nevermore by Nell Stark & Trinity Tam

Author:Nell Stark & Trinity Tam [Stark, Nell & Tam, Trinity]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781602821842
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2010-10-01T04:00:00+00:00

*

Constantine woke me a few hours before the way station was scheduled to open. I had managed to fall asleep for an hour. My back ached from the hard wooden bench, but resting had been a good idea. I felt more mentally alert. We tidied up, doing our best to cover our tracks, but the broken window was a glaring sign of our intrusion. I made a mental note to send an anonymous donation to the park’s wildlife fund when I got back to New York.

We followed the trail toward the city, taking care to avoid the major paths. Even at this early hour, several tourists were already winding their way toward the park. Aguerda would be similarly busy. We decided to take a longer route that brought us in under the cover of the freight trucks and vendor caravans hauling in the day’s market goods. From there, we would make our way through the side roads and alleys toward the café Katya had chosen for our rendezvous point.

Aguerda was a small city that doubled in population during the tourist season with hikers seeking to explore the mountain ranges in the national park. We slowed as we walked through the city to match the relaxed pace set by the locals. I saw a convenience store that had a hand-painted sign in the window advertising their satellite pay phones. I pointed this out excitedly to Constantine and began to cross the street toward the store, but stopped abruptly as Constantine’s hand closed on my shoulder and pulled me back.

“They are closed.” He gestured toward another sign that I had not seen in my excitement. “And we are running late. We will come back once we have met up with Katya and Delacourte.”

Every ounce of me wanted to rush to the store and beat down the door until the shopkeeper let us in, but I let Constantine lead me away and down the street. As we rounded the final corner toward our destination, he stopped and lifted his head slightly to both sides, scenting the air. Ahead of us was the café with a bench out front painted in a cheerful orange color. The street was narrow and deserted, unusual for this time of day. Constantine gestured for me to head back toward the main street. I turned around to see three rough-looking men approaching us with handguns visible. I spun back toward the café in time to see two additional men with guns step out of the door.

Fear and anger cascaded through me, bringing me to the balls of my feet. “It’s a trap.”

Next to me, Constantine vibrated with energy. His beast was near the surface and I could tell he was debating the benefits of staying or shifting. My own panther surged to life as she sensed the danger all around us. I focused my control on keeping her in check while waiting for Constantine’s lead. The men were converging on our position quickly, and I felt, rather than saw, Constantine dip into a crouch beside me.

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