Rush The Game

worlds behind them. They are predators, and they don’t care what destruction they leave in their wake. In fact, they enjoy it. The worlds that fight the hardest give them the most pleasure.”
    As if the entire explanation weren’t bad enough, that last bit shoves a blade in my gut and twists. “What you said in Vegas, about how our ancestors fled to Earth and lived among humans . . .”
    “They chose Earth because they knew they could survive here, not just for one lifetime, but by having offspring. The DNA was compatible. Their appearance was compatible. Their needs for oxygen and sustenance similar.”
    “How do you know all this?”
    I feel him shrug. “It wasn’t just physical similarity,” he says, continuing as if I hadn’t even asked a question. “Our ancestors believed humans were tenacious and brave and honorable, that they would fight for what mattered.”
    “You’re talking in generalities here. Not all humans are like that.”
    “Agreed. But the good ones outnumber the bad.”
    I shake my head. “Wow. You’re an optimist. Wouldn’t have expected that.”
    “I’m all about the unexpected.”
    I fall silent, trying to figure everything out. There are things here that don’t add up. I don’t know why Jackson’s telling me all this. He’s not exactly a forthcoming kind of guy, and I have a feeling that if I ask Luka about any of this, he won’t have a clue because Jackson won’t have told him any of it. So why is he telling me ?
    “You know this is a lot to get my head around.” Even to my own ears, my words sound slurred. The fact that I’m so tired isn’t helping my confusion. I’m already half asleep, despite the mind-boggling information he’s dumping on me.
    I swear I feel his lips against my cheek. Then I tell myself I must have imagined it.
    “Go to sleep, Miki,” he whispers, and his lips touch my cheek again. “I’ll watch over you.”



CHAPTER FOURTEEN
    I DON’T KNOW HOW LONG I SLEPT CRADLED IN JACKSON’S arms. I only know that when I wake up, I feel much better than when I fell asleep, and Jackson is back to his usual self. He walks. I follow. I try to ask him more questions about the Drau and our ancestors, about the game. But I guess he’s used up all his words for the day.
    I remember the way he cupped my cheeks and leaned close, his mouth a breath from mine. I can’t believe that for a second I actually wanted to kiss him. I’m back to wanting to punch him. Hard.
    Eventually we see Luka and Tyrone coming toward us.
    “We hit three of them in the tunnels, and then Tyrone’s con led us back to you,” Luka says after I tell them about our Drau encounter.
    “Huh. Seems like there should have been more of them.”
    “I don’t trust the lack of defense,” Tyrone mutters.
    Neither do I.
    “Maybe they figure they don’t need much security because they can’t imagine anyone being able to find this place,” Luka offers, but he doesn’t sound convinced.
    I shake my head. “Even if that’s so, it was still too easy. Plus, I thought that they can sense us when we’re dropped in, even if they can’t precisely pinpoint our location.”
    I glance at Jackson for confirmation and he says, “True enough.”
    “Back to being all chatty-chat,” I mutter, stealing Tyrone’s description.
    Tyrone snorts. Jackson says nothing.
    “The Drau . . . ,” Luka prods.
    “The ones we encountered didn’t even seem like they were trained properly,” I muse as I think back on the two Jackson and I came up against. “They almost seemed like new recruits.” I glance at Jackson again, waiting for him to throw his opinion out there, but he seems content just to listen. No . . . more than content; I have the feeling he wants me to reason this out on my own. But . . . why?
    “Does it matter?” Jackson asks, and for a second, I think he’s answering my silent questions. Then I realize he’s referring to the Drau level of training. He glances at his con. “Move out,” he says, and heads off down the tunnel, Tyrone behind him.
    The tunnel’s just wide enough for two, and Luka falls into step beside me.
    “They were like new recruits?” he asks, picking up where I left off. “What makes you think that?”
    “Well, remember in Vegas . . . I thought the Drau were so fast, and I asked about that because you guys said they’re slower at night?”
    “Yeah . . .”
    “You said that was slow for them. But the Drau we went up against here were really