The Six: Genesis | A Reverse Harem Novel

Forty-Five

There's something about the city.

Right now, I wish I could mean it in a happy way, but I don't. I'd forgotten how much you can change when you're subject to nearly complete isolation in desolate locations. The muted noises of the forest: crickets chirping, birds calling, and the rustle of tree branches, are nothing compared to the heartbeat of the city.

Blaring sirens, rumbling car engines, and thumping thuds from millions of citizens on their daily commute by foot. I sit in the back of a blacked-out SUV with shades over my eyes and earplugs shoved deeply in my ears, but it isn't enough to drown it all out. I'm overwhelmed, brought to the edge of sanity by the soft scrap of the subway shooting under the roads, squeaking rats in the sewage system and the buzzing of electricity churning through every inch of square footage.

My insides shrivel.

I don't want to be here. I want to be back in one of my compounds, hidden in plain sight, where I can research, innovate and test in the privacy of my own home. This place feels foreign on my skin, and goosebumps rise on my arms and legs at the thought of stepping out onto the concrete sidewalk.

We sit before one of my buildings in the high rise cluttered downtown. The Hawthorne Skyscraper is a black knife among grey steel and white cement condo buildings. They hold the elite, the powerful, the rich. A place Ryker always told me my place was, but I'd never accepted it.

He holds a few of those condos. They're lined in thick planes of glass overlooking a city that's been swallowed by metal, rock and pollution. Plants stick out of the sides, grasping onto the skyline with artificial green leaves.

There are few things in the city still real.

Charlie and Chris sit opposite and beside me respectfully. They, too, wear shades and earplugs. Their emotions run high as we wait.

We're exposed here, sitting ducks, and their patience is wearing thin. Chris worries I'll be harmed by one of the passing citizens, he said so himself, and Charlie... he stares at me like he wants to drag me to the floor and fuck me silly. I tear my gaze away from his, refusing to stare too long, and it makes a grin break the stone mask he wears on his facial features.

Chris levels a look at him, drawing his gaze between us before a frown dips both sides of his mouth. I don't like and reach for him, weaving my fingers into his. He returns the gesture, but in our link, his emotions are more than the fear of what may happen to me.

Charlie's are there, too, among the chaos. A ripping thing, rutting and rooting through my brain like a bullet fired from a rifle. I'm glad we can't see images or fully speak. I'd imagine he'd be saying things to get a rise out of me.

"We need to get a move on. We can't stay on the street. We're too exposed." Chris mutters, turning his head to glare up and down the opposite side of the street. "If someone makes a move, we won't have time to react."

Charlie nods. "I agree, but we aren't normal humans anymore. At some point, we need to test our skills out here."

"Not in a real threat, Charlie." Chris' words are cautious, slow and deliberate. "I don't want Blue in danger."

"She's augmented, too, Gatlin." Charlie reminds him. His tone edges on mocking as he continues. "She can also fight. Remember?"

"I'm well aware of what my Blue can do. And I don't need you to remind me. Got it.?"

"Blue is also sitting right here and can speak for herself."

They cant a look in my direction. Neither is playing games, but I don't have the time or patience for a pissing contest on Congress Avenue in the middle of the city. Blustering a breath between my clenched teeth, I grouse a curse and look outside.