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"Looks like you got yourself into a bit of trouble!" the shorter of the two women shouts to Ryder through a laugh. "Like always!"
Ryder grins, untangles his fingers from mine, and cups his hands around his mouth. "Life's too boring any other way!"
The woman laughs and so does one of the men.
"Where's Reece and Blaise?" the taller woman asks, swinging her long leg off the bike.
"Reece went looking for water," Ryder hollers. "And Blaise had one of his tantrums and ran off."
The taller woman flips her dark hair off her shoulder as she laughs. "What was it over this time?"
Ryder shrugs, but his gaze strays over his shoulder at me. "Who knows? You know how he can get."
"That I do." The taller woman's eyes flick from me to Ryder. Then she slants her head to the side in puzzlement.
"How long do you think they'll be?" one of the men asks Ryder as he hops off his motorcycle. "I'd like to head back to the station before sundown, especially if the Forsaken are hunting you."
"I'm not sure. Reece has been gone for a while, so I'm guessing soon. Blaise ..." He scratches the back of his neck. "Well, we might have to go look for him."
They continue to shout back and forth, planning on how to track Blaise down as quickly as possible. I find myself inching away, feeling out of place, a stranger amongst a group of different species, which might be true.
I make my way all the way to the compassbot before coming to a stop. When the compassbot lets out an enthused yip, I bend over and scoop it up into my arms.
"I can't believe I feared you," I mumble, scratching the back of its ear.
It barks, sticking out its tongue and panting. I wonder if it's thirsty. Then again, it's a robot, so I don't know.
"Do you eat and drink?" I ask aloud, feeling silly for talking to a robot dog.
"It doesn't. But if you keep it, you'll have to recharge it." Blaise materializes from out of nowhere, scaring me half to death.
I press my hand over my racing heart. "How do I recharge it?"
"There are power sources at the station you can plug it into." He scrutinizes the compassbot. "These things can live forever if you take care of them. Out here, though, they usually live for about a month or two before their battery power runs out."
"That's so sad ... How did he even get out here? Or was it born--created out here?"
"It's probably a stray that escaped the city. Most of them are created in factories and sold to Grim and sometimes humans as pets."
My gaze travels to the numbers branded on my wrist. The compassbot and I may be completely different species, but our stories don't sound much different.
"If you want to bring it back to the station, you can," he tells me. "If not, you should put it down before it gets too attached."
"Will it get attached that fast? I've only been holding it for a few minutes."
"Usually, no. But with you ... maybe."
"Why?"
"Because ..." He drags his hand across his forehead and shifts his weight, seeming uneasy. "You're kind of spoiling it."
"Oh." I stop petting the compassbot. "Is that bad?"
A pained look comes across his face, and while I have no idea what is upsetting him, I wonder if it has to do with his past and what he is, both of which are mostly a mystery to me.
"Only if you plan on leaving it behind," he utters, not meeting my gaze.
I instinctively reach for his face to cup his cheek and comfort him, like Ryder so often does to me, but right before my fingers connect with his scruffy jawline, his eyes snap wide and I remember Blaise doesn't like being touched.
"Sorry." I withdraw my hand. "I forgot."
"It's fine." His tone perplexingly carries relief mixed with disappointment. My perplexity only skyrockets when he reaches out and laces his fingers with my free hand. "So, do you think you'll keep it?"
"Ryder told me I should." I glance down at the compassbot, fast asleep in my arms. "But I'm not sure if I should bring a pet to a place I've never been before and isn't even my home."
"The station will be your home. At least, if you want it to be." His brows dip as the corners of my lips tug upward. "What's so funny?"
"It's nothing." I give a shrug. "Ryder just said almost the exact same thing to me."
"Well, at least he did one thing right today," he grumbles with heavy annoyance.
I shift the compassbot into the crook of my arm. "You're not still mad at him, are you?"
He shakes his head. "I wasn't mad at him. Not really, anyway."
"Then why did you seem upset when you took off?"
The muscle in his jawline spasms as he looks away. "Does it really matter?"
"I think it does ... I don't like it when you're upset."
He arches a brow as he returns his attention to me. "Maybe I should be saying the same thing to you."
My brows pull together. "I'm not upset."
He gives me a doubtful look. "Then why are you hiding back here from Ryder and the rescue team?"
I bite my lip, attempting to hide my apparent transparency. "I don't know. I mean, I'm not really hiding since I'm standing out in the open."
"But you are in a way." His fierce gaze bores into mine. "You're nervous; I can tell."
"I just feel a little out of place. That's all." I stare down at the compassbot. "I think I'll keep it, if that's okay?"
He continues to study me intently. "Okay. Good."
I offer him a small smile, but he doesn't return it.
"Are you going to tell me why you were upset now?" he asks.
Before I can say anything, Ryder strolls up. "Good. You're here. I was just about to go look for you," he tells Blaise then hitches his thumb over his shoulder. "A rescue team showed up while you were gone."
"I know. I heard the engines." Blaise casts a glance toward the top of the cliff then frowns. "Who's here?"
"Phoenix, Jett, Taylor, and Mia," Ryder answers, pulling a face at the mention of Mia. "They said they received the signal we sent out from the Forsaken camp. Crazy, right? I didn't actually think they'd get it, considering how old that equipment is."
"It's a good thing they did. I couldn't find a drop of water anywhere." Reece's breathless voice sails from over my shoulder.
I sigh in relief that he made it back okay, but my relief is short-lived as I twist around and take in the sight of him.
His brown hair is askew, his forehead and cheeks smudged with dirt and a few scratches, he's completely out of breath, and the knees of his cargo pants are torn.
"Shit, what's wrong?" Ryder spins around, scanning the trail behind him. "Is it the Forsaken? Did they catch up with us?"
Reece hunches over as he struggles to catch his breath. "No ..." He gasps for air. "Watchers."
Ryder stiffens, and Blaise's fingers constrict around mine as he lets out a string of curses.
"Watchers? Since when do Watchers come into the fault?" Ryder asks, his eyes huge as his fingers drift toward his empty holster. "Fuck, I forgot Zinnia took our guns."
Reece shakes his head as he stands up straight. "I have no idea, and I don't want to stick around to find out. There are about five of them a mile back, which means we have maybe ten minutes to get up the cliff and take off."
My heart rate skyrockets. Watchers are a mile away? In a place they don't normally go? Why do I get the feeling this has something do with me?
"So, we're free climbing?" Ryder's gaze flits in my direction.
"We have to." Reece rolls up his sleeves. "We don't have time to set up."
I swallow hard, glancing from the cliffs to the trail then to Ryder. "What's free climbing?"
"Climbing without a rope and harness," Ryder explains with an apologetic look.
My lips form an O. The last time I tried to climb down the cliff, I panicked and got stuck, and Blaise had to rescue me. And that was with
a rope and harness. Maybe going up won't be as bad. Still, I gulp as I take in the height of the serrated, steep cliffs.
"Blaise, take care of Allura." Reece hikes toward the cliff, calling over his shoulder, "Ryder and I will get started. Although, you'll still probably beat us up there."
"Just don't move so quickly you end up falling. I won't be there to catch you this time," Blaise warns, refastening the strap on his fingerless gloves.
"And make sure to be careful," Ryder says, backing away from us.
"I'm always careful," Blaise replies with a shake of his head.
"I know, but you need to be extra careful this time. You have precious cargo." Ryder gives Blaise a pressing look before turning around and jogging after Reece.
"Like I don't know that," Blaise mutters, seemingly to himself. Then he slips off the bag he's wearing, unzips it, and turns toward me. "Here. Put the compassbot in this."
I do as he instructs, and when the robotic dog begins to stir, I run my fingers along the top of its head, which settles it down, and it curls up into a ball.
"Hopefully, it'll stay asleep while we do this," Blaise zips up the bag and hands it to me. "Put this on, and then hop onto my back."
"You're going to carry me up the cliff?" I ask, securing the bag on my back.
He nods, opening and flexing his hands. "I'll make sure to move as fast as possible so you don't have to worry too much. I promise I won't let anything happen to you."
"That's not what I'm worried about." Okay, maybe a little, but another thing is troubling me. "Will you be okay carrying me?"
He nods again, his jaw set tight. "I'll be as okay as I was last time."
I want to point out that the last time he carried me down the cliff, he was extremely tense, probably because I was touching him. I didn't know he didn't like to be touched at the time.
"Allura, I'll be fine," he insists, as if reading my apprehension. "We need to go now. We don't want to be here when the Watchers show up."
"Okay." I tie the straps of the bags around my waist, then step up behind Blaise.
When he squats down in front of me, I climb onto his back, hitch my legs around his waist, and link my arms loosely around his neck. His breathing quickens as he straightens, and I resist the urge to bury my face into his back. As we near the cliff that seems to stretch for miles toward the sky, resisting the urge becomes impossible.
With my forehead pressed against the back of his head, I summon a breath.
