Free Dark by Erin M. Leaf Page B

chest.
    “Your Stronghold tech? Oh, um, that’s good, right?” Eva stared
at him. He looked angry. With her? She didn’t even
know they’d been having hacker problems. No one did. The Sentries didn’t speak
to the public about any of their business. “What does that mean?”
    “Our tech, specifically the viewers and the Stronghold net, was
given to us by the Others . It’s a combination of
organic and subatomic power. It’s why they changed our DNA all those years ago,
so we could more easily work with it.” He uncrossed his arms and moved closer,
looming over her. “We access the Stronghold net with our energy. We can heal,
as you know. We can also build new hardware that interfaces with Stronghold,
like my ring.” He nodded to the chain around her neck.
    Eva put a hand on it. “Do you want it back?”
    He shook his head. “However, we also use it to attract or repel
Spiders, depending on the situation. Mostly we protect Earth, keeping a sort of
shield over the planet so the Spiders don’t sense us. We can also use it to
attract them and set traps.”
    “If there’s a shield over the planet, why did they attack us in
the parking lot?”
    “The shield is more like camouflage, not an actual barrier.”
    “Why are you telling me all this?” Eva’s gut twisted. Something about
his tone raised her hackles.
    “When the hacker infiltrated portions of our net, it wrecked the
delicate balance between shield and attractor. Our tech is extremely
complicated, and it doesn’t work like human-based computers, so any tinkering
inevitably attracts the Spiders. They feed on power, both organic and not. The
Stronghold net is mostly self-sufficient and generates far more energy than you
can imagine.”
    Eva stared at him. “What does any of this have to do with me? You
shouldn’t even be telling me this. This is Sentry business.” She shifted on the
couch as her muscles knotted up. Greyson stood over her like an avenging angel.
Her instincts told her to run. Her heart told her to stay. She’d never felt
more frightened of him or attracted to him at the same time. He isn’t truly human, is he? she mused, chewing on the inside of her cheek. No ordinary
man could control the energy she sensed he contained.
    “Solomon traced the hacker to your computer.”
    Eva stopped breathing. He couldn’t be serious? “That’s impossible.
I’m the only one who uses that computer.”
    He smiled grimly. “Apparently not.”
    She stood up and backed away, her gut twisting. “I’m not a hacker.
I’m a web designer. I don’t even code, I use software to build websites.” She
felt like she couldn’t get enough air. She wasn’t sure if she was scared or
angry. Or aroused, she thought, looking at the long, muscular lines of
his body. Which is crazy. He’s accusing you
of hacking the Stronghold net!
    “I told Solomon you didn’t do it.” The silver specks in his eyes
seemed to glow in the dim light.
    “Good, because I didn’t.” She stopped inching away. “What
did he say?”
    Greyson lifted a shoulder. “He agreed.”
    Relief hit her like a punch in the gut, but dissipated just as
quickly when Greyson’s expression didn’t change. “There’s more, isn’t there?”
    “We need to catch this hacker before he attracts the Spiders.” He walked
to the window near the fireplace and looked out. The setting sun carved out his
profile until all she could see were sharp edges.
    “Tell me,” she urged, when he let the silence draw out a little
too long for her comfort.
    Greyson took a deep breath. “There’s a huge swarm near Alpha
Centauri. We can’t risk them getting any closer and infecting the planet.”
    Eva twisted her hands together. “Are you asking me for help? That’s
insane. I don’t know anything about your tech.” She shivered at the thought of
a giant swarm of those crystalline things attacking Earth. Surely the Sentries
wouldn’t let anything happen to them? A niggling thought tickled at the back