” Skor says. “The others can have Eclipse. They can go together and find a simple little mate who will bear them simple little cubs in that city of machines.”
“What do you need me for?”
He glances over at me. His eyes are dark and feral, and sparking with something that makes me quake with fear.
“You’re needed,” he repeats.
I try to get out of the car, but of course I can’t. He’s using his powers to keep me immobile again.
“They’re going to know what you did this time. It’s not going to be like before. They’re going to hunt you down.”
“Maybe they will. It will be too late by the time they do,” he says.
“Are you going to kill me?”
He shakes his head. “No. You are my mate. I am going to make you my mate so thoroughly there will be no denying it. You will find yourself in ways you never imagined.”
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing you need to worry about,” he replies.
