Chapter 7

Mori watched the man back away, and she stood there, her hand outstretched, still reaching for him.

Yet he faded into the crowds, disappearing like smoke into the air. She took a couple steps toward him because she felt this immediate need to follow him, to touch him.

To see if she was wrong.

Because she tried to avoid everyone all the time.

Yet she’d run into him.

Him... She wanted to know who he was. She needed to know because she knew him. Or rather, his essence.

Why, she wasn’t sure yet, but she felt it deep in her being. It wasn’t like when she gleaned a prediction for someone. This was much different. It was a connection that she couldn’t explain.

Something that she had never felt before. If it was some kind of humanity that she was unaware of, she didn’t know.

She followed him through the crowd, though slowly, because she didn’t want to be distracted by others as she walked. She made her way to a sidewalk where it wasn’t so crowded, and started looking for him again.

If only her wings would work. In the air, she could have spotted him in a moment, and she would not worry about accidentally touching anyone else.

Perhaps she really did need Ula to make her some kind of suit.

The man could not have gotten too far. While to her his face was distinct, his dark hair and gray dress blended him in enough with the crowds that she kept thinking she saw him from the back, but it would not be.

In a moment, though, her pursuit paid off and she spotted him. His mouth moved and she guessed he was taking a call. He glanced around—though he didn’t seem to be looking for her—but his gaze halted on her for a brief second.

She felt it again.

This time without any touch.

She knew him.

She could feel his essence from where she stood, fifty yards away.

Who was he? Was he some kind of Novian? Did he have some sort of influential power that was affecting her?

As a Novian, she hadn’t had to get the implant behind her ear to protect her from the mental powers of other Novians. She should be able to sense those things.

Yet she wondered if she was under some sort of Novian spell. Was there some kind of love spell running amuck?

Because she couldn’t stop her need to know who he was.

If he felt anything on his end, it was minimal, because he continued his search as though he’d never seen her.

Then whoever he’d been looking for, he found, because he nodded. Though he waited for no one, instead, he turned and walked away yet again.

How odd, she mused as she followed him. The crowds were still somewhat heavy—it was prime evening meal time, after all—but since she’d spotted him, she was determined to figure out who he was.

He continued to weave through people, and she noticed he gave Novians a wider berth than humans.

Again, she wondered about his reasoning. Who was he? If he were Novian, she should have felt some kind of vibe—

The strong smell of tension and violence began to permeate the common area, jarring her attention.

Mori tore her gaze from the man, and looked for the battle that brewed in the air.

A team of Transdot officers walked through, glancing around the common area. Did they sense the building tension too?

Or was their presence causing it?

They were getting closer, and one of them looked familiar. Then she realized it was the woman who’d checked her in, the one who’d let her keep her hair sticks. Mori nodded to her, smiling a little—that’s what humans did, correct?

Smile at one another to acknowledge each other. That sounded accurate.

The officer glanced at her as they walked by.

From the crowd, there was a shout, and the Transdot officers jumped into action.

The female officer bumped Morrigan.

It wasn’t much.

But it was enough.

Mori stared at the woman. The officer only gave her a passing glance as she headed toward the shouting, drawing her crowd control weapons. In her eyes, something dark lingered there, and that darkness tried to bubble to the surface.

The same darkness littered the vision dancing behind Mori’s eyes.

She felt sick.