Page 23

He said nothing, keeping his eyes on the floor and his hands clenched. The hairs on the back of his neck stood erect as his pulse quickened.

“Another specimen has been brought in. I’ve secured it for the time being, so we will need to be quick.”

More experiments. More lies. He nodded once and stood.

There was so much Saren didn’t know. Most days, Ryx had to bite his tongue to keep the truth from spilling out. He wanted to tell Saren so badly, but Patryn always had a reason to keep it quiet.

Against his better judgment, Ryx knew he had to try again, if only to soothe the burn from their fight. He could convince himself he couldn't control keeping Saren in the dark, even if it only worked for a little while.

“Good boy. We will be back before supper.”

Ryx stopped in the doorway, glared up at Patryn and growled, “If you don’t tell him, I will.”

Softening his gaze, Patryn placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “When he’s ready.”

“He is now,” Ryx hissed. “He needs to know. I’m sick and tired of lying to him. I…he’s my…” Fuck, he hated how his throat closed up.

Patryn searched his face, those violet irises lightning-quick in their perusal. “You care for him.”

Tensing, he nodded again. “We are friends.”

“Right now, yes.” Those fingers on his shoulder felt heavier, tighter. “But he is to be the Maven of New Grove. His path has been chosen the moment he was born. One day he will not need you. It’s best you remember that.”

He might not need me, but I’ll never not need him.

8

Saren

There had to be some explanation.

Saren frantically searched the library until his eyes ached. Book after book relayed the same information he’d greedily gobbled up since he first learned to read. He paced, flicking his gaze to the locked book case.

No, I can’t—shouldn’t. But he wanted to.

For years Patryn had taunted him with that forbidden knowledge, and he knew his guardian was long gone. It’d been frequent, too.

Not that Patryn didn’t leave him alone as it was, but with Ryx living here, the pair of them disappeared once a week for several hours at a time. He’d tried to get Ryx to tell him what they did, but Ryx said it was nothing important. Saren believed him. The boy returned with no wounds or obvious distress, and he seemed to be himself. Patryn’s interest in his race was purely out of curiosity. And Saren understood that craving. He was curious, too.

“It’ll be quick,” he said to himself and raced out of the library.

Feet smacking over the stairs, he sprinted down the west wing hall and straight to Patryn’s bedroom. There, he searched high and low for the keyring. About ten minutes passed before he checked under the pillows. He grinned, shook his head, and hurried back to the library. With trembling fingers, he unlocked the bookcase and ran his index down each spine. One of them had to hold all the answers—and help him understand why Ryx believed what he did.

Fighting with his best friend hurt. He was scared that if he couldn’t prove to Ryx that he was wrong, those lies would permanently damage their bond. Saren couldn’t allow that. He…cared for Ryx. Whenever they were apart, his thoughts always drifted to those raven wing locks, steel eyes, and special smiles. His heart would skip in his chest, and the monster in his belly would settle. Everything Ryx had to say felt so important and necessary, but not this.

It couldn’t be true.

None of the titles were particularly obvious, so he grabbed the thickest book. Settling in at Patryn’s desk, he flipped it open to the index. Several words stood out, but one he couldn’t look away from. Ryx had only ever said it that one time.

Nightpulse.

Intrigued, he found the page and read.

Nightpulse: the name given for the creature's characteristics and approximate time of activity.

Described as a mass of energy, illuminated by a neon-blue aura, and moving at lightning speed. To this day, there are no known survivors, as the creature consumes its prey whole, only leaving the bones and a jagged scar along the C2 axis vertebrae. The origin location is widely presumed unknown. Do not engage. Avoid contact and run. It has been known to prowl the Barrens, seeking convoys and other travelers to consume en masse.

LETHAL.