Riders (Riders, #1)(30)

“No, Daryn. I can’t let you leave.”

“You have to. We need him. You’ll be fine.”

“That is not—” Breathe. Try again. “That’s not what I’m worried about.”

“I know. I’ll be fine, too.”

Then she was pushing through the glass doors and I was standing there. Watching her go.

Nope. This wasn’t going to work for me.

I took two steps after her, and then stopped.

The cuff.

Magic metal was hitting me with a significant and striking flow of energy. Not just a buzz anymore. There was more to it. A kind of … knowing or presence … a signal that felt here.

I looked to my right and there he was, looking right back at me.

Famine.





CHAPTER 17

There was one empty chair in the room and it was next to him, so. I took it.

“How’s it going?” I said. Having just watched Daryn leave, I wasn’t exactly calm but I tried to focus on the task of getting him on the team.

“Good.” He sat over his knees and rolled up the papers in his hands into a scroll.

My first impression was that he fit the bill. Even sitting I could tell he was tall. Over six feet. Lanky. He looked a touch underfed, but it gave him that model look more than anything else. Like he belonged on one of the photos on the wall. His brown hair reminded me of Wyatt’s—long and shaggy—except Famine’s was more natural, like it just was that way. He was my age or a little older, I guessed.

After a second of wringing the papers, he narrowed his eyes at me like he was trying to work something out. “Do I know you?”

“I don’t think so,” I replied. “I’m Gideon Blake.”

“Sebastian. Sebastian Luna.”

We didn’t shake hands, which was awkward. We’d obviously avoided it. But considering all the insane stuff that’d been happening, it wouldn’t have surprised me to see lightning slice down from the ceiling if we had.

I glanced at his wrist. Sebastian’s cuff was different from mine. His looked like glass, smoky black, and was webbed in a way that reminded me randomly of tendons and Halloween. It was freaky looking. I liked mine better.

He lowered his head, his longish hair falling in front of his eyes. Probably secretly trying to spot my cuff. My sleeve was covering it but I realized it didn’t matter. Magic metal was still sending a steady hum into me. Judging by the way Sebastian kept strangling the script in his hands, I was pretty positive his cuff was providing him with the same feedback.

I wondered what he knew. Did he know more about what was going on than I did? Wouldn’t have been tough, considering. But then he hadn’t met Daryn yet.

Daryn, who was Samrael’s target and currently alone.

I had to keep things moving. “Did they already start?”

“A little while ago,” Sebastian replied. “I heard what your sister said. I’ll run lines with you, if you want.”

“My sister? Oh, right. That wasn’t my sister. She just said that ’cause she was hoping to provide moral support. I’m new to this. First audition.”

“First one, really?” He cracked a smile. “You don’t seem that nervous.”

“Actually, I’m way out of my element.”

“You’ll do fine. First one’s the hardest.” He glanced at the receptionist. “I’ve been to a ton of these. I shouldn’t be nervous, but this one’s different. A big-budget cable series like this is a career maker. It can completely change your life.”

“Definitely,” I said. “Life. Changing.”

Sebastian stretched out his legs. He seemed to be relaxing. I got the feeling he’d talked himself out of worrying about me. Either that, or he really was a good actor.

I wasn’t relaxing. I needed to drop the horseman thing on him and get out of there, but I couldn’t find my way in.

“Don’t take this the wrong way or anything,” he said, “but you’re not exactly what they’re looking for, you know? Young Latino cop?”

I took another look around. He had a point. “Yeah, I guess I’m not a perfect fit.” I brushed a hand over my blond buzz cut like I wished it was different. “But I’m going for it anyway.”

“That’s the right attitude, man. Half the time, I don’t think they even know what they want. Sometimes I don’t know how anyone makes it in this business.”

“Exactly. It all just seems so arbitrary and political and”—come on, Blake, finish strong, puritanical, pathological, perforated, Panamanian—“weird.”

“You said it. This business is weird.”

Annnd that was enough small talk for me. “Hey, so.” I dropped my voice, trying to manufacture some privacy. “We should probably talk. I’m War.” I couldn’t think of a good follow-up comment after that—where’d you go from there?—so I pulled up my sleeve and showed him my cuff.

“You’re…” Sebastian had stopped blinking. “You’re what?”

“War. I know. It blew my mind too.” He was starting to go a little pale so I kept talking, using my calmest voice. “Look, it’d be better if we could talk confidentially. I don’t know how much you’ve figured out, but I think I can give you some answers. We need to bounce, though. Kinda now ’cause there’s a real possibility—”