Winter Halo (Outcast 2)

“We will do our best to control Branna; more than that, we cannot promise.” Jonas’s gaze met mine, his face expressionless. “But he is only one man, and you have proven yourself more than capable of self-defense.”

Yes, but even the mightiest warrior could be brought down by long-distance weapons. I glanced at the timepiece again. “I suggest you keep a very close eye on Penny. The raids on my bunker suggest she is still of value to them.”

“She is well guarded in this place. No one is getting to her.” And no one would want to, if Jonas’s expression was anything to go by.

“I’d also suggest you get her DNA-tested.”

Nuri frowned. “Why?”

“Because you said yourself, Penny is not what she once was. Given what they’re trying to achieve, I wouldn’t be surprised if she now has vampire and even wraith in her.”

Nuri shared a concerned glance with Jonas. “I wouldn’t think that possible to achieve outside the force of the rifts.”

“These people can create rifts.”

Her expression became even grimmer. “I’ll have her tested immediately.”

I glanced at Jonas as I pushed away from the table. “I’ll see you tonight.”

The two ghosts spun around me, excited to be leaving again. While neither of them had my fear of enclosed spaces, they nevertheless disliked this place. They loved the noise, the space, and the color of Central, but Chaos was simply too shadowed and colorless for them.

Once we were free of it, I sucked deep breaths to clean the foulness from my lungs, then stopped close to Central’s curtain wall. While I doubted anyone would be keeping an eye on former employees, Kendra was expecting someone who was going for a job at Winter Halo, and that meant someone with tiger orange hair. And while I had tiger DNA, it had come from the rare white tiger. No one had ever told me why they’d chosen to use those genes over that of the more common orange tiger, but I’d always figured it had something to do with aesthetics. White tigers might be a genetic mutation, but it was one that was considered very desirable by most cat clans—especially if, like me, they also had blue eyes.

I closed them and imagined a face that was rounded, with dimples and amber eyes as well as the requisite orange hair. I also reduced both my height and my breasts back to normal; I didn’t mind this rather well-endowed version, but it certainly wasn’t a form I had any desire to remain in for too long.

After I’d frozen the image of my new shape in my mind, I reached for the magic. It swept through me like a gale, making my muscles tremble and causing the image I desired to waver. I frowned and concentrated harder. The energy pulsed as the change began. My skin rippled, bones restructured, and my hair color changed. The pain that came with the shift was incredible and I gritted my teeth against the scream that tore up my throat, my breath little more than sharp hisses as pinpricks of sweat broke out over altering flesh.

When the magic finally faded, I collapsed back against the wall and sucked in air until the burning had eased. Shifting was never a pleasant thing, but sometimes it was more painful than others. No one had ever been able to explain why.

With that done, I resolutely made my way back to Central. Once I was through the gatehouse, I swung left onto Twelfth. The curtain wall stretched high above me, a rusting silver monolith that under normal conditions would have cast this whole area into deep shadow. But the UVs burned night and day, and there were never any true shadows in this place.

I caught the sound of stall holders promoting their prices and goods long before I ever neared the market. As I got closer, I drew in another deep breath, letting the riot of delicious scents filter through my body and make my mouth water. The market was a sea of tents and temporary stalls that stretched across the entire street, forcing all those needing to get farther down Twelfth through the many higgledy-piggledy rows. Cat and Bear’s excitement stung the air as they raced through the textile section, making the clothing flutter even though there was no wind in this place. As we moved into the fruit and veg section, they continued the chase, eventually managing to upset a cart of oranges.

Careful, I said, even as I snagged some of the fruit for later.

They raced on, their giggles of enjoyment making me smile. Thankfully, nothing else was sent tumbling. Once we were free of the market, I began looking for Farmers. It was, as Nuri had said, one block up, and was little more than a hole-in-the-wall place that served hot drinks and the hard, vegetable-laden flatbreads shifters had once used as trail food. I hadn’t actually had the stuff since the war, and I’d certainly never see

n it in Central before. This place had to be new.

I scanned the small crowd gathered at the front of the building, but couldn’t see Kendra, so I joined the line and eventually got inside. An orange-haired woman with a large circular ring hanging off her left nostril was sitting at the small counter to the left of the door.

“Kendra?” I said.

A sliver of energy ran around me as her gaze met mine. It didn’t feel like magic and it wasn’t seeking as such, but it was certainly something similar. As it faded, she seemed to relax. “Yes. You’re Zin?”

I presumed I was, if Zin was short for Zindella, the current surname on my RFID chip. “Would you like a coffee or something to eat?”

“Just a coffee, thanks. Black, four sugars.”

I couldn’t help my shudder. While I didn’t mind some sweets, I’d never been able to face my coffee with the syruplike consistency most shifters preferred.

Jonas, it seemed, was rare in that he liked his coffee with only one sugar—which, while still too sweet for my taste buds, was at least drinkable.

When I finally made it to the counter, I ordered two coffees and several of the flatbreads to add to my stash of oranges for later. Both would be better than the beef jerky I was currently living on.

And maybe, given how many credits I had on the RFID, I should take the opportunity to stock up at the market. It’d make a nice change from stealing.

Once I had our order, I returned to the small counter and perched on the stool next to Kendra’s.