Winter Halo (Outcast 2)

I snorted and sat down, my shoulder lightly brushing his. “Does that mean you’re still in contact with Nuri telepathically?”

He nodded. “I doubt she’ll be able to convince anyone inside Chaos to come rescue us, but Jarren and his crew wouldn’t have gotten back to base yet, so he’s a possibility.”

“So he’s not night-blind like the rest of humanity?”

“No, he’s an outlier like me. I’m guessing that’s part of the reason he followed my footsteps into the mercenary business—he was well aware good money could be made by those not afraid of the dark.”

“Then he isn’t based in the Broken Mountains with the rest of your kin?”

“No. His unit runs out of New Port.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Would this be the same New Port that suffered a major malfunction fifteen years ago that voided all RFID information?”

“The same.” A smile ghosted his lips. “But we seriously had nothing to do with that. We’ve just taken full advantage of it ever since.”

“So your grandson runs the unit there now?”

“Yes.” He yawned hugely. “I guess it’s my turn to say sorry, it’s not the company.”

“Give me the gun.”

I held out a hand and he raised an eyebrow even as he obeyed.

“Why? Are you going to shoot the tiredness out of me?”

“I might have been tempted in the past, but right now? No. Although I do claim the right to change my mind.” I flashed him a grin as I checked the gun, then placed it beside me. “Get some sleep. I’ll keep watch.”

“Fine. But wake me the minute you see or hear anything.”

I’d half expected him to argue, but it wasn’t really surprising that he didn’t. Rangers were nothing if not practical, and right now I was the stronger of the two of us.

Which wasn’t really saying much.

He crossed his arms, leaned back against the vehicle, and was very quickly asleep. I drew my legs up and hugged them close to my chest, and battled to remain awake and aware as time ticked slowly by. It was well after midnight—something I guessed by the position of the moon—when I heard the rumble of an approaching vehicle.

I nudged Jonas lightly, then picked up the gun and rose. Far in the distance, coming from the direction of the forest we could barely see, was a solitary light.

“That’s not a ranger vehicle.” Jonas rose and stood beside me.

“How can you tell?”

“Sound of the engine. It’s an old ATV, not one of the winged division’s transports.”

“So it’s probably your grandson?”

“I can’t think of anyone else who’d have a reason to be out in the middle of nowhere at night.” He paused. “But keep the gun handy, just in case.”

“Oh, I am, trust me.”

“Unimaginably, I do.” His gaze met mine, amusement crinkling the corners of his eyes. “Who’d have thought that a week or so ago?”

“Certainly not me.” My voice was dry. “I sure hope he thought to load some food on board. I’m starving.”

“It’s common practice to keep extra rations on board, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Trail rations weren’t exactly what I’d been hoping for, but they were better than nothing. “Isn’t it rare for one telepath to be able to link with another over such a distance?”

“Yes. And while Jarren’s a strong telepath, he’s not that strong. Nuri uses the power of the earth to amplify her ability, and it allows her to connect to any telepath she wishes, wherever they are.”