True Traitor (First Wave Book 7)

by Mikayla Lane

  By now Grai had already told True the same thing on the Shengari’ and as she looked at Leif, she realized if they couldn’t heal Fiorn, he was going to need more than a shoulder to cry on. Making up her mind, she nodded her head and looked at Leif with a small smile.

  “I don’t know about you, but I could use some food and a break. I’ve been knocked out so many times I’ve probably lost more brain cells than I can afford to lose, and I wouldn’t mind spending a full hour with you, without being shot, tied up or knocked out,” she said with a dramatic sigh.

  Leif snorted and shook his head. “Yeah, I wouldn’t mind that either. You’ve been trouble since the second you walked into the damn cave,” he said with a grin.

  True sputtered and looked at him like she was going to slap him. “I’ve been trouble? You kidnapped me!” she said, pretending to still be angry at him.

  Leif tsked at her. “Oh come on, I was saving you from being taken with the others. Don’t I get bonus points or something for that?” he asked as he gently tossed a pillow at her.

  True laughed. “Like you didn’t have ulterior motives? That bedroom, the bras and panties . . . that duckface,” she said with a bark of laughter before she smacked him with the pillow, being careful of his eye and bruised chest.

  Leif’s stomach chose that moment to growl and they both laughed. Neither noticed when Darina had slipped out. True got up from the bed, ignoring the fact that they were put in the same bed together and grabbed a tray of fruit and cheese and another of sweet breads before she set them on the bed in front of Leif.

  Seeing some cloth napkins near a tray of grapes, she took three of them and then sat across from Leif. True grinned as she handed him a napkin, then popped a piece of cheese into her mouth. They ate in silence for a moment, each wrapped in their own thoughts.

  True could feel his concern and fear increasing the longer they sat there and watched him slowly stop eating the more the feeling grew in his energy. She knew he was worried for his grandfather. As much as the man was obviously difficult to deal with, he meant a lot to Leif and True felt terrible for him.

  Taking his hand in hers, she gave him a small smile and slid off of the bed, keeping his hand. “Come on, big guy, show me around this place. Maybe we can get through a tour without being shot this time,” she said with a grin.

  Leif snorted and slid off of the bed. “I need to find a shirt,” he said as he looked around the room.

  True scanned the room and not finding anything she pulled him towards the closet and gasped. Leif peeked inside and chuckled. There on one side were several shirts and pants for him and on the other side were clothes for True.

  True looked at him with a quirked brow. “They sure do think of everything,” she said, checking the size on a pair of jeans, not really surprised that they would fit.

  Leif laughed. “You have no idea. Nana is thorough, but when she gets together with Darina, nothing escapes the two of them. I wouldn’t be surprised to find your favorite shampoo in the bathroom along with my toothbrush,” he said, suspecting he was right the more he looked at the personal touches in the room.

  Leif grabbed the first shirt and pulled the dark blue polo over his head. He hissed as he tried to pull it over his chest and flinched only a little when True took the lower part of the shirt from his hands and stretched it far from his chest before settling it around his waist.

  He grinned down at her.

  “Thanks, firefly,” he said as he noted the clean clothes she was wearing already and his clean pants. Yeah, Nana was real thorough, he thought.

  True looked down and realized she had no boots or shoes. Peeking in the closet, she saw there was none there either. “They forgot our shoes?” she asked Leif with a quirk of her brow.

  Leif chuckled. “No, that was not a mistake. Nana figures we aren’t going to wander far without them. She used to do that to me when I was a child to try and keep me from wandering the forests and fields,” he said, smiling at the happy memories.

  True snorted. “I bet you came back with bloody and bruised feet every time,” she said with a grin, knowing she’d have done the same thing.

  Leif chuckled and held the door open for her. “And a couple of broken bones,” he said as True walked out ahead of him.

  They went down a short hallway with a few other closed doors before ending up in a large, open living area. Comfortable looking couches and chairs were scattered around the room interspersed with bookcases, tables and large floor pillows. Some items looked to be very old and others much newer, but the combination of the eras lent the area a very homey and inviting air.

  “Wow, this place is really nice,” True said as she walked farther into the room and past carved columns to the open windows on the other side of the room.

  Beautiful mosaics covered the floor beneath her feet as she stepped out onto a large terrace. Seeing water, she moved to a stone railing and gasped at the sight of the pristine, clear blue water. Much like what they called the castle, this area also hosted a family of mammoths and a wide assortment of other creatures as well.

  Beneath her, the terrace led down several levels until it reached a stone pathway that led to another pathway around the lake. Just as in the main area she’d been in earlier, these paths were also made large enough to allow for the mammoths to use them as well.

  Covered gazebos, benches and tables were dotted around the lake along with trees and flowers. The whole scene was breathtaking and True tried to take it all in.

  Leif laughed. “It is a little overwhelming. It has a lot more of a natural feel to it since there is more trees and flowers around here than in the town farther up the lake. There’s a huge forest that lies between here and there,” he said, putting his hands gently on her shoulders as they looked out at the water.

  True sighed. “It’s so beautiful. Are those boat docks?” she asked, pointing at several stone areas on the water.

  Leif nodded his head. “Yes, they are. In fact, we still use them to get here from town. Since there are no boats here now, I’m assuming they took it after they dropped us off,” he said, chuckling to himself at just how thorough his Nana and Darina were. Neither he, nor True were in any condition for a hike back there — shoes or not.

  True grinned and turned back around to look at where they were staying and was pleasantly surprised that this was much smaller than the buildings in town.

  “Wow, this is so much more my style!” she said, admiring the stone architecture.

  Leif turned around to look at it even though he knew what it looked like. It was fun for him to see it through her eyes. “This is my favorite place. Nana always said that if I ever settled down and found a mate, that she would give this place to me. I wonder if this is her way of doing that,” he said with a chuckle, pretty sure he was right.

  True looked at him in shock.

  “Are you serious? She’s just gonna give this to you?” she asked, thinking that would be one hell of a gift.

  Leif laughed. “Yep. Nothing says, ‘Gimme grandbabies’, like an ancient stone house, on a private lake, in the middle of a place no one on Earth can get to,” he said, finally appreciating his Nana’s scheming mind.

  True put her hands on her hips and snorted. “Don’t push your luck buddy, you’re in no condition to defend yourself,” she said as she pushed past him back inside the house, hiding her grin from him.

  Leif sighed and followed behind her. “You know, I did specify that it was Nana who was thinking those thoughts. Not me. I don’t want kids for a while,” he said, jumping back when True turned narrowed grey eyes on him.

  “What if I want kids now? Does what I want matter?” she asked, before turning back around to find a front door.

  Leif sighed and threw his arms up in the air. He recognized this and he wasn’t about to play this game. This was where she’d twist and turn everything he said until he had no idea what he said anymore. He hated this shit. Tara did it to him all the time and he wasn’t going to tak
e it from True too.

  “Do I look ready to be a father to you?” he asked instead, catching her off guard.

  True turned and looked him up and down slowly. “Ok, you have a point. I don’t want one right now either. If I get the urge, I’ll go borrow one of my nephews or my new niece for a few hours. I’m sure that’ll cure the urge pretty quick,” she said before she threw her hands up in the air. “OK, where the hell is the front door?”

  Leif laughed and walked past the kitchen, through another hallway to a door. He bowed at the waist as he gestured to the door and chuckled as True huffed past him and threw it open, allowing the sunlight to stream in.

  True pulled him out of the door and followed the stone walkway until she encountered a split on the path. Unsure which way to go, she turned to Leif. “Come on, show me around, and tell me about yourself. Do it quick, I’m kind of paranoid that we’re going to be whacked again,” she said, only half teasing.

  Leif grinned and squeezed her hand.

  “I think we’re safe here. But, let’s go this way and I’ll show you where I grew up. Nana and my dad raised me here after my mom was killed. I grew up playing in the school and riding the mammoths,” he admitted with a smile as he remembered his childhood.

  True was impressed.

  “You can ride them?”

  Leif laughed and changed to another stone path.

  “You’re not supposed to. I didn’t say anything about not getting my ass beat for it when I got caught, but I wasn’t caught very often either,” he said with pride.

  True giggled picturing him as an adorable little boy riding a wooly mammoth like a Jurassic Mowgli. Then she imagined that same adorable boy with Leif’s duckface and she burst into laughter.

  “What?” Leif asked, unsure what he’d said that made her laugh so hard.

  True wiped the excess moisture from her eyes and admitted, “I was picturing you as a Jurassic Mowgli in my mind . . . with that duck face!” She burst into laughter again and Leif couldn’t help but laugh with her.

  “Ok, yeah, that would be funny. But, I don’t think I had duck face going on at the time. I probably looked constipated, those damn things are hard on your ass!” he said, liking that he could laugh at himself around her without feeling like a fool. He’d done enough of that around her already.

  True giggled again and asked, “Are they really that hard?”

  Leif nodded. “They’re uncomfortable as hell. The only reason Tara and I kept doing it was because we weren’t supposed to and the mammoths let us,” he said.

  True looked at him in surprise. “They let you?”

  Leif nodded and grinned at her.

  “They would lower their trunks for us, then help lift us to their backs. They still do it to Tara and me sometimes when we pass the ones we used to ride. I haven’t done it since we were teenagers though,” he said, wondering if True was thinking of trying it.

  True sighed. “That’s amazing. I’d love to try it sometime, when I’m not so intimidated by their size. Those things are freaking huge,” she said honestly.

  Leif chuckled and squeezed her hand.

  “I wouldn’t let them hurt you. Besides, since the moment we came here, none of the animals have ever harmed anyone. But . . . they might make an exception for you,” he said teasingly.

  True lightly smacked him on his arm, not wanting to hurt his healing wounds.

  “Keep it up and the moment you’re better, I’ll even out your man-scaping,” she threatened, chuckling as Leif sucked in a sharp breath.

  They reached a gazebo by the lake and seeing Leif’s paler complexion, she pulled him towards it and pushed him down onto the seat inside before sitting next to him. His lung was obviously still healing and she didn’t want him to push it too much.

  “How is your lung? Are you breathing OK?” she asked with concern.

  Leif nodded. “I’m fine. Why would you think my lung was damaged?” he asked, curious if someone told her what had happened to them.

  “I’ve seen that kind of wound before. Many times actually. That’s the telltale bruising of a collapsed lung after an hour or so with medibands and treatment,” she said with a small smile at him.

  Leif looked at her in surprise. He had known after it happened that it was punctured, but he was surprised she’d seen it before. He felt so sheltered having grown up here, while she and her family had been out in the world fighting for their people.

  “I hope you have no firsthand experience,” he said, hoping that she didn’t.

  True shook her head and looked out at the crystal blue lake. “No, not me. I’ve been pretty lucky. But, I also had my father, sister and brother giving me easy missions. When Grai came, he let me finally become a team leader and prove myself. Then you kidnapped me and ruined it all,” she said with a smile as she gently bumped against him.

  “For a life story, that’s kind of brief. And pitiful. Did you ever do anything fun?” he asked, wondering if it was all work for her.

  True laughed.

  “Every chance we got. In between training, we’d escape and explore. One time, me and a few of the other girls were able to sneak into a theme park. I have to say it was a lot of fun, but I really didn’t get the big deal about it. Nobody else did either. Sarex said it was because we weren’t getting the adrenaline rush like the humans were,” True admitted with a shy smile.

  Leif wasn’t sure he understood. “Why didn’t you get an adrenaline rush? Didn’t you go on the rides?” he asked curiously.

  True snorted. “We rode everything. Many times. It just wasn’t scary or even that thrilling. I guess when you’ve fought a couple of Relians in hand to hand combat, going 60 miles per hour on a little car suspended above the ground just doesn’t seem so exciting,” True said with a cheeky smile.

  Leif shook his head, unsure if he was jealous, proud or frightened for her. He settled on all three. “Here we’ve been, pissed off and angry that we haven’t been able to get in the fight. I hope like hell that changes with an Alliance. I don’t think my people can put up with much more of it. Even those that don’t want to fight, have family or friends who do and they’d like to support them. Besides, I’d like to be on your team,” he said, gently pushing into her teasingly.

  True was surprised by that and disappointed at the same time. “Yeah, Grai doesn’t let family be on the same team together. It’s far too much of a distraction for both of them and puts the team in danger,” she said. Even though she knew it was a good policy, she wanted to work with Leif too.

  Leif stood and held out his hand for her, hiding his grin when she took it and stood. He led them back to the house as he thought about what she’d said.

  “Well,” he said, “maybe we could stay here and be a part of the new team to excavate and learn about this place.”

  True looked genuinely surprised.

  “Do you really think they’re going to set up a team for that?” she asked, wondering if she would like being a part of it. Hell yeah, she thought without hesitation.

  Leif opened the back door to the house for her and chuckled. “Nana has been waiting for an excuse to get a team going. She already has some of our people picked for it. She’ll get Grai’s input on which of your people want to join, but I have no doubt we could get on. I have connections,” he said with a grin and waggle of his eyebrows as she walked in the house.

  True chuckled. “Yeah, you do. What would we do though? It’s not like we have any archeological experience. I don’t think ‘fan of the fluffy haired guy’ qualifies us to do much of anything,” she said with a half-smile as she collapsed onto a large and comfortable couch.

  Leif heard her sigh in pleasure and he gingerly sat beside her and sunk into the comfortable and relaxing couch with a sigh of his own.

  “Oh, this is heavenly,” True said as she leaned back and relaxed into the cushions.

  Leif couldn’t agree more. He’d forgotten how big and comfortable this couch was and how many times he’d fallen as
leep on it. Exhaustion began to overtake him as he put an arm around True and she leaned against his uninjured side. Within moments they were both sound asleep.

  *****

  Pfc. Mikey Davis finally got a cell phone signal and couldn’t believe his luck. Still an hour from the base, he called one of his buddies to see what, if anything the news was saying about the incident.

  Mikey was stunned to learn that there had been no mention of any landslide on any of the national news networks. He had just heard an update on one of the local radio stations and knew that it was being reported somewhere and was surprised that the national affiliate hadn’t picked up the story.

  That eerie sense that something was wrong, tingled up his spine, sending the tiny hairs on his neck rising. Whatever the hell was going on, it damn sure wasn’t just a landslide and that ship he’d seen in the sky near the mountain had something to do with it. He knew it. He could feel it. This time he was going to figure out where the ships were coming from and what they were.

  Whatever was going on, they couldn’t keep the area closed forever without it getting national attention. He’d head to the base, ask around if anyone was responding to the incident and wait until the next day to try and go back to the area. He had three weeks and Mikey couldn’t think of a better way to spend it.

  Chapter Twenty

  Countdown Clock to Human Discovery

  5:00 Hours

  This is a WFWZ Radio News update. Cleanup has begun on I-70 to remove the debris blocking the road from the landslide that occurred overnight. We have no estimates on how long it’ll take and we’ve been unable to reach the Transportation Department for an interview.

  We were able to speak with Sheriff Joe Scarborough and he assured us that crews are on the scene and working diligently to clear the roads and scientists are also on the scene studying the area for stability.