Obsidian Prey Read Online Free Page B

it,” Cruz said.
    As if he read my mind . She did not like that notion any better. The experts were certain that telepathy was impossible, but they had never met Cruz Sweetwater. He might not be able to actually read minds, but there was no one better when it came to predicting an opponent’s next move. He was always one step ahead. She must not forget that.
    Nancy caught her eye from across the gallery and waggled her fingers in a subtle high-rez sign: closed hand, thumb and pinky extended in the air.
    Lyra took a deep breath. One thing, at least, was clear. This was not another one of the horrible waking nightmares. Cruz was no illusion. She could feel the power in him, sense the energy resonating between them. Whatever happened this evening, at least it would be real.
    She went with him out into the glowing night.

Chapter 2

    NIGHT WAS NEVER TRULY DARK IN THE OLD QUARTER of Frequency City. The gentle emerald light that illuminated the streets and rooftops emanated from the massive green quartz walls that surrounded the ruins of the Dead City.
    The four major city-state capitals, Frequency, Resonance, Cadence, and Crystal, had been founded in the shadows of the largest of the walled cities that had been abandoned by the long-vanished aliens. But the free street lighting wasn’t the only reason that the First Generation colonists had built their initial settlements directly adjacent to the aboveground ruins. In those early years there had been no way to know what dangers lurked in the vast wilderness of the new home world. The four Dead Cities—their towering quartz barricades impervious to even the most sophisticated machines and weapons of Earth—had offered the promise of protection.
    As it happened, there had never been any need for the colonists or their descendants to seek refuge in the ruins. Harmony had a wide assortment of wild animals, but it had soon become apparent that there were no local inhabitants to object to the newcomers from Earth.
    In the two hundred years that had passed since the Curtain had closed, stranding the colonists, Frequency, like the other major cities, had grown far beyond its humble beginnings. Its gleaming office towers were clustered downtown, not in the Quarter. Neighborhoods and suburbs sprawled far and wide. The most expensive properties were now found on the hillsides and along the river, far from the colonial heart of the city.
    But it wasn’t just the cheaper rents in the Quarter that had attracted Lyra, although that was certainly a huge factor. It was the subtle effect of the paranormal energy that leaked from the ruins and the strange catacombs underground that made the neighborhood attractive to her. Walking through the glowing streets at night was always something of a rush. Walking through them with Cruz at her side was even better.
    “My car is over there,” Cruz said.
    She looked at the sleek black Slider parked at the curb. It was the same vehicle he had been driving three months ago.
    “I see you didn’t change your car when you changed your name,” she said.
    “I didn’t use a fake name. Marlowe is my middle name.” He opened the passenger door of the Slider. “Came from my mother’s side of the family. Are you going to snap at me all evening, or can we have a reasonable discussion?”
    “That probably depends on your definition of reasonable.”
    “What I have to say is important, Lyra.”
    She hesitated, her grandfather’s words echoing down through the years with a warning she had heard since childhood: “Never trust a Sweetwater.”
    But the ridiculously hopeful side of her nature was in control.
    “Okay,” she said. She slipped into the embrace of the leather seat and looked up at him. “I’ll play nice. At least until I know what this is all about.”
    “Thanks. I appreciate it. This conversation is going to be hard enough as it is.”
    That did it. She suddenly felt sorry for him. An apology of this magnitude would not be easy for anyone,