“You’re crazy,” someone with her voice slurred.
Soren’s fingers clamped around her neck. “This is real. Tell me you feel it. ”
Aria still couldn’t pull in enough air. Spears of pain shot into her eyes. She was fading, powering off like her Smarteye. Then Soren looked up—away from her—and his grip loosened. He cursed and then his smothering weight lifted.
Aria pushed herself to her knees, gritting her teeth at the piercing shriek that erupted in her ears. She couldn’t see. She swiped at her eyes to clear the murkiness, her legs quaking as she rose to her feet. Framed against the roaring blaze, she saw a stranger step into the clearing. He was shirtless, but there was no mistaking him for Bane or Echo.
He was a real Savage.
The Outsider’s torso was almost as dark as his leather pants, his hair a blond Medusa’s snarl. Tattoos coiled around his arms. He had the reflective eyes of an animal. They were bare eyes, both.
The long knife at his side flashed with firelight as he came forward.
Chapter 3
PEREGRINE
The Dweller girl looked at Perry, blood running down her pale face. She took a few steps, backing away from him, but Perry knew she wouldn’t stay on her feet for long. Not with pupils dilated like that. One more step and her legs gave out, bringing her down.
The male stood behind her limp body. He looked Perry over with his odd eyes, one normal and one covered with the clear patch all the Dwellers wore. The others had called him Soren.
“Outsider?” he said. “How did you get in?”
It was Perry’s language but harsher. Edged where it should have been smooth. Perry brought in a slow breath. The Dweller’s temper hung thick in the clearing despite the smoke. Bloodlust gave a scorching red scent, common to man and beast alike.
“You came when we did. ” Soren laughed. “You came after I disarmed the system. ”
Perry spun his knife for a fresh grip. Didn’t the Dweller see the fire closing in? “Leave or you’ll burn, Dweller. ”
Soren startled at hearing Perry speak. Then he grinned, showing square teeth, white as snow. “You’re real. I don’t believe this. ” He stepped forward with no fear. Like he held a knife instead of Perry. “If I could leave, Savage, I’d have done it a long time ago. ”
Perry stood a head taller, but Soren easily outweighed him. His bones were buried deep beneath muscle. Perry seldom saw people that big. They didn’t have enough food to grow that thick. Not like in here.
“You approach your death, Mole,” Perry said.
“Mole? That’s inaccurate, Savage. Most of the Pod is aboveground. And we don’t die young. We don’t get hurt, either. We can’t even break anything. ” Soren looked down at the girl. When he looked back at Perry, he stopped walking. It happened too fast, his momentum rocking him up on his toes. He’d changed his mind about something.
Soren’s eyes flicked past him. Perry drew in a breath. Woodsmoke. Burning plastic. The fire was heating up. He inhaled again, caught what he’d expected. Another Dweller’s scent, coming at him from behind. He’d seen three males. Soren and two others. Were they both sneaking up on him, or just one? Perry drew another breath but couldn’t tell. The smoke was too dense.
Soren’s gaze dropped to Perry’s hand. “You’re good with a knife, aren’t you?”
“Good enough. ”
“Have you ever killed a person? I bet you have. ”
He was buying time, letting whoever was behind Perry draw nearer.
“Never killed a Mole,” Perry said. “Not yet. ”
Soren smiled. Then he surged forward and Perry knew the others would be coming too. He spun and saw only one Dweller, farther away than he’d expected, running with a metal bar in his hand. Perry hurled his knife. The blade sailed true and sank deep in the Dweller’s stomach.
Soren thundered up behind him. Perry braced as he turned. The blow came from the side, slamming into Perry’s cheek. The ground reared up and back. Perry wrapped his arms around Soren as he blurred past. He pushed but couldn’t bring Soren down. The Mole was made of stone.
Perry took a shot to his kidney and growled, waiting for the pain. It didn’t hurt as much as it should have. Soren hit him again. Perry heard himself laugh. The Dweller didn’t know how to use his own strength.
He pushed away, throwing his first punch. His fist smashed into the clear eye patch. Soren seized up, the veins in his neck standing out like vines. Perry didn’t wait. He put his full weight behind the next blow. The bone in the Dweller’s jaw snapped with a crack. Soren fell hard. Then he tucked in slow, like a dying spider.
Blood ran through his teeth. His jaw hung too far to the side, but he never took his eyes off Perry.