Hunt by Numbers by Kimberly A. Rogers

Author:Kimberly A. Rogers [Rogers, Kimberly A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Unknown
Published: 2019-03-17T22:00:00+00:00

The crowd was suffocating me. I pretended interest in the refreshment tables, as I couldn’t bear to watch the fights or to keep avoiding staring at all the high numbers. Everyone in the room was either an 8 or a 9. My skin crawled with an awareness of their innate power, of the danger roiling just beneath polite conversation and sharp smiles. If any of them recognized me . . .

I cut off the thought before it could fully form. It would only send me into a panic and that was something that I could not afford. Not now. I still hadn’t been able to find my way to the seer. Not that I wanted to approach him when there was a possibility of other people hearing any . . . pronouncements. I definitely didn’t want or need someone to hear another seer decrying me as the Destroyer.

A shiver ran down my spine, and my stomach tightened at the memory alone. No, seeking out the seer in a crowd would be a true nightmare. The wish for Mathias’ comforting presence at my back resurged with fresh strength. But wishing didn’t change reality, no matter what fae stories said. And after so many years on my own or bouncing through foster homes, I should know that truth better than most. Leaning on Mathias, trusting him, that was a luxury. And, luxuries could be lost.

“Have you tried the supplì?” The question surprised me more by being spoken in lightly accented English than in the question’s focus on an Italian snack of a rice ball filled with mincemeat and mozzarella, before being soaked in egg and breadcrumbs and then fried.

I looked up into placid dark eyes that flashed to reptilian orangish yellow. Panic beat its wings frantically against my ribcage as I recognized the eastern dragon. Prince Tao. And, the 9 shone bright above his glossy dark hair. There was a whisper of movement behind me, and I glanced around to see the woodwose now pinned me in, blocking any chance of slipping away. I was trapped.

The dragon prince leaned in close, as though we were having a quiet, pleasant conversation, and I could barely breathe past the stranglehold wrapping around my ribs. The slit pupil of his eyes widened then narrowed as he murmured, “I believe we should have a conversation. You must have spotted our little party the first evening, yes? At the Forum.”

My tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth, but somehow I managed to give a tiny nod. I couldn’t force a single word past my lips, however.

Not that it seemed to matter as Prince Tao caught my hand with his fist, balancing it precisely on top, then waved toward one of the tunnels leaving the current viewing room. My mind whirled with fear, but instinct and habit forced me to cooperate with the two high numbers. If I could appease them, maybe I could slip away and lose myself in the crowd of patrons. Just long enough to escape their interest.

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