n

n

n

n~ SASHA ~

nSasha knew focusing on the anger of it all only put her off balance and made her unhappy, so she tried for a while to focus on the good.

nUnder the furs she put a hand to her belly, wondering how it would feel if she’d carried him to whatever size he was now. Whether she’d be able to feel him kick yet. Whether anyone in that **ing lab ever touched him through the technology so he knew what love felt like.

nThen she shook her head again. She got fearful and sickened every time she thought of it. What were they doing to him? Or not doing?

nShe got mad at God every time, too.

nBut, she reminded herself, so far they were safe. And they knew about their son. And they were going to get him, she was certain of it.

nAnd they knew where the Safe Place was now—and the Chimera were there! She had to hold onto that. They knew at least Skhal and Jhon had gotten away from the compound, presumably with the females with them. She’d been praying every day that Lhars had gotten his out too. That all of them were nestled safely in their new home, wondering where she and Zev were.

nTheir worry was an ache in her chest, too. She knew by now they’d be giving up hope. She prayed it wouldn’t cause too many disruptions for the hierarchy when they showed up in a few weeks. But then she realized, they could go back to the time close to when the others arrived, couldn’t they!

nThat made her feel better.

nSasha turned her mind to the day to come. Zev had said if he was successful finding some food, he’d take her to bathe and wash that night. They hadn’t done that since they’d traveled from the other mountain. He’d been watching the human routines and he was becoming confident that they bunked down at night, and beyond their guards

n—who didn’t move, were just positioned to see if others approached—they weren’t searching or hunting at night.

nThey didn’t trust Thana’s inhabitants not to surprise them, it seemed.

nSasha hoped they could do that. Her furs felt like they’d stand up on their own. But she couldn’t take them off because she’d get too cold. She knew it would be a cold night after bathing, but she was looking forward to feeling clean, even if it only lasted a day or two.

nThen she remembered what happened the last time they were at the pools, and that made her smile and blush again. If they got some time tonight, she definitely wanted to make the most of it— 𝓝𝑜𝓋𝔢𝑙𝓊𝓈𝑏.𝒸𝗈𝕞

nSasha!

nZev’s voice in her head was quiet but urgent. The bushes at the front of the cave rustled. Her heart throbbed, but she got to her feet as Zev appeared, empty-handed, his face darkly serious and beckoned for her to come.

nBring the furs. The humans are coming. They aren’t close enough to hear us yet, but we need to get out of the way.

nSasha’s eyes widened, and she leaped towards him.

n*****

nAn hour later, they were crouched in another hollow hidden by trees and an outcropping of rock just a hundred feet or so above the Gateway cave, waiting for it to be safe to return.

nThere had been teams criss-crossing the face of the mountain now and again while they’d been there. But Zev said those patrols were pathetic—not expecting to find anything, so ignoring all signs of movement or the presence of anyone else. That sight-blind didn’t even cover it.

nZev had insisted that he’d found their blind spots—that there were areas so close to where they gathered, the humans just assumed they were clear of intruders. While Sasha’s heart pounded at the idea of being so close to them, she couldn’t fault his logic as they watched a group of guys walk a trail that Sasha was unfamiliar with.

nWhere does this trail lead? she’d asked Zev.

nAlmost due west, Zev replied, his eyes never straying from the gaps in the trees where they could see the men walking the trail below them. But then they stopped, and soon the forest reeked of cigarette smoke.

nIt was a smell that Zev’s sensitive nose hated. Sasha didn’t like it either. But Zev had told her it was one more screen for them—with serious smells like that around, the humans were even less likely to detect something subtle.

nThen the wind shifted, bringing the voices of the men with it, and all other thoughts tumbled out of Sasha’s head. Because the men were discussing Nick.

n“…thinks he’s such a **ing hotshot, then comes crawling back, beaten like a pussy. I swear he was going to cry.”

n“You were there?”

n“I was security for the Board that night. I was the one who had to hold him while they got the others there to hear him.”

n“Shit. Was it an act, do you think? Some of them are saying he was in on it. He’s got some **ing obsession with Zev.”

n“Probably,” the first guy replied.

nThe wind rose and the leaves rustling stopped Sasha from hearing them. But Zev shared what he could catch.

nNick hadn’t been himself after he’d returned. He was staying in the labs. Suffering PTSD.

nThese guys were mocking him. They thought Thana was beautiful, and the Creatures were easy to kill. They wanted to go camping here.

nThey were going to get a chance if Nathan had his way…

nThen Zev’s thoughts went silent in her head.

nZev? What is it?

nZev was blinking, frowning. He raised a hand to quiet her—it was harder for him to hear when she spoke in his head. Sasha watched his face—which paled—and the way his eyes darted left and right as if he was trying to remember something.

nShe took his hand, afraid he’d sink into that awful, dark place he’d gone earlier. But his attention never wavered from the males on the trail below them.

nIt took twenty minutes for them to move along, then another five before Zev felt like they’d gone far enough away that it was safe for him and Sasha to move.

nThen another half an hour to creep back to the cave to make sure a second lot of humans hadn’t found their plateau.

nIt was lunchtime by the time they were back in the cave, and Zev could finally fill them in.

nI can’t believe… it never even occurred to me. Zev raked a hand through his hair.

nWhat? she asked. What were they saying?

nZev took a deep breath and finally held her eyes. The guy who’d held Nick when he arrived back in the human world was showing off, saying he was finally going to get to go through the Gateway. If it was open.

nSasha blinked. They’ve closed the Gateway somehow?

nNo, Sasha. There’s a second Gateway. Apparently, it’s the whole reason the human teams have been coming into Thana all this time.

nSasha’s mouth dropped open. Another Gateway?!

nZev nodded. But apparently, the other one’s been closed for a while. That’s why they used this one with us. I just couldn’t believe I never saw it. remember I told you how weird it was that whenever the teams came through, Xar would pull all the Chimera back to the Village, and the team would go into Thana by themselves?

nI thought that was because they were trying to avoid getting attacked?

nZev shrugged. Maybe. But these guys were saying it was so the Chimera didn’t find the other Gateway and the work they were doing there.

n*****

n~ ZEV ~

nListening to those males laugh and tease each other—and Nick—about this second gateway had been a punch in the stomach.

nZev’s only reassurance was that the males seemed to think there was some kind of block on it, or a problem with it.

nThe youngest among this group, a red-haired guy who looked like he barely had to shave, had stared at the others. “Has it ever been open when you’ve been around?”

nThe others all guffawed. “That one hasn’t been open in our lifetimes unless Nathan’s lying—which is entirely possible.”

nBut the youngest wasn’t giving up. “Do you really think it will be open this time?”

nThe dark-haired guy who’d been bragging at the beginning had sucked on his cigarette and shrugged. He’d made a lot of noise and empty words about his mission, but Zev had been able to see and scent the skepticism on the others.

nZev was frustrated that none of them expected the second gateway to be open. It was a potential help to him and Sasha if that second gateway was less guarded than this one. Though the way they were talking about it, that seemed unlikely. And that was assuming the bragger’s insistence that there was a chance the Board had found a way to do it was even true.

nIn the end, the guy admitted he was just looking forward to spending a few days in Thana without having to patrol.

nSo… Sasha asked him an hour later when they were still going back and forth about it. Do we try to get through this new gateway? Or stick with our original plan?

nZev bit his lip. That was the big question, wasn’t it? But the truth was, he didn’t trust gossip.

nNo, babe, he murmured in her head, pulling her into his chest. Unless I hear something more concrete before it’s time… I think we stick with our plan. And we pray that by that time they’re relaxed enough that we can get into it without raising the alarm.

nBut neither of them had spoken much that day, both of them turning over all the possibilities in their minds.

nIf the humans had another Gateway—if they were able to open it—would that one take them to the safe place?

nZev set his jaw and shook his head, mentally eyeing the Creator.

nHe better not be setting them up for failure.

n

n