Page 108 of Carnal: The Beast Who Loved Me

Comstock followed Yellow down the hall. Carnal gave Rosie a quick kiss when she was near enough to grab, then said, “Rosie, this is Max. He’s going to help us wake the humans.”

“Hi, Max.” She smiled.

He returned her smile, but looked suddenly shy.

Observing that reaction, Carnal said, “Yeah. Don’t feel bad, kid. She makes me speechless, too.” Max blushed at that. “Can you be trusted?”

Carnal watched Max closely for changes in his heart rate, his breathing, and dilation of his pupils.

“Trusted how?”

“To not betray us to the Rautt?”

Max scowled. “Why would I do that?”

“Yes or no.”

“Yes. You can trust me.”

“Then come with us.” Carnal put his arm around Rosie and walked her to the conference room. He let her go as soon as they entered, saying, “Mr. Mayor. We have a situation.

“In about twenty minutes my brethren will be arriving here. We’re crossing the wasteland tonight, attacking the Rautt in the early morning. Your weapons and your people who are trained to use those weapons are going to help us.”

“That’s insane!” Comstock was too shocked to hold back and be politic.

“May. Be. But we’re doing it and your people are going to help.”

“With no plan? How are we going to…?”

“How many people were preparing for the attack planned six weeks from now?” The mayor pursed his lips. “Do I need to remind you that I can tell if you lie?”

Max jerked his head to look at Carnal and blinked a couple of times. He then looked at Rosie for confirmation. When she nodded, Max’s gaze returned to Carnal with a whole new layer of respect bordering on hero worship.

Rosie knew how to recognize that special something that Carnal had. Her father had it. It was an indescribable quality that can’t be learned or acquired, an inherent alpha trait that causes even the baddest of bad asses to make a subconscious agreement to follow.

“Two hundred, give or take.”

Carnal stared at the mayor for a few seconds. “You believed you could murder all of us with two hundred humans? You must havea lotof faith in your weapons.”

Max was clearly stunned by the news that Farsuitwailians were planning to massacre the Exiled. His young face scowled and he shrank back from the mayor as if he found being near him suddenly distasteful.

Comstock swallowed hard. “We do.”

“All right,” said Carnal. “We can take one hundred thirty-six. We need your military leaders here first to help us decide who will go and who will not. People who can make decisions quickly. Do any of those people live nearby?”

Comstock raised his chin. “Yes. Three come to mind. Thon Borgen. Clave Sychon. Rhod Forshep.”

Carnal looked at Max. “Do any of those names sound familiar to you?”

Max nodded. “Mr. Forshep. Ms. Sychon.”

“You know where they live?” The kid nodded again. Carnal looked at Yellow. “Let Max show you where to find these people. Get them out of bed and bring them back here. Don’t allow them to dawdle. They don’t need to be at their best. They just need to be here. Now.”

Yellow started for the front door, assuming the kid named Max was trotting along behind. Max didn’t get any warm fuzzy feelings emanating from Yellow, but he was excited about a second opportunity to ride on the back of a bike.

For an undetermined number of repetitions, he was congratulating himself on being in the right place at the right time. He was delirious about the fact that Carnal had come knocking at his house when there were so many others he might have chosen. Max had no idea why he’d been so lucky, but he owed his good fortune to his father’s middle-of-the-night heartburn. The discomfort had caused the man to rise and light a lamp in the front room. It was as simple as that.

By the time Yellow reached the front door of City Hall, Carnal’s crew was arriving with Dandy on the back of Easy’s bike.