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He snarls, but when he realises I’m serious, he scrubs at his face. “Not here, I heard someone.” He grabs me, and I go to shake him off, but he tosses me over his shoulder and turns. I have to clamp my lips shut to stop a scream when he runs right at the closest building and then bends and leaps into the air. We soar through the air, my stomach plummeting, and just as I think we are about to fall, he slams into the wall with a grunt. His claws cut into the brick, and then he starts to climb one-handed, the other binding me to his back, and within moments, we are up and over and on the roof. He places me on my feet, points at the ground to tell me to wait, and searches the rooftop.
When he’s sure it’s empty, he comes back to my side, sitting heavily like he is dreading answering me. That in itself has me worried. “Please, Akuji, tell me, it was my duty to protect her, to get her in and out safely… I need to know. Is she dead?”
“Yes, no, I don’t know,” he finally admits, turning his head to look at me, his skin glistening under the full moon. How easily did I go from day walker to night walker? “She was taken.”
“Taken by whom?” I question.
“Another tribe. I know which one, their tracks were evident.”
I jerk back. “But why?”
“I don’t know, but they didn’t kill her then and there, which means they want her for something. For what, I don’t know.”
“We have to go get her—”
“We cannot. If I cross into their lands, it’s a death sentence—”
“I am not leaving her surrounded by monsters!” I yell, my voice echoing around the empty roof. “I can’t, I won’t, she’s not like me, Akuji. She’s not a warrior. She’s a thinker. She has to be so scared! She trusted me.” I sag, rubbing my own face and stinging eyeballs. “She trusted me to keep her safe, and I failed.”
“Aria.” He reaches for me, placing me in his lap, where he holds me close. “You did not fail her, you almost died to keep her safe. She ran right into them, that much is obvious. The tribe… They aren’t killers like mine or the outer ones. They are thinkers. They are like your scientist, banding together for their love of knowledge. I don’t think they would kill her. They would want to know what she knows first. That will keep her safe for now. I will reach out and request a meeting, and we will get your friend back. I promise. I am sorry I lied, I just wanted to keep you safe.”
I let him hold me, and several minutes pass by before I push away. “Okay, so how do you make this request?”
“I will send a runner. We will go back and do it now. You can eat and rest—”
“Humans don’t need that much rest.” I snort. “We aren’t totally breakable.” For some reason, my eyes drop to his lips when I say that. We both freeze before I clear my throat.
He takes my hand and leads me away, an awkward tension stretching between us.
“Tell me about the ones you think took her.”
“They are a different type of monster than us. They cherish science and ache to know where we came from as if that can solve our future. They search for answers in the past. I once saw them in the lab you were coming from when you were attacked. They took…objects from there.”
“So that’s where they went,” I mutter, and he nods.
“Yes, I do not know what or why. Most of us want to forget what happened there, not obsess over it. I think they believe if they can figure it out, they can make peace with the humans so we can co-exist.”
“You don’t?” I ask.
“No, humans are greedy, frail things.” He winces. “Sorry, I didn’t mean you.” I wave it away, and he continues, “They don’t like the threat we pose. If the truth ever came out… No, I don’t think there will ever be peace. They will continue to try and destroy us, and we will do the same until nothing is left but death.”
“That’s sad,” I murmur.
“It is, but it’s the way your people live. They crave war. They crave destruction, never happy with what they have. I will protect my people with my very life if I have to.”
I move closer, not liking the idea. He pats my hand like he feels my worry.
“Not to fear, little human, I will keep you safe.”
“Safe here with the monsters,” I joke. “I guess that makes me a sympathiser.”
“Or an honorary monster.” He winks.
“I like that.” I grin before it fades. “I hope Talia is okay.”
“As do I, little human. As do I.”
SIXTEEN
