In the silvery waterfall of moonlight, Jonathan Aztec, my second in command, holding rank as Beta of the Northridge pack, was something to behold. His powerful shoulders seemed to carry the waning gibbous, and the shadows that devoured the vast grounds of Battleridge manor granted him a wide berth.
He was a superior specimen. He was a male worthy of the ranking he'd been bestowed. But like all creatures, he wasn't born perfect, and his character flaw was a fault that bled out into the night like a severed artery: Concern.
It charged the air between us, a thick blanket that settled against the lungs like a boa-constrictor's loving embrace.
"What did you find?" I asked. The perverse silence that had entombed the dilapidated courtyard, screaming so loud it rang through my ears like a twisted lullaby, was shattered upon his approach. His boots smacked against the waterlogged ground, echoing in a way that spoke of his failures before he'd even opened his mouth. 
"Nothing,"
.......
"Until I can figure out what's going on, nobody finds out about the boy. Understand?"
"Understood."
"You're not going to ..." The pause that followed dragged out. "He's just a baby, Sterling."
"You're dismissed."

The Littlest Light

We took turns, passing the oars back and forth so the other could rest. Down flooded lanes, doors floating and, like the dome we had sought refuge, barren of much else. None of the shops or restaurants, or high standing towers we passed seemed to hold a lick of furniture. Nothin but water, char, and an untold story.

I, like Cyrus, was curious, but not enough to play twenty-fucking-questions and let my imagination take the fast lane.

/"Dada?/" Lumen's sleepy voice pulled me from my thoughts, his body fighting to a sitting position. He was filthy. I had a feeling that an entire bar of soap wouldn't fix the damage, and a break out of a second would be needed.

/"Beebee?/" I responded. He had let out a shrill squeal when he had sat up and realised that dryland had kissed our asses goodbye, and like a sloth around a tree branch, his arms had wound themselves around my legs.

Chapter124