Read Online The Seek by Ros Baxter - Free Book Online Page B

else in the club would notice. The girl wasn’t out there doing ballet. But if you knew the art, you knew that she did too.
    That alone was enough to make Kyn stop and take notice.
    But then there was the second thing.
    Kyn knew her. She recognised the lines of her body, the shape of her breasts. The way she held herself. Kyn was an avid student of the human body. It was how she had stayed alive in so many situations when so many others hadn’t. She studied the intricate physical nuances of the people and creatures she met. And she had stood in front of this girl and imprinted on her mind; the better to work with her and perfect her.
    It was Mirren. A long purple bruise stood out in sharp relief on one long leg — the result of their training session earlier in the day. Kyn was surprised the girl could walk, let alone dance.
    Kyn sighed. What the hell was Mirren doing here?
    And what the hell should Kyn do about it? What could she do about it?
    It was illegal, but that wasn’t so much the problem. All the Avengers here were doing something forbidden. But no-one would care. They were boys, about to go off and fight, probably die. They were permitted a little look-the-other-way indulgence. And there was anonymity in their unity.
    Mirren was different. She had no tattoo yet to advertise her status as an Avenger, if indeed she made it through training at all. But if one of them later recognised her — one of her trainers, or one of her classmates, or one of her crew…Kyn shuddered. It could go very badly for her. She was already different. She needed to be careful.
    And she was young. Seventeen. And she was, Kyn had to admit it to herself, kind of different.
    But what to do? Kyn could hardly front her without outing herself.
    So she watched. And as she did, she realised she wasn’t the only one.
    In that same way that her sixth sense for the many moods of the human body had alerted her to Mirren’s presence at the club, Kyn became aware that the ex-Avenger who stood at the door was watching Mirren too. It was the same guy from the last time Kyn had been here, wearing the black stump of his ruined arm like a badge of honour. He sported facial tattoos like those favoured by Posteri warriors; a great, drooling creature snarled out from one half of his face. And it was clear to Kyn that he liked what he saw as he ogled Mirren. She watched him watching Mirren charge — saw his tongue dart out quickly to lick his lips as he followed her perfect moves.
    She tried to assess the man while not eyeballing him straight on. He was jumpy and taut, ready for action. His hand bunched and unclenched in turn, and he stretched his neck to the side repeatedly, like a boxer preparing for the fight. He was on something, but it sure as hell wasn’t Connect. Connect made you loose and happy, a danger to no-one. This guy looked like he had a chip on his shoulder the size of a Termeritian boulder, and he was cruising for some action.
    Fuck.
    As Kyn watched, he moved towards Mirren on the dance floor, angling towards her, determination announcing itself from every cell. He stopped only to whisper in the ear of another, younger guy, who smiled broadly, nodded abruptly, and stepped over to the doorway post the guard had deserted.
    The big amputee pushed into the dancing beast, and the crowd seemed to part before him; something about his size, perhaps, or the dangerous edge to his body that the dancers were probably registering on some level but not even aware that they were responding to. The beast parted before him and he was at Mirren’s side in moments.
    She was dancing slower now than she had been when Kyn had first spotted her. Kyn could see the leaden effect of the Connect on her movements. Her arms were extended to the roofline, her hips swayed in time with the crooning electronic notes, and her feet kept seductive time. The guard from the door slid in behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and swaying against her, leaning down to