Saviors 101

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Dana could think of several Friday-night dates she might have tried. There was the Mongolian Grill or the really good noodle shop in the heart of the University District. There was going back to Sam’s room to neck, except he had two roommates and she wasn’t feeling all that social. Their first attempt at the planetarium hadn’t been a success. She’d considered a rematch, but none of her reference books said anything about how to build an angel barrier. Of course none of them had indexes, so it was sort of hit or miss when she was looking for something specific.

So, they’d gone for a run. It was a drizzly and kind of chilly, a typical autumn evening in Seattle, so of course everybody would be out for a run.

They’d met at 45th and University. Sam stood out in black bicycle pants that clung to his legs, electric-orange gym shorts hiding him just enough to keep Dana’s heart rate in control, mostly. A light-blue jacket accented his eyes and a headband with white reflective stripes to keep his flowing blond hair under control and reduce how many people would try to run him over.

“Damn, Murphy.” His appreciative tone and wide eyes told her she’d done it right. Forest-green leggings, and a matching turtleneck shirt. A clinging windbreaker with stripes of warning orange, that actually drew nice attention to her slight curves.

“Maybe running wasn’t my best idea.”

“Too late now, buddy boy,” she informed him. “You got me into this getup. Now we’re going to have to run before you get me out of it.”

He looked like a man trying to smile through a punch to the solar plexus.

She felt like a woman who couldn’t believe she’d said such a thing but was damn glad she had.

“Maybe we had better run first.”

They set off at slow jog across campus and down the hill to pick up the Burke-Gilman trail.

She liked that their stride was similar, he was easy to run beside without feeling clumsy. They reached the main trail and opened up into an easy run.

“Damn,” Sam huffed out between breaths. “I’ve never seen anyone who made running look so easy. Why aren’t you on the cross-country team?”

“I like archery better.” Besides, in grade school when they were doing track-and-field stuff, it hadn’t served her social standing that she’d easily outrun every boy and girl within two grades. Since then she’d learned to temper her pace to those around her, which made her feel slow and clumsy, as if she’d been hobbled. Her body had been born to run, just not at normal speeds.

“But I do like running.” When she was alone and could just let herself go. Yet running with Sam was pleasant, she didn’t feel hobbled by him at all.

“You win a lot?” she asked him.

“A lot.” He acknowledged. “But I think I’d rather save my competition with you for wrestling.”

Hot, sweaty wrestling she hoped.

“However, we’re in the lab tonight, so I can’t.”

“Aerodynamics has mad scientists who experiment by the full moon?”

“Absolutely. We’re quite mad.”

“Good.”

“And there shouldn’t be anyone in the lab tomorrow night.”

Dana considered that to be excellent. His lab, his turf, not where a pint-sized angel would come looking for her.

“It’s a date.”

Saturday

five days until Armageddon