Born of Fire

He gave a short laugh. “No, we’re not. People will definitely notice us.”


Nero crossed his arms over his chest. “I can shield you to a safe zone. No one would see you at all.”

Syn hesitated at Nero’s offer. “How much drain will it cost you?”

“If you don’t go far, it won’t be bad.”

Shahara glanced out the windows at the milling bay attendants and passersby. As a large port, it was incredibly busy. Aliens and humans bustled about, trying to either board a ship or disembark for the city. There were a large number of customs officials and security guards, baggage handlers and hawkers.

She didn’t like the sight of this at all.

“Should we stay on board until dark?”

Syn shook his head. “Too suspicious. We’ll have to leave and find a nice cubbyhole until dark.”

Not another cubbyhole. She’d had just about enough of his questionable safe places. “Can I put in a suggestion?”

The men turned to face her with raised brows.

Shahara lifted her hands and started counting off her demands. “Let’s find someplace where there aren’t any dead people, insects, or rodents. For that matter, someplace that’s big enough to accommodate both of us without crimping any internal organs.”

Syn scoffed. “Picky, picky, picky. If you think it’s so easy, why don’t you come up with a place to hide?”

“Fine with me.”

He grinned. “All right, then, you lead the way.”

Nero stood up. “You want cover?”

Syn looked at her before he answered. “Yeah, if you don’t mind. Let’s play it safe. I’m not in the mood to run right now and I know fighting is suicide. Last thing I want to do is make my enemies happy by dying.”

She lifted her pack from the floor. “Are you staying with us?” she asked Nero.

“Just till I get you two parked, then I’m out.”

She was a bit surprised by that, but Syn seemed to expect it.

“We’ve got to get out of here soon or the locals will want to know what the holdup is.” Syn took Vik out of the pack. “All right, buddy. I need you on the street to scout. You see the grays coming at us, let me know.”

“Yeah, that’s nice. Put the poor bot out in the cold to look for local enforcers. You suck, boss.” Vik turned into a bird.

Laughing at his surliness, Shahara led the way to the door. Nero and Syn followed after her. She looked back over her shoulder and had a chill go down her spine at their collective intensity. It wasn’t often a woman saw one, never mind two men so gorgeous, but their combined auras of raw masculine power was truly impressive.

“So how does this shield thing work?” she asked Nero.

“They’ll see you, but no one will pay attention to you. It’s like a reflection or an inhibitor. Their focus will be on anything other than the two of you. You’ll blend right into the background.”

“That’s a nice power to have.”

“Yes, it is.”

She pressed the controls to lower the ramp. “All right, Syn. One cubbyhole coming up. Just remember you have to bear my choice with the same grace and even-tempered temerity I’ve shown with yours.”

He snorted. “Good. I get to whine and bitch. Can’t wait.”

Shaking her head at him, she left the ship first. Vik took flight and quickly left them behind.

Once they were outside the landing bay and stood on the street, she realized what Syn had meant about daylight. Though it was around noon, it looked more like dusk. She started to suggest they go ahead to the office building until she realized how many people lived and worked here. It literally looked like a sea of bodies.

No doubt the building would be crammed full of people as well. “How long do we have to wait before we can go after it?”

Syn shrugged. “I don’t know how much things have changed, but people used to vacate the prime district after working hours.”

Nero nodded in agreement. “You’ll have to hold up another six, seven hours to be safe. The streets get completely vacant about two hours after that.”

“Then that’s our plan.” Syn looked at her. “So where do we go?”

Looking up and down the street, she tried to find someplace they could stay for that amount of time and not evoke anyone’s suspicions. Hundreds of people and aliens walked around them, while busy shuttles, rovers, and transports skidded along the road.

Tons of stores, hotels, and restaurants lined the street. Well, they couldn’t very well shop for that amount of time, nor eat.

As for a hotel . . .

Those places always demanded identification, which would prove impossible to provide since they were both wanted dead by the local government.

Maybe the sewer wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

“What’s the name of this city?” she finally asked Syn.

“Shasra. Why?”