by Amelia Jade
Sydney sat back, trying to come to terms with what he had just told her. It sounded so foreign, so alien to her sense of morals and justice. It wasn’t right to treat someone that way she thought. No human being should have to face the constant threat of death like that.
Except they aren’t human. They’re shifters.
“We may look like humans,” he told her, as if guessing her thoughts, “but we aren’t. We have our own society, our own rules.” His voice was like steel, but she could hear the regret buried behind it. He tried hard to hide it, and if she hadn’t been so close to him, Sydney doubted she would have heard it either. But she was, and she did, and it made her feel much better because of it, knowing that he didn’t relish being called upon to fulfill that portion of his duty.
“Why do you stay here then? Can’t you go elsewhere, live a more normal life?” She didn’t understand why someone would volunteer for something like this.
“Didn’t you see that in my file?” he asked.
Her jaw dropped open at the pointed jab about her violation of his privacy. “I’m sorry Uriel. I shouldn’t have done that. There’s still so much I don’t know about you, but that’s no reason for me to go snooping around in your personal life. I should have respected your wanting to keep that to yourself and waited for you to tell me in your own time.”
He gave her a pained smile. “I’m sorry too. I don’t need to make you feel worse about it.” He ran his hand through his hair, letting his breath out slowly. “To answer your question, the reason I can’t go anywhere is because I don’t have anywhere to go.”
She frowned, shaking her head slightly to indicate she didn’t understand.
“We’re orphans, Sydney. Me, Gabriel, Raph. The LMC picked us up off the streets where we were getting in to trouble, brought us here, gave us an education and trained us. The Stone Bears who came before us were the same way, and the ones that come after us will be the same too I would imagine. I have no family that I know of, and never made any friends. The only ones I have now are those I’ve met here in Origin and the valley.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said quietly, feeling even more terrible. “I didn’t know.”
“I know you didn’t. It’s okay. I can forgive you, if you can assure me that in the future, you’ll come and ask me any questions you have, instead of going and searching for them on your own.”
“Just like that?” she asked, astonished. “I mean, of course I promise, but you can forgive me that easily?”
“I care for you deeply Sydney, and we all make mistakes. Keep that in mind when I make my first one, will you?” he said, a genuine smile playing across his face this time.
“I suppose that’s only fair, isn’t it?” she said, laughing along with him.
“Can I kiss you now?” he asked, standing up and walking around the desk before she had even begun.
“That would be a good idea,” she said.
His arm snaked around her back as she stood, and he lifted her gently from her feet and placed her on the desk. Then, without waiting any further, he lowered his head to hers. She tilted her head back and allowed him to kiss her passionately right there on her desk. In her office. Where she had promised herself she would be professional.
Screw that rule.
“I’m going to need a lot of that,” she said some time later as they broke for air. She brushed her hands through her hair, trying to return it to some semblance of respectability. “And you’re going to have to explain a lot more about what you shifters really do here. I had no idea this place was so violent. That makes me worried about living here.”
He gave her a thoughtful look, then kissed her quickly. This happened several more times until she giggled and told him to stop.
“I’ll tell you everything I can,” he promised. “There are some things I can’t tell you, and you’ll just have to accept that though, okay?”
She nodded. “I’m okay with that.”
“Okay, but first, pack up for the day. I have a surprise for you, but we need to take you home.”
“I’m not sure I can handle any more surprises today, Uriel,” she said cautiously, still trying to come to terms with everything she had learned in the past hour. “This is a lot to take in.”
“I understand that,” he said, sighing in defeat. “I assumed you knew. Most of the staff of LMC are aware of the rules governing us. But I promise, this isn’t a surprise filled with more revelations and unfortunate truths. It’s the good kind of surprise.”
“Is it now?” She felt her spirits brightening as she saw the spark of life return to his eye. “Okay then. Lead on,” she told him.
She didn’t think she felt like smiling, but the look of delight that blossomed on his face at her acceptance had her quickly rethinking how she felt.
Maybe the doom and gloom of this new world can wait until tomorrow…
Chapter Nine
Uriel
“Where are we going?” Sydney asked him, not for the first time.
“It’s a surprise! You do know what those are, right?” he teased her before wincing in pretend pain as she laid a fist into his shoulder.
“Ow.” She shook her hand, frustrated. “That’s supposed to hurt you, not me,” she complained.
Uriel just laughed and ducked his head, planting his lips firmly on her cheek before she could object. “There, all better!” he proclaimed.
“It’s a start,” she told him, though he could see her cheeks blushing under the attention.
“But seriously, where are we going that I need to dress like this?” She held out her arms for him to inspect. She was wearing big clunky winter boots, thick snow-resistant pants, and a parka that was nice and fluffy.
“Sauna,” he said offhandedly, as if it were no big deal.
Sydney snorted, then tried to cover it up with a laugh, but it was too late. Uriel joined her in the laughter, although this time he dodged her swinging attack, jumping back out of the way before rushing in ahead of her backswing to steal a real kiss this time. Oddly enough, Sydney didn’t fight him on that.
“You’re cute when you make noises like that,” he proclaimed, then continued walking.
“Keep up the flattery,” she ordered firmly, fighting to keep a straight face with him.
“Yes ma’am,” he told her and lifted a salute in her direction.
She threw up her hands in defeat and began to march ahead, following his lead. They had dined at the cafeteria in the headquarters building, and then Uriel had revealed his purchases to her, including the snowsuit he forced her to wear. He thought she looked cute in it, though telling her that had resulted in promises of revenge.
“Are we at least going to go outside soon? I’m starting to get extremely heated in here,” she said. There was no complaint in her voice this time and he realized she was being serious.
“Shortly, but you may want to undo the jacket in the meantime. I’m not sure how you’ll find the next room.”
She gave him an appraising look, but Uriel just smiled and continued to walk, taking the next right down the hallway.
“I’ve never been to this section before,” she said, scanning the doors and rooms as they passed.
“Most people haven’t,” he told her. “Generally that door there,” he hooked a thumb over his shoulder, “is closed and locked to all personnel without the proper clearance.”
“Why is it open now?” she asked with a glance behind them.
“Because I rule,” he said with a wink, pretending not to hear the frustrated growl she emitted.
“You sir, are getting rather full of yourself,” she stated.
“I know, but isn’t it so much more fun this way?” he teased, pushing open a set of double doors.
Straight ahead was another set of doors. The temperature dropped rapidly as they walked, and by the time he opened the next set of doors, Sydney was already doing her parka back up.
“Welcome to the office,” he said, pulling the door open wit
h a flourish.
The hallway opened up into the large cavern he and the other Stone Bears called home. Straight ahead were the three overly large armored trucks they used to transport the Dragon Stones. The six-wheeled vehicles had a distinctly military look to them, including thick rubber wheels and small angled window slits.
To the left he pointed out the door to their private offices, a shortcut to the detention area, as well as numerous smaller vehicles and tools at the disposal of the Stone Bears.
“Over here is where we’re headed,” he said, gesturing to the right. Stacks of crates and metal boxes lined the walls. Various supplies for the LMC as a whole were stored there. But sitting in front of them was what he truly wanted to show her.
“What,” she asked slowly, “is that?”
“Why that,” he said with great pride and excitement, “is your chariot for this evening!”
“Uh-uh. No way.” She threw up her hands and waved them back and forth. “No way, not happening.”
“What’s wrong?”
“There is no way you are getting me in that contraption, mister!” she said, crossing her arms and combining it with an arch of her eyebrow as she gave him a firm stare.
“I don’t understand,” he said, genuinely confused. He had been so happy to show her his work. This hadn’t been the reaction he was expecting. Not in the least.
She must have seen the hurt he knew he hadn’t completely hidden from his face, because she leaned in to him. “Uriel, what is that? It looks like a cross between a tank and a Ski-Doo!”
He laughed, understanding her reaction now. “It’s a covered ATV with treads for better traction in the snow. It’s no different than taking a four-wheeler out mudding in the summer,” he assured her.
The object in question was about eight feet long, with four eight-inch wide treads instead of wheels, shaped in a trapezoid, longer on the bottom than they were on the top. Sitting on top of those was a white bullet-shaped box with doors. It was ultra-sleek, and Uriel’s favorite winter toy.
“And all that?” she asked, pointed at the bags nearby.
“That’s our supplies,” he told her, then frowned. “I need a second hand to pack them though.” He hated admitting to any weakness in front of her, but it was true. The bags were just too awkward for him to carry and maneuver into the storage space at the rear with just his one hand.
“Okay, well, it looks like I’m going riding in a death trap on wheels,” she said helplessly, shrugging her shoulders and moving to one end of the bags.
“It’ll be fine, I promise,” he told her, chuckling lightly to himself at her antics.
Together the two of them stowed the bags—he still wouldn’t tell her what was in them—in the rear. Then he ran around to the passenger side and held the door open for Sydney while she climbed in. He double checked she had her hat, gloves, and ski goggles. Although the unit had a roof to it, it was still mostly open to the elements. There were no windows on the vehicle, they just became dirty that way.
“Hold on,” he said, firing up the engine. It roared to life with a high-pitched whine, before settling to a medium thrum that vibrated through their bodies.
“I don’t like this already,” she said.
He saw she was holding tightly to the steel bars that encompassed them. He decided not to tell her that the bars were there as a protective roll cage, just in case something happened. That was one little tidbit he would keep to himself.
Easing the throttle open the unit moved slowly out of the cavern. As soon as the tracks bit into snow instead of composite flooring the ride smoothed out and he began to pour on the speed. The ATV was capable of much higher acceleration, but he didn’t want to frighten Sydney any more than he had already done.
“This isn’t so bad,” she shouted over the roar of the engine as he guided them expertly through the parking lot of the LMC and onto a path hacked from the nearby forest.
The one skill Uriel hadn’t really lost was his ability to drive. At least, anything with an automatic shifter that is, which thankfully the ATV and his truck had. He had long ago learned to drive with a gear shifter, which meant his left hand got a lot of practice with a steering wheel while his right shifted gears. So now he could still drive thankfully. That skill came to light in the ATV as he smoothly guided them through turns and around trees as they climbed the mountain.
“Where are we going?” she asked several minutes later as they left the LMC far behind.
“My favorite place,” he told her cryptically. He meant what he said, however. The place he was taking her was his getaway, his place of private retreat and contemplation. Even Raphael and Gabriel didn’t know where it was. Actually, he amended, they probably do, but they’re polite enough not to bother me there.
Seemingly content with his answer, Sydney reached her hand out and laid it on his thigh.
She’s so perfect. He sighed. After the loss of his arm, Uriel had had some rather morbid thoughts about his future and the potential to attract a mate. He had figured nobody would want him, this disfigured, emotionally scarred, smoking wreck.
Until he had met Sydney Hightower. He had no idea what she had seen in him, or why she had put up with his problems, but she had, and he couldn’t begin to thank her enough. He hoped that she would understand what he was doing tonight, and how he hoped it would go toward evening the scales between them. He owed her so much more than he could express. He still had his issues, and the lingering inability for him to shift was bothering him more and more every day, but when she was around, he felt free.
“Close your eyes!” he said, his voice cutting through the engine.
“What, why?” she asked nervously.
“Because I want to be able to present this to you properly. Please?” he asked.
Her head snapped around to focus on him at the last word. He had said it with more pleading and angst than he had intended to. Clearly Sydney had picked up on that, because he could see her looking at him for several long seconds before she nodded.
“Okay, closed. But I already don’t like this. Are we almost there?”
“We are,” he assured her, and the slowing of their pace backed up his promise.
He let go of the throttle entirely and the ATV glided to a stop in the middle of a clearing. Exiting the vehicle he ran around to the other side and opened her door. Carefully he helped her out. Then he simply scooped her up in his arm and walked toward his destination.
The clearing was actually a ledge on the mountain, and as he climbed the slight angle at the far side of it, the valley below became visible to him. Above, the night sky glimmered with the light of billions of stars. There was no ambient light that far from Origin, which was small enough it barely emitted any to begin with.
“Okay,” he told her, setting her down so that she stood next to him, looking out into the distance. “You can peek now.”
She slid her goggles up off her face slowly, before opening her eyes.
“Oh my,” she gasped, one gloved hand rising to cover her mouth. The other, he realized, was searching for his as her fingers found it and held him tightly as she took in the view. “Uriel, this is beautiful.” Her voice was thick, and he looked over at her, surprised to see tears welling up in her eyes.
“This is my getaway,” he told her softly.
“Thank you for bringing me here.” The awe had still not faded from her voice, and she looked up overhead for the first time, taking in the milky swirl of their galaxy, a white band in the sky that was in reality composed of billions upon billions of stars so closely packed together they were indistinguishable to the naked eye.
“Look!” he pointed excitedly as a blazing trail emerged in the sky for a moment before fading quickly.
“So beautiful,” she whispered, leaning in to him and resting her head on his left shoulder as they continued to take in the view.
Neither moved for several minutes, comfortable with the silence and each other’s presence. To Uriel, it was
magical. The thought that he could be comfortable with someone to the point that he could stand in silence for endless minutes had been so foreign to him just a few short weeks ago. Now, however, he could barely imagine a world in which he couldn’t do so with Sydney by his side.
“So what was all the gear for?” she asked eventually.
He grinned. “Supplies and fun.”
“What?”
Uriel turned and showed her the rest of his clearing. “So there’s some dried firewood for the pit, some tarps and some blankets, so that we can sit in comfort, and of course, the most important ingredient,” he said, guiding her back to the ATV.
“Which is?” she asked suspiciously.
He unzipped the top bag and shoved a grocery bag into her hands. “S’mores!”
Sydney’s shoulders began to shake as she looked down into the bag, and he thought at first she might be crying. But then the first giggle escaped her lips, and a moment later Sydney dissolved into happy laughter. “Oh Uriel,” she said and threw herself at him, wrapping her hands around his chest and pulling herself tight. “You’re so cute. Such a romantic,” she said with a snort, both meaning it and laughing at him.
“Hey, if you don’t want any…” he began, trailing off as she stepped back, and she raised her hands in protest.
“No, no! I will definitely have some,” she said, then darted in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
They set about unpacking the supplies, and working together they quickly cleared off the firepit he had built on one of his early trips up the mountain and had a roaring blaze crackling away in the night. Pulling up the folding chairs he kept stored inside a nearby shelter made of fallen logs, they laid out the blankets and tarps, cozying up into the seats as they prepared their food for the fire.
“I can deal with this sort of surprise,” Sydney said, nudging his arm as she snuggled down under her blanket.
