“What about them?” I ask. “How long have they been waiting?”
“I don’t see where that is any of your concern,” Clipboard Guy says.
“Aviella,” Silas says, stepping into my view.
“No,” I say. “Why should we be given priority over them? They have a child. They need shelter.”
Silas stares into my eyes without saying a word. His mouth opens, and I expect him to argue, but he snaps it shut. He turns back to the Clipboard Guy and whispers something that I can’t make out. Clipboard Guy shakes his head negative, points at his board, but Silas continues talking. In a moment Clipboard Guy shoulders slump, and I see him visibly give in.
“Of course,” Clipboard Guy says. “I will see to it immediately.”
He walks into the nearest office, closing the door behind him and leaving the five of us standing in a loose circle. A thrill of victory buoys my spirits. If I’ve learned anything it’s to take whatever minor victories you can when they come along. In my life they’ve been rare enough to be treasured.
“We shouldn’t rock the boat anymore,” Silas says. “It wasn’t easy getting us placement here.”
“Okay,” I say, feeling magnanimous after my victory.
“We ran to get away from the Dragons,” Nathaniel says. “Now we are under one of their thumbs.”
“I understand,” Silas says, in his trademark answering without answering way.
Clipboard Guy reappears and the family waiting on the bench brighten when he stops in front of them. They file into the office, and I want to do a victory dance. He then walks over to us.
“Follow me please,” he says, without further ado.
Having claimed my small victory, I follow without further argument.
“You will be processed in here,” Clipboard Guy says, pointing to one of the offices.
I look at each of my men, swallowing hard. Fear grips my guts. I should be honest with myself about how much I want them. I don’t just want them, I need them. They’re integral to me, a part of me.
Steeling my nerves, I turn and walk into the office.
Chapter Twenty
The intake process seems to go relatively fast, for a Bunker. I’m sort of used to these. I’ve been given all the proper paperwork and told to wait outside the office. Apparently a staffer will be here to show me around soon.
I look around outside hoping to see at least one of the guys, but none of them are out yet. It’s only a few minutes later when Silas walks out of one of the offices. A young person is with him who is all but tripping over himself in his efforts to be overly deferential.
“I am so sorry,” the young man says, pushing his hair back out of his face. He has one of those haircuts where it is cut short on the sides and long on the top, but it keeps falling into his eyes. “Somehow it was missed you had arrived.”
“It’s fine,” Silas says dismissively as he looks around. His eyes land on me and he smiles.
What is up with this? I wonder.
“No, sir, it’s not. I assure you there will be an investigation into how this happened, and it will not happen again.”
“Thank you,” Silas says.
“If you want to follow me now,” the young man says.
Silas is barely paying attention to him. He’s staring at me like he’s undressing me with his eyes. My cheeks warm under his gaze and warmth spreads through my belly. His sharp eyes, strong jaw, and lithe physique intrigue me. Despite the distance between us, I feel his energy reach out to me. A shudder runs down my spine. My imagination runs wild, and I feel his lips exploring my skin. My cheeks flush hotter. Could I be any more inappropriate?
Silas smiles, a knowing smile. He turns away and the moment is broken. The staffer leads him around the corner and I lose sight of them. As I watch him disappear, I’m certain I’ll be seeing him before long. The only question then is, can I keep restraining myself around him?
I don’t see any sign of the other guys. They must still be in processing, which is ridiculous if Silas and I are both out. The guards don’t appear to be watching me with any particular interest, so I’m left on my own, waiting. Surely, they won’t leave me hanging for long, will they?
“Excuse me?”
I jump at the sudden voice, whirling around to face a young girl. She’s dressed in a gray uniform, like the staffer I saw with Silas, and a smile. She’s young and bright-eyed, with the sides of her head shaved and the top part long, hanging down almost to her eyes, similar to the other one I saw. It must be the style here in Bunker 3.
“Yeah,” I say, waiting for my heart to come down out of my throat.
“Would you follow me please?”
“Uh, okay,” I say, looking at the offices up and down the row. “Are my friends coming?”
She looks at the clipboard in her hand before answering.
“I’m sure they’ll be along soon,” she smiles.
“That’s not an answer,” I say.
“I’m sorry, I don’t have any information on them right now,” she says, smiling bigger. “But sometimes we’re a bit slow taking people in. You know how it can be. We don’t want just anyone coming in here.”
“Why not?” I ask, feeling obstinate but also genuinely curious. Her eyes widen in surprise.
“Well, because we’re unique,” she says.
“In what way? It’s a Bunker, like any other,” I say.
“Oh no,” she says, shaking her head, face alight with pride. “We’re not like any other Bunker. We have one of the only unpolluted sources of water left. We’re unique and very important to the future survival of our race.”
“I see,” I say, shaking my head. “So, you hoard water and what, exploit it in trade with other Bunkers?”
“We do not exploit,” she says, pursing her lips. “Fair trade is very important.”
“Of course, it is,” I agree, sighing heavily because I know fair doesn’t mean what I think it does.
Her jaw tightens as she purses her lips and her brow furrows. Tapping the clipboard against her leg she stares at me, and I see she’s debating her response.
“It is,” she says, indignant. “We’re not like the other Bunkers. Something we take great pride in.”
“I see that,” I say, failing to keep the sarcasm out of my voice.
Her cheeks flush red and her mouth opens, then snaps shut. She shakes her head before turning and walking.
“Follow me please,” she says.
I didn’t mean to offend her, but obviously I have. Now I feel bad about it. Rushing to catch up to her, I try to think of an appropriate way to say I’m sorry. She doesn’t look over, arms swinging in time with the rhythm of her legs as she rushes down hallways. It’s all I can do to keep up with her.
“I’m sorry,” I say, opting for the easiest. “I wasn’t trying to offend you.”
She slows her pace, but doesn’t stop. I wait for any other sign of her forgiveness and at last she sighs and glances over.
“It’s fine,” she says. “I thought you would be different.”
She thought I would be different? What does she know about me? Why would I be any different than anyone else?
Fear makes a cold knot in my belly. Being known isn’t a good thing, ever.
“What do you mean?” I ask, doing my damnedest to make it seem casual.
“Well, you’re special, of course,” she says. “Why else would Lord Tynan take an interest in you?”
“Oh, he’s taken an interest in me?” I ask, feigning more surprise than I feel.
That’s good, go casual me. It’s the best way to hide the cold chills running down my limbs.
“Sure,” she says, curiosity in her voice.
We’re walking through a crowded marketplace. There are a lot of people around. Everyone is well-dressed, well fed, and obviously well-to-do. It’s not like the Bunker I grew up in. This is a high-end area, and I wonder if all of the Bunker is like this. If so, then it’s definitely different.
The hairs on the back of my neck are standing on end, and although I can’t point to anyone directly it feels like all their eyes are on me. Out of the corner of my eye people shoot dirty looks in my direction. I don’t know what’s up with that. I haven’t been here long enough to cause a problem. I can’t imagine that my reputation has proceeded me this far.
“I didn’t realize he knew I existed,” I lie. “Why would he possibly have an interest in me?”
I feign confusion, considering it’s probably the best avenue for me at this point. I don’t want to give away too much. She gives me a sideways glance as if trying to decide whether I’m lying or stupid. Stupid is better for me, so I smile broadly doing my best to appear idiotic.
“I’m sure you’ll find out soon,” she says, which is almost as good of a non-answer as Silas would give.
She leads us further and further into the Bunker. The walls here are not bare stone or concrete like every other Bunker I’ve been in, they’re covered with dark wood panels. The halls are all carpeted with thick plush. The entire effect is quite nice and luxurious.
The crowds aren’t as thick as they were but there are still people moving up and down hallways and they’re still giving me dirty looks. Well, I guess I didn’t come here to make friends.
Turning into yet another hallway, we’re halfway down it when I notice runes carved into the walls. Stopping I walk over and trace the outlines with my fingers. Some of these I recognize from my vision, the ones we still can’t translate.
“What are these?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” she answers. “They’ve always been here.”
“Someone must know,” I say, insisting.
“Lord Tynan might,” she says.
Great, the one person here I don’t want to see is the one with the answers. As it turns out I may not have much choice but to interact with the Dragon, again. Well, I don’t know why I’m surprised, this is the way my life goes.
We carry on our way, all the while getting the dirty looks, but I don’t care. Let them look. They have no idea of what I’ve seen or what I’ve had to do. They’re worried about their small, petty lives, when the fate of the world literally hangs in the balance.
She stops at a door and pulls out a key. It isn’t a key card like most places would have but an actual, physical key. That’s different, and something I haven’t seen in a long time. She puts it in the door, and it clicks loudly then the door swings open silently. She walks in and I follow, my mouth agape at what I see.
The room is dominated by a large fourposter bed replete with a canopy. A velvet red comforter covers it and pillows are piled all around. There’s a dresser made of real wood, stained a gorgeous cherry color. It has a massive mirror with brass accents around it. On the other side of the room there’s an armoire, also real wood and stained the same. Tucked in the corner is a makeup station. The floor is covered with thick, plush carpet.
“Your private bath is through that door,” she says pointing.
I have to consciously think to snap my jaw shut. I’ve never seen anything like this. The level of luxury is unheard of. I’m not sure that the richest people in Bunker E247 had rooms like this. The idea of a private bathroom excites me so much that I run over to the door and throw it open. Turning slowly back to face her I shake my head.
“Does everyone here live like this?” I ask.
“Not all,” she says, her voice dismissive but something passes behind her eyes.
“Then why am I being treated special?” I ask, suspicion rising to the fore.
“Because he ordered it so,” she says. Cold spreads throughout my body. “There are clothes for you in the armoire. He is expecting you for dinner tonight.”
“You’re kidding me,” I say stomach knotting.
She stares at me as if I’ve gone insane. It makes for very long, awkward moment. Admittedly, I’m used to feeling awkward, but the disbelief in her stare makes me uncomfortable.
“Okay, fine,” I say, at last to break the silence between us. “I’ll get ready now.”
“Good,” she says, giving no sign that she intends to leave.
“Can I have some privacy?” I ask, wondering if I’m a guest or a prisoner.
Dammit Silas, you said this would be okay.
“Oh,” she says, seemingly in surprise. “Of course. How long do you need?”
I glance over my shoulder at that luxurious bathroom which has a tub big enough for at least six to sit comfortably. I’m betting it also has water jets, and doesn’t that sound nice?
“A couple of hours?” I ask, a sly grin on my face.
“Not a problem,” she says, walking towards the door. “I’ll come back for you.”
“Thank you,” I say.
As soon as the door shuts behind her, I strip and head for the bathroom. First rule of the Apocalypse, take advantage of every good thing that comes along. They are rare and precious, and the memory of them will help you get through the bad times.
Chapter Twenty-One
The dress I’m wearing is uncomfortable as hell, even though it fits perfectly. I try not to think about that too much, because how did they know my exact size? Whatever, I’m not going to worry about it.
The dress itches and is pinching me around my waist. It keeps wanting to ride up. It’s obviously designed for a formal evening out. It’s a strapless number that reveals more of my chest than I’m comfortable with. As I look myself over in the mirror. I turn from one side to the other trying to get a full view, and despite my overall discomfort, I like the way I look. It makes me feel sexy.
As soon as I open my door, the staffer is waiting. Her eyes widen, and she smiles broadly, nodding appreciatively.
“He’s going to like that,” she says.
I’m not sure how I feel about that. Butterflies dance in my stomach. I’m not sure I want him to like anything about me. He’s a Dragon, one of the Horsemen, not the kind of being I want to attract attention from. At the same time, having met him, part of me does. A deep, dirty part that I don’t want to admit to, but it is there.
Conflicted, I follow her as she leads the way through the halls. It doesn’t take me long to figure out we’re going up. The further we go, the more often I see guards on duty until at last we come to a large hallway with two guards posted at its entrance. They don’t pay any attention to us as we walk by, not even so much as a nod.
At the end of the hallway, there are two glass French doors that look out onto a beautiful scene. I see the mountain range through floor-to-ceiling windows beyond a perfectly arranged garden filled to the brim with flowers and greenery. She opens the door to let me through. The scent of life is overwhelming as I step through. It’s not unpleasant, actually it’s incredibly nice, as if the very smells have been picked to make sure they complement each other.
We’re in a sunroom. Perfectly clear glass ceiling and walls protect us from the elements. We walk along a path lined with tables displaying the various plants and flowers. When we turn another corner, I pause. The view takes my breath away.
It looks out over a section of the lake. Everything is perfect. Looking at this, you would never know that the Apocalypse had happened.
“You like the view?” Tynan says, walking over.
Tearing my eyes away and looking at him, my heart leaps into my throat and my stomach sinks to the floor. He oozes sex, it drips off him. He walks with a swagger that announces his confidence and certainty. He dominates the space and everyone in it. I lose myself in his easy smile, his sparkling eyes, and his stunning physique.
A fire rages in my core as my lady bits inflame with un-suppressed desire. My mouth is dry, too dry to swallow, I can’t form words. I have to respond, say something, anything.
“Huh-uh-I-uhba-yeah,” I stutter, my cheeks flushing red-hot with embarrassment.
Tynan laughs and even that, though it’s at my own expense, is over-the-top sexy. I want to throw myself at him. I want him to take me and use me. Right here, right now
.
Get a grip, Aviella, I yell at myself.
He steps to one side and makes a motion with his arm, drawing my eyes away from him, for which I’m thankful. A small table with a white cloth on it sits by one of the glass walls. We walk side by side over to it and he holds out my chair for me, pushing it in like a perfect gentleman. The table takes full advantage of the beautiful view, but now all of my attention is on him.
He sits across from me and the servant comes up holding a pad in his hand. Tynan stares at me with an easy, sexy smile.
“Your orders?” the servant asks, looking at me.
“The lady will have the salmon,” Tynan says before I can speak. “Start her off with the house salad, pair it with an appropriate wine. We’ll decide on dessert later.”
His eyes tell me everything I need to know. He’s playing with me. This is a game to him. In any other situation I’d be offended, and I’d let it be well-known, but in this case, I decide to play along. I nod to the servant, granting my agreement.
“Thank you,” I say to Tynan.
He smiles and shrugs as if it’s nothing.
“I’m so glad you made your way here. I had half a mind to go out looking for you,” he says.
I smile uncertainly. I can see the complement, but I’m not happy being the center of his attention. I don’t know what to make of it. I’ve grown comfortable and accustomed to Rafe and the guys. When I’m with them it feels like we’ve known each other much longer than we have. Dragons are another matter.
I can’t forget they are the ones who run the Bunker societies. The politics, the infighting, the struggling to survive all stems from them. How trustworthy can they be if they run places like this?
“You are tempting me to read your thoughts. I hope you’ll offer them instead,” he says.
Shit, I think. Dragons can read minds. As many times as I’ve wondered about Rafe I don’t think he can. The one sitting across from me, this Dragon, absolutely can.
“It’s been a long trip —,” I say.
“Say no more,” Tynan smiles. “I won’t keep you up past your bedtime… tonight.”
Apocalypse the Blossoming (The Power of Twelve Book 2) Page 15