Page 95 of Bonds of Starfall

They had passed the rusted sign for Edenville a mile ago. A simple,Welcome to Edenville. Population 96.

In the distance, the Lunar City skyline glittered—dark silhouettes of skyscrapers, pierced by steady beams of light.

Lunar City had no curfew like Solar City; instead, automated lights flicked on at dusk, specially made lights sweeping slow mechanical arcs through the night.

Likelightwould help when a Rogue’s teeth tore into you.

But whatever helped the night-prowlers rest easy, she supposed.

Rin stopped by a gas pump, keeping the locks engaged. She grabbed her Echogun from the glove box, tucking it in the back of her jeans. "Stay here," she told Cyrus. "Get in the back seat. And keep your head down. There are cameras."

Cyrus followed her pointed stare to the cracked camera perched at the corner of the roof. He arched a brow. "I doubt that thing’s been working for years."

He was probably right, but she widened her eyes to get him to stay, unlocking only the driver’s side door as she exited the car.

The night was still. Quiet.

Hand on her waistband, poised to grab her gun if needed, she popped the gas latch on the car and fit the nozzle inside, numbers ticking on the dusty screen of the pump.

Her cold hands fumbled with her credit card, and it fell to the cracked concrete underneath the car.

"Shit," she cursed, bending to pick it up.

"Look at that ass!" a masculine voice called.

Rin stiffened, forgetting all about her credit card as she pulled her Echogun from the back of her pants, aiming at wherever the voice had come from.

It was night, and they were but an hour from Lunar City. Everyone here would be armed.

Two men leaned near the gas station doors, scraggly beards and cigarettes dangling, half-shrouded in shadows.

"Pretty lady. You look lonely. Why don’t you put the gun away and come here?"

"I don’t want any trouble," Rin called. Damn it. She had to get to her card. They wouldneedit. But she couldn’t look away from these two.

The taller man, wearing an oil-stained shirt, nudged his friend. "I call dibs. The ones who think they can fight are always more fun."

Rin raised her gun. "I’m giving you one chance to walk away."

They smirked and advanced, cornering her.

Trapped with one on either side, Rin couldn’t reach her card, couldn’t move away.

Narrowing her eyes, she unclicked the safety, leveling them with a cold look, her spine bumping into the car door behind her. She hoped Cyrus had stayed hidden in the back seat like they had discussed.

The one on her left, with honest-to-god crumbs stuck in his beard, reached down to adjust himself. "You’re a little pale for my liking, but I’ll take what I can. The pretty ones sure are fucking rare around here. They get used up real quick."

These men were huge—beer-bellies and six feet of padded muscle. She was slight and nimble, better at combat in open quarters, where she could dance around her attackers. Not cornered like prey.

The bigger man barked a laugh, the sudden sound distracting her from the cold scrape of a switchblade pressed against her neck.

Behind her, a younger man crouched on the roof of the car, dull brown eyes raking over her frame. "You look lost, little girl."

Rin dropped like dead weight, the blade scraping like fire along her neck as she fell to the side and rolled. The man on her left shouted as she sprang up and threw a powerful hook to his gut, making him double over. Then, she balanced her body on her left leg, her right coming out in perfect form, toes pointed in her boots, and slammed her leg into his side, making him stumble.

Shoving her hair out of her face, she turned, muzzle of her gun roving between the three now that she wasn’t trapped. "One last chance to leave," she spat.

The man she had kicked charged, fist raised. She ducked, his fist slamming into the side of her mouth. Blood sprayed from her split lip, pain lancing across her jaw. She whimpered, and just as she raised her gun, hand trembling—she had never shot apersonbefore—all three men started to seize, whites of their eyes showing as blood ran from their noses and mouths, leaking from their ears.