"Why are you doing this to me?" I ask in frustration. “I never asked for anything. I don't want any of this."
I'm surprised when he takes my arm and jerks me around to look at him, a thunderous expression on his face. My mouth falls open. I've never seen him look at me that way before. Not even when I tried beating him up in the harem. He's always so steady, so serious, I didn't think anything could anger him. Not really.
"Your choice doesn't matter. None of ours matter. Survival is the only thing we have. I gave you a choice: stay in the harem as the Warlord's slave, or come out of the harem and manage the city. You made your choice; you will stand by it."
I narrow my eyes at him. "And if I don't?"
He grips me by the back of the neck and drags me up onto my toes. I reach up to take hold of his wrists as his mouth touches mine. His kiss isn't angry, nor is it passionate. It's matter of fact, meant as a threat without actually being a threat. He's telling me without words what will happen if I back out of our agreement.
The only problem is, I love his kisses. I think I've been wanting them for years, I just never realized. Or wouldn't allow myself to want them. I was a married woman. Then I was a widow. Wolfe was a good punching bag when I needed one. But now… now, everything is different.
He breaks the kiss and I step quickly away from him. The look he's giving me, I expect him to reach for me again, but he doesn't. Instead, he turns his back dismissively.
Twenty-One
"Skye!"
I turn from where I'm standing and look behind me to where my name's being called. I spot Dr. Summers weaving through people as she makes her way over.
I speak to Kingston, one of my bodyguards. "After my meeting with Dr. Summers I'd like to inspect the water treatment plant. Please get permission from the Warlord for me to leave the city with an escort."
I don't bother to see if he responds, instead turning my attention to Dr. Summers as she stops next to me, hand on her chest as she tries to catch her breath. She hands me a notebook and I glance down, reading the items on the page.
Her notes are messy, but I can make out enough to understand that it's a list of the things she wishes to discuss with Dr. Bishop when we connect with the Tucson Sanctuary.
"Looks good," I say, handing it back to her.
She flips the page on the notebook and shows it to me again. I look down and see another list, this one of supplies.
"So far, this is what I know I'll need to set up a lab in the city. I've no doubt that once we've spoken to Dr. Bishop I'll be adding more."
I narrow my eyes and scan the list. A generator, blood collection equipment, vials, a centrifuge, microscope, hematology analyzer, autoclaves, hotplate, cleaning supplies, and an assistant. Some of the items will be relatively easy to come by, others will need to be brought in from other Sanctuaries, and some will have to be made here in the city.
"Got anyone in mind for your assistant?"
She nods, but frowns down at the paper before saying pensively, "Dr. Kenny Starr is another general medicine practicing doctor in the city. He really knows his stuff, but he's hesitant to work with a woman. He's barely said two words to me since I arrived. He takes on the people who don't want to see me."
"Do you want me to talk to him?" I say to her. "Convince him it would be in his best interests to stop being a sexist asshole and get on board with Team Cure?"
She laughs and shakes her head. "I think it’ll be better if I talk to him on a professional level. I can stroke his ego, which will hopefully convince him to help out. If he won't do it, we'll have to find someone else. They won't be as skilled, but I'll manage."
I don’t like the idea of stroking any man’s ego in order to get him to comply with something that should just happen, but I remind myself I’m a diplomat now. I can’t stab people repeatedly with my dagger until they stop being stupid.
We make our way to the lift on the west wall and step inside. As we ascend toward the radio tower, I gaze out across the city – a city I've been tasked with saving. It looks like a concrete jungle with slabs of steel and metal twisted together and overrun by shrubbery. To my eyes, it's a beautiful sight. I've always loved the dichotomy of human ingenuity and nature. If I were to plan my ideal city, it would be overrun by greenery and human invention intermixed.
Dr. Summers either reads my thoughts or is a kindred spirit, because she murmurs from next to me, "Even though the human species has had some pretty hard knocks this century, I can see the beauty in Mother Earth reclaiming what was once hers."
I nod, my gaze tracing the vines winding their way up the western wall. It held steady during the Primitive attacks and is currently being used as a base of operations for the city's security forces. It also houses the radio tower.
Once we arrive at the top of the wall, the lift bumps to a stop and a soldier steps forward to open the door for us. I thank him and step out alongside Dr. Summers. We’re escorted to the room beneath the radio tower, where they were told to expect us.
As we step into the shadowy room, I blink until my eyes adjust, then stop in surprise as I see Wolfe. I hadn't expected his presence here, though I know most of my activities are being reported back to him.
"Warlord," Dr. Summers says respectfully. "Will you be joining us for our meeting with the Tucson Sanctuary?"
I remain silent as Wolfe speaks with Dr. Summers, confirming that he will stand in on our radio conversation. It becomes clear that Wolfe and the Doctor have spoken often. They’re relaxed and easy in their interaction. I'm surprised and a little jealous. I've never seen Wolfe interact with another human this easily, especially not me.
I turn to the radio operator. "Let’s make the call."
Dr. Summers and Wolfe fall silent as the Santa Fe Sanctuary reaches out to the Tucson Sanctuary. Over the past fifty years, Sanctuaries have become increasingly more isolated from each other as they learned to protect themselves from attack. Supplies can be scarce and when a Sanctuary experiences shortages, it can be easier to attack another than it is to gain supplies through diplomacy. By connecting with the Tucson Sanctuary, we’re setting a new precedent of cooperation.
Tucson is expecting us and picks up the radio communication right away. They were radioed ahead of time and given our message so they could make sure to have the correct people in the room for this call.
"Greetings to the New Santa Fe Sanctuary, you are speaking to Warlord Fuentes."
My brother-in-law is the first to speak and uses a formal greeting. My heart speeds up in anticipation as I know that my sister, wife to Diogo Fuentes, must be in the same room. I'm eager to speak to her, though our conversation isn't as important. We'll have to wait until the others finish.
Wolfe steps up to the microphone and talks to Diogo. The two men discuss security and wall rebuilds. The conversation is stiff and there’s some clear hesitation on both sides before they each give away information about security. I’m gratified that they’re able to unbend enough to see the potential for a future alliance between our Sanctuaries. If we can maintain peace, then we can only benefit from the sharing of information. I can’t imagine ever going to war with a Sanctuary my sister resides in.
After the two men finish, Dr. Summers speaks with Dr. Bishop from the Tucson Sanctuary. Dr. Bishop doesn't hesitate over speaking with a female doctor, but quickly and simply outlines what she'll need as far as supplies and expertise for creating a zombie treatment. The two doctors rapidly go into territory that I can't follow so I step back and gaze out the open wall, toward the Santa Fe mountain range.
Wolfe approaches me from behind and stands too close for comfort, but I'm too close to the window to move away from him. I stiffen and continue to keep my back to him. He bends so that his lips brush my ear as he speaks. I shiver and tilt my head away from him.
"Tonight, you'll come to my chambers for the evening meal."
I don't like the he's making a dinner date sound like an order. "I won't be able to make it. I'm inspecting the p
rogress at the water treatment plant. I won't be back in the city until after dark."
I can feel Wolfe stiffen behind me. "Unacceptable. You will not be allowed outside the city after dark without me."
I shrug. "Then come along."
His hand lifts and hovers over my shoulder as though he's debating whether or not to touch me. Finally, he drops his hand heavily onto my shoulder and squeezes. His grip is slightly too painful, an emphasis to what he's about to say.
"I've asked you to help fix the city," he says quietly so only I can hear. "But that does not give you the right to disobey your Warlord. Go to the water treatment plant tomorrow. Come to my chambers this evening."
I tip my head back to glare at him. "Thank you for so firmly putting me in my place."
He looks at me enigmatically, the patch over his damaged eye a vivid black spot on his badly scarred face. My eyes drift down his cheek, deeply marked from a knife to the face, to his lips, forever twisted in a permanent sneer where the knife crossed over his flesh. Though he has a beard, the scar is still prominent. He should be an ugly man, but he's not. I itch to trace my fingers over that wound, despite the anger I feel toward him.
"You don’t know your place yet. That will come in time, once I can see that you’re able to manage your responsibilities."
My anger flares all over again. "How dare you do this to me? Give me responsibility I didn’t ask for, place me in a position where I’m forced to either sink or swim, then decide how I’ll do the job. I didn't ask for this, I didn't want this. Why are you doing this to me?"
His thick brows crash down and I see a flicker of anger in his eye. An emotion from an emotionless man. I turn more fully toward him, drinking in the emotion that I caused. I don't even care if it's anger or hate or whatever he feels toward me. I just want something. Something different from what he gives everyone else. I want to be special to him.
His hand tightens on my shoulder to an almost unbearable degree and I wince under the pressure. He leans toward me, his lips against my ear as he speaks, his voice a furious growl that only I can hear. "It’s time for you to stop questioning your place, to stop questioning my orders. Yes, it’s sink or swim. Do or die."
I jerk back, trying to pull my shoulder out of his grip, but he refuses to let go. "You don't get to decide that for me," I hiss at him.
"I do get to decide. As Warlord here I am owner of everything within this Sanctuary. I came, I took, I am now in possession of this city. It's time for you to stop acting like a petulant child and to step up to your position."
"And what position is that?" I snap, my voice raising enough that some of the others in the room turn to look at us. I don't care, I don't take my eyes off him. "Wife to the Warlord? Slave? That's what I'm starting to feel like. You've placed an enormous responsibility on me and you never asked if I wanted it."
Fury sizzles through the room like a lightning bolt, startling everyone inside, and possibly the people in the Tucson Sanctuary radio room, because the radio falls silent for a few seconds as Wolfe and I stare at each other. Have I gone too far? It doesn't make sense though. I have physically fought this man and he never acted like I'd gone too far. Yet when I question my role in his life, in the Sanctuary, he gets angry.
"I don't care if you want it or not." His voice has an icy chill to it, though fury still vibrates through him. "The right of the conqueror allows me to make you whatever I want. It’s your choice whether that be wife or slave."
My heart is pounding and I'm praying that my sister and Diogo can't hear our low-voiced conversation. Humiliation colours my face. He's giving me the only choices that women in our world are allowed. I'm devastated that he’s treating me this way, yet I almost asked for it by pushing him into this corner.
"I choose neither," I say, glaring coldly at him. "If you force me to choose, I will fight you, and one of us will die in the process."
The tension drains from him and his lip curls up in a half grimace. If his face wasn’t so scarred and twisted, I would think he was attempting a smile. "Good." He sounds almost absent-minded as he says, "Make sure you're in my chambers by seven."
Wolfe leaves the room and with him goes most of the tension. I feel like I can breathe as soon as he disappears and I reach for the nearest chair, sitting because my legs won't hold me. It was a brief but powerful exchange.
Dr. Summers reaches out to squeeze my hand, clinging to me for a few seconds in solidarity. I give her a brittle smile and squeeze back.
"I think we've said everything that needs to be said," she tells me. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get to work on some of this stuff right away." She holds aloft her notes and I nod in agreement.
Dr. Summers leaves the room and I'm now alone with the radio tower operator. He waves me toward the control panel and I settle into the chair, leaning into the microphone.
"Taran?" My voice isn’t quite as strong as I would hope. My exchange with Wolfe has rattled me.
"I'm here," she says excitedly. "So much has happened since you've been gone. I wish you were here so that we could talk in person, but this will have to do for now. Diogo says it'll probably be a long time before the Primitive situation is stable enough for visiting between Sanctuaries."
I smile at her excited chatter and let her keep going without interruption. Discovering that my sister was alive was one of the best moments of my life. It'd been devastating to find out that our grandparents hadn't made it into Sanctuary, but being able to hold my sister close, to see her happily settled with her Warlord husband and her baby, is enough for now.
"There are rumours of another wave of flu coming out of the North. Have you heard?" she asks.
I tune back in to what Taran is saying and frown. Flu took out our parents and half of North America's population. It devastated an already ravaged world. Now when I hear the word flu, my heart freezes with trepidation far more than it does when I hear the zombies are coming. We can fight zombies: cut off their heads, stab them in the heart, shoot out their legs. There's nothing we can do about an invisible killer. It comes, it takes some of us away, and then it leaves, the promise of its return still hovering in the air as survivors attempt to rebuild. Another major problem with flu epidemics is how much sickness can weaken a Sanctuary. If there are no people to guard the walls or bring in supplies, it makes us prime targets for Primitive attacks.
"Please, stay safe, Taran. Keep Blaze safe and all the people of your Sanctuary. We know what the flu can do, we've seen it with our own eyes." I plead with her, knowing that my softhearted sister would be the first person to line up to care for a flu patient, regardless of what it might do to her own health. So, I do the next best thing; I speak directly to the Warlord of the Tucson sanctuary. "Diogo, do yourself a favour, close the city gates. Don't accept refugees, keep out the Outsiders. Don't allow your people to hunt. Whatever you do, protect yourselves from this."
Diogo is a reasonable man, so I’m confident he’ll at least consider my advice. He and I spent many weeks discussing the security of Sanctuary, in both a practical and theoretical sense. He’s an intelligent man who knows not to underestimate the enemy, be it Primitive, human, or flu. He’s similar to Wolfe that way. He looks at everything as equal; as in, everything is equally an enemy to him.
He takes my words seriously and doesn't treat me like I'm a hysterical woman, which I appreciate. "We will consider your suggestion. You should consider doing the same. As a Sanctuary in the process of rebuilding, you're far more vulnerable than we are."
I nod though he can't see it. "I'll speak with Wolfe about it, but I'm certain he'll agree." I'm not certain he'll agree, actually. I can almost never tell what Wolfe is thinking and he often chooses the opposite path of what I believe he'll choose. But I'll make him see how serious this is, if it kills me. I'll do whatever it takes to keep the flu out of our Sanctuary.
"Skye," Taran’s voice comes over the radio again. "I worry about you, big sister. Your journey with distributing the vaccine ended so
abruptly. I know you didn’t choose to stay behind, that you were forced to remain in Santa Fe. Please take care of yourself and let me know if you need anything. I’ll make it happen.”
I smile, a genuine smile that I hope my sister can feel even though she can't see it. Reading between the lines, I understand that she’s telling me she’ll come straight to my side to help if I ask her, regardless of what her fierce husband says. She worries about me. Worries that I carry weapons, worries about my hot temper, worries when I go toe to toe with male warriors.
"I will, baby sister. I plan to be around for a long time to watch all of my future nieces and nephews grow into strong adults. You keep yourself safe too, and eventually we will reunite."
"I can't wait for that day," Taran says softly.
I blink back tears and push myself away from the radio, standing. I look over at the tower operator and nod, indicating our conversation is now finished.
He settles into the seat and speaks into the microphone. "New Santa Fe Sanctuary, out."
Twenty-Two
I walk swiftly toward the Warlord’s chambers, trailed by my two guards, Kingston and Denny. When we stop outside of the massive door, I glance over my shoulder at the men. They stop and take up sentry positions on either side of the door. I find it curious that Wolfe doesn’t post guards outside of his own door, yet he insists I take mine everywhere. I wonder if they’re for my own safety or everyone else's.
Regardless, I find myself growing closer to my two guards by the day, relying more and more on their presence. Though my brand-new city council is all female, these two men play an important role by shadowing my every step, taking note of my needs and providing whatever I desire. Everything except my freedom.
I don't bother knocking on the door before pushing it open. The doors lead directly into a vestibule type room. There used to be plush couches, luxurious pillows, wall hangings and artwork in this room. Now it’s stripped bare, with nothing inviting for guests. I walk through the room, toward the solarium.
The Road to Wolfe (The Sanctuary Series Book 4) Page 12