Page 33 of Sky’s Edge

“You packed two suitcases to be away for two days?” Tanyn asked.

This was not a ploy, as such. It was a part of my personality I was going to lean into because it was my understanding no male enjoyed being with a high maintenance female.

And I was as high maintenance as they came.

“I need choice. I have a certain aesthetic I like to maintain. And winter clothes take up a lot of room,” I explained.

Tanyn chose not to reply and instead left me to go and address the pilot, who was engaged in loading the stuff up in Tanyn’s waiting craft.

I looked down at the dog.

He looked up at me.

“So, you must be Hurley,” I said.

At the sound of his name, his hind end came up so he could wag his tail more vigorously, he licked his chops, and it seemed his smile got bigger.

I crouched beside him and held out a gloved hand.

He sniffed it, then launched his happy-puppy furry bulk at me.

I chuckled and held him off from knocking me over with his exuberance and ruining my makeup with his tongue at the same time I pet him.

“Nice to meet you too.”

“Let’s fly,” Tanyn bid.

I looked up to see him towering over us, his gaze moving from me to his dog and back to me.

I straightened and called, “Thank you!” to the pilot who was re-entering the jet.

He waved his reply.

I moved to the craft that looked like a modified Utilisport. It was painted white. It was much bigger than your average Utilisport. And it had a vague appearance of being a military vehicle rather than a civilian one.

Tanyn didn’t open my door for me. I had to touch the button so it would swing open.

I then hauled myself into the cab, only to be sharing the front with Tanyn and Hurley.

He’d left it on and it was warm in there, which was welcome, and since the craft was large, there was room for the three of us.

However, I’d never shared the front of a craft with a dog.

Hurley panted excitedly at the skyscreen.

Tanyn sent us swooping up a snow-covered path that wound around the plateau to the citadel, one side (my side) nothing but an increasingly steep fall.

We heard the jet take flight and that was when I asked, “Are we the only breathing beings on this island now?”

“No,” Tanyn answered. “Mangold and Zyra are here, because they live here. There’s also a crew of seven Red Grenadiers along with the two serving bots and twenty defense bots.”

Of course, he’d have security too.

Heavy security.

“Are they staying at the citadel?” I inquired.

“No. I had barracks constructed for them at the base of the plateau.”