{Ishkur | Pantheon}

Lucy threw her head back and cried out as Matt finished with her. Wet. She was slick with the blood of their enemies, and he kissed her through it, pressing her to the wall. Behind Matt, Lucy could see Puk’s back where he stood watch from their corner in wherever the evacuation conduit had taken them to. Beyond Puk, the little devourer of memories, Bethany, was letting Yito teach her some takedown maneuvers. They weren’t close enough to see or hear the couple copulating.

It was fine.

With a groan, Matt separated them and let Lucy’s shaking legs go. She needed his help to steady her, and it was delicious. Wetting her lips under his enraptured stare, she admitted, “Maybe we shouldn’t work separately for a while.”

His grin was male and all satisfaction. “Agreed.”

Puk called over his shoulder, “Don’t forget to fix your hair this time. Both of you. It was so embarrassing that one time at The Brethren’s conference. And don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. We can all smell lemonade.”

Lemonade.

Lucy smiled. So that’s why.

The couple straightened their clothes and their hair. She fixed Matt’s fringe from his near-black eyes, all sparkling in his strawberry and cream complexion—

“Lemonade, Lucy! Lemonade.” Puk groaned. “Sheesh, you two never stop. If you’re quite finished, I’d like to go over and teach our new members a proper guarding stance. Yito wasn’t meant to be a soldier.” As he said it, Praw gut-punched Yito despite his demonstration for Bethany. Dolton pointed and laughed. Lance looked stoic. Maybe stoic was his thing. Or maybe he was lamenting the loss of Enki.

Lucy took Matt’s hand and pulled him toward their team. The surrounding space was white, empty grounds like the Pantheon, but it smelled differently. Untouched.

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Puk held up his fists and positioned his feet, holding his core tight. “Like this.”

Bethany mimicked him with a wide grin. There wasn’t a drop of blood on her. Why would there be? The young girl didn’t ‘eat’ her victims. She fed on their memories and left them empty. Like Tameka with nacre energy, but more specific. It was a terribly useful skill for Matt and Lucy’s line of work.

Lucy leaned into Bethany, delighted when she didn’t flinch, and whispered, “Stomp his foot and uppercut him. Your brother taught you, right?”

The girl nodded, smiling.

Puk asked, “What’re you saying—”

Bethany stomped hard enough on the drone’s combat boot for him to yell, “Yowch!”

While he was stunned, she knocked him a nice one under the chin.

Yito barked out a rich laugh through scary Tritan teeth.

Puk’s teeth chattered together, and he staggered back. “Ow. I think I’m bleeding.”

Lucy smiled sweetly in his face. “You’re an excellent teacher.”

The drone shook off the daze as his nacre lessened the pain. He asked Bethany, “Were you holding out on me?”

Matt smiled down at his protégé. “Bethany here was taught by her brother long before the Invasion. Great job.”

Bethany beamed.

Lucy had always wanted a little sister—

“Shadow, this is Bones. I’m with F8, and we’re taking a head count. So far, we’ve sustained minor casualties in what I’d call the weirdest battle since Nox ‘invaded’ Thailea. We have about ten thousand fatalities to honor, but… I think we can claim victory in their memories. Report back from your respective teams. Starting with Ginger. Over.”

Matt faked the pride in his voice when he said, “I’m glad to say we’re all here, including the Tritans. Not one loss on our team. Over.”

Lucy smiled at him, ignoring the rest of the check-in to consider their lives instead. What was next for them? If the entire galaxy moved to Ishkur, it would make it easier for their hunts and familial obligations to the Shadow. All those bad men and women—their prey—would be centralized to one dominion of space.

What about kids? Were children in their future?

The way Matt beamed at Bethany was as close to genuine as his feelings for Lucy. It stirred something warm in her, but not entirely maternal instincts. Besides, their lives didn’t lend themselves to healthy parentage.

But maybe one day.

Until then, Matt and Lucy would carry on with the mission he’d set her on so long ago. Hunting to make the Vast Collective a safer place, one glorious massacre at a time.