The Sentinel

by C Cato

  She resisted the urge to lift her arm and sniff her pit but had to agree. The bodysuit, the bits that still clung to her, was filthy and she wasn’t much better. A few dips in the river was not enough. She needed a good scrubbing.

  Two buildings that were half the size of the house were in back. Both were simple looking cottages, but the one on the left had light glowing inside. They were in luck. It wasn’t raining, but the grass squelched beneath Cole’s feet. Inside were two large wooden tubs that sat on a raised platform.

  “There’s pipes that run under those tubs, and a boiler outside to heat up the water. It’s clever.” He set her down, but his hands lingered on her back. “I’ll get you some fresh clothes while you’re soakin’, and some food. Elise didn’t think her parents would mind if we borrowed some clothes.”

  He changed into a pair of loose-fitting linen pants and a matching sleeveless tunic. His light hair gleamed in the low lamp light. “I take it you’ve already had a bath?”

  “Yup. You and Deets are the only ones left. He’s planning to use the other one as soon as he’s done with prep, so unless you want to see him naked, I’d hurry. He has no modesty.”

  “Really? But he seems so nice.”

  Cole almost doubled over. A smile split his face, revealing his perfect white teeth. “I’m tellin’ everyone you said that. You know that sayin’ ‘It’s always the quiet ones’?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, he’s the quiet one.”

  “Oh.” She sat on the edge of the platform to remove her boots. Kneeling on one knee at her feet, he pushed her hands away and removed her shoes. “You really don’t have to do that,” she said in a breathy whisper. Could he hear her heart trying to break free from her chest?

  “I know.”

  Butterflies did a mad dance in her stomach, and a lazy heat spread through her. When he finished, he stood and moved to the door. “Get in, baby. I’ll have Risa bring the clothes for you.”

  “You don’t have to… I mean I wouldn’t be embarrassed if…”

  His lopsided smile made her knees weak. “That wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of me, now would it. Besides, I’m not sure I could control myself if I see you naked.”

  Sonya stopped breathing. The growing grin eclipsed by the heat in his eyes. She thought for sure he was going to close the distance and kiss her, but instead he left, softly closing the door behind him.

  With shaking fingers, she removed her suit and slid into the hot water with a long sigh. She didn’t think she would ever have the chance to get clean again. This was a luxury she wasn’t going to pass up. Finding a bar of soap that smelled like lemon and a thin washcloth on a small ledge set in the tub, she scrubbed away days of grime.

  A knock announced Risa’s arrival. She didn’t wait for Sonya to respond before opening the door, her arms full of clothing and a large plate filled with food. “Sarge said you need to eat, and he’ll be by to check on you in thirty minutes.”

  “Really, there is no need to baby me.”

  Risa set her burden down on the platform, far enough from the tub that it wouldn’t get wet from accidental splashes. “Sonya, I don’t think you realize how much it upset Cole when he thought you were dead. He cried. Even while searching for you he cried.”

  She hated that she’d caused him pain. “I’m sorry for that.”

  “Not your fault. You don’t control the weather,” she said, but tilted her head and squinted. “You don’t, do you? Control the weather, I mean. Ian might have done some crazy shit.”

  Sonya laughed and sent a small spray of water at Risa who deftly stepped out of the way. “No. No weather control. Is it true you went to school for psychology?”

  “Mhm. I’m not certified or anything. I did spend some time counseling vets, but I knew where I would have ended up if I had finished. I wanted to stay with Sarge and the others.”

  Risa didn’t supply any more, so Sonya changed the subject while she scrubbed.

  “Was it hard to be a lesbian in the military?”

  She chuckled. “Odd question, but no. My military career kept me busy.”

  “You didn’t have issues with men in your unit hitting on you?”

  Her chuckle turned to a snort. “Uh no. Men and women volunteered to come to Sarge’s unit. We were all queer. It was an unspoken rule that we all had to keep it in our pants. No unnecessary drama.”

  “That sounds lonely.”

  “No rule that we couldn’t fuck outside of the unit. But no, it wasn’t. They were—are family. Ready to get out?”

  Sonya nodded, and Risa offered a hand. When she was safely on the platform, she dried off and pulled the proffered clothes on. It was the same simple tunic and pants that Cole had worn. Risa’s was more like a tunic dress, probably Celene’s.

  “Can I ask you one more thing?”

  Risa followed her every move with wide eyes. She licked her top lip and smirked.

  That should have been disturbing, but she found she liked the attention. Tying off her pants she sat next to the dazed woman.

  “Risa?”

  “Um… yeah… sorry. You have amazing tits, by the way. What’s your question?”

  It was Sonya’s turn to smirk. “Thank you, they are rather perky, aren’t they? I was wondering if… Cole he didn’t… should I make the first move?”

  Risa laughed.

  Of course, that would be her answer.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Sonya

  Elise giggled. Cole tapped her nose, leaving a smear of flour behind.

  Bracing against her shoulder in the kitchen doorway, a small smile danced on Sonya’s face at their antics. They’d run out of bread to use in just a day. Cole, apparently the only one in the group that had any hope of learning, volunteered to learn to make bread. She had distributed the first batch of penicillin tea that morning. Celene’s fever had broken on its own, and healthy color was coming back to her cheeks, but the others were still questionable. Especially Felix. The operation had gone as well as it could under the circumstances, but he still hadn’t improved.

  She’d done everything she could to make him comfortable, but he’d only gotten progressively worse with each hour that ticked by. Now there wasn’t much time left, and she had to tell this little girl her daddy was dying. One of a thousand worries on her mind.

  Sunlight streamed in through the windows, giving Cole and Elise a dreamy glow as they worked. The vision of them made it easy to forget the homicidal women chasing them, or that Keet was still a prisoner.

  The temperature outside had dropped drastically over the past couple of days, and frost had covered the ground when she’d woken up that morning. Would that be enough to slow down pursuit? How long would they be able to remain at the farm and stay safe? She was going to have a serious sit down with the other Sentinels soon, but first she had to do something more important.

  “Elise, sweetheart. It’s time.”

  The girl raised her head and the sweet toothy grin she’d shared with Cole disappeared. He wiped her hands clean and then guided her to the clean sanitary cloths and wrapped them around her head and hands. Not wanting to hide anything from her, Sonya had been transparent about her father Felix. Elise had asked to be there when he died, and Sonya had agreed.

  Cole wrapped himself up and then took her covered hand with his own. When they passed, she reached up to grab Sonya as well. Together, they went to Felix’s room.

  The Sentinels all spaced out around the bed. Since his family couldn’t be there with him, they would stand in their place. His skin was sallow and pale, and large purple bruises stood out against the pallor. A hollowed chest rose and fell with wet choking gasps. Sonya clutched her own tightening chest, just as Cole put his arm around her. Did the man have a sixth sense when it came to her distress? Sonya let Cole take the lead in bringing Elise to her father, since he’d been spending more time with her.

  Sonya circled the bed to stand on the other side, and Elise gripped the sheets. They’
d drilled her on the importance of not touching him. That broke Sonya’s heart.

  Tears brimmed in Elise’s beautiful green eyes.

  Cole stood behind her with a hand on her shoulder.

  “Daddy Felix?”

  Sonya had warned her that he might not hear her or be able to respond, but she choked down her gasp as his eyes cracked open. His head didn’t turn so much as fell to the side, fingers twitching as he tried to move his hand.

  “My—” Wet hacking coughs filled the room. Risa came to the bed and lifted his head to give him water. He focused again on Elise. “An… angel. Love… you.”

  “Love you, too, Daddy. I’ll miss you.”

  A tear leaked from his eye. He took in one last labored breath and released it in a single, exhale. His eyes fixed on his daughter.

  He was gone.

  “Felix?”

  Sonya shifted her gaze to the door. Celene was there, leaning heavily against the frame. Her grief a perfect match for her daughters.

  “Mommy.” Elise hesitated.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart. Your momma is better. You can touch her.”

  Elise didn’t need more encouragement. She almost launched herself at her mother, who would have toppled backwards if Ditre’s reflexes had been any slower.

  Celene crushed her daughter to her chest and whispered words of endearment, while she wearily studied everyone in the room. Sonya didn’t blame her, really. She had done the same thing when she met Cole and his team.

  “Who are you?” she asked, her voice raw from the illness and disuse.

  “My name is Dr. Sonya Temple,” she said, taking the lead. “Your daughter found us in the woods when she was looking for help. So, we came to help.” Her gaze flicked to the bed and back. “I just wish we had been here a little sooner.”

  “You’re a Caregiver?”

  “If that’s what you call a doctor then, yes.”

  Brow furrowed, she nodded. Her legs buckled and Ditre rushed to her side to hold her up, while Elise slid to the floor.

  “Mommy!”

  “I’m okay, baby.” She pushed away from Ditre to stand against the door frame again. “I just need some more sleep.”

  “Would you like to go with her?” asked Sonya. This little girl needed her mother, so they could grieve. It was wrong to keep them apart.

  The smile on her face was answer enough. “Can I?”

  “Just remember to keep your wrappings on and don’t touch your daddies.”

  With a giggle, she took her mother’s hand and pulled her out of the room.

  Sonya instructed them on how to dispose of the body, then followed the young child and her mother to the second bedroom. The four men were still sleeping, their bodies filling the bed as they sprawled in every direction, but Elise and Celene slipped into the overly crowded bed with them. Elise laid on her mother, her head on her breast. A smile still lifting her face.

  Celene indicated a chair with her chin.

  Sonya pulled it over and took a seat.

  “What happened?” she rasped. A no-bullshit kind of woman. Sonya could deal with that.

  “You and your guys contracted the bubonic plague. If left untreated, the odds are you would have died.”

  “And Felix?”

  Sonya blew out air. This was, in her opinion, the worst part of being a doctor. “He was already too far gone when we arrived, but I did my best to save him.”

  “That’s not all Mommy,” said Elise, propping herself up on her mother’s chest. She proceeded to tell the story of falling in the river in a single breath.

  Celene stared at her daughter in awe. “It would seem I owe several debts for saving my family.” Her eyes began to droop.

  “We aren’t going anywhere. We’ll stay for as long as you need. Get some rest. You still have some recovering to do.”

  With a small sigh, her eyes slid closed, and she was asleep in seconds. Elise breathing softly in counterpoint to her mother as they dozed together.

  Sonya left as quietly as she could.

  Cole met her in the hall, his arms open for her and she gladly collapsed into them. When had his touch become so vital? “You did an amazin’ thing for that little girl,” he whispered, by her ear. “Lettin’ her say good-bye will give her closure.”

  She pulled back just enough to see his face. “True, but I’ll have to start her on the penicillin now.”

  He shrugged his shoulders as if to say small price to pay.

  “I just don’t want to lose anymore.”

  “Dr. Temple, you worked miracles here. If anyone can save these people, you can.”

  The praise made her face burn, and she buried it in his neck, but that didn’t stop the grin from growing.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Sonya

  For the next two days, Sonya took turns with Ditre administering medicine and sitting by the bedside as Elise’s family slowly began to recover. To her relief, one by one they did. The loss of Felix had been hard, but it could have been so much worse.

  “When are you going to let us out of this bed?” asked Alex. He seemed to be the oldest of her husbands—and Celene was adamant that is what they were—but it was hard to tell. They all appeared more rugged and worn than the city men she knew before. Crow’s feet lined the sides of his eyes, and grays dotted his sleek brown hair, but he was lean and fit. He always hovered closest to Celene’s side.

  “Do you think there is some kind of hierarchy at work?” Sonya asked Risa who was on duty as her assistant for the day.

  “Who knows. The whole thing is weird to me. How does she walk right with so many dicks screaming for attention?”

  Sonya bit her bottom lip to hold in her inappropriate laugh. Soren had worked on her comm, which entailed cutting her open at the temple. She was fortunate that his tools had survived the slide down the mountain. So, the comm was working, but the range appeared to have shortened. Not that Sonya had time to test it.

  Penicillin production in the kitchen had become a full-time job for the Sentinels, and even Sonya had learned to make bread to contribute. Fortunately, no one had to eat it. There was no way the stuff she made was edible.

  Elise chose that moment to run into the room and pounce on the bed. Elijah, let out a loud groan as her little knee connected with his groin and the other men laughed. They were weak, but sincere and good-natured.

  “Careful there, Elise,” teased Risa. “Your daddy may want to contribute to the next brother or sister.”

  “Sorry, Daddy,” she mumbled as she settled onto Alex’s lap.

  He and Celene sat up with their backs to the headboard, and Elijah was at their feet. If anyone reminded Sonya of a Viking, it was him. His ice blonde hair reached down to the backs of his knees. After being bed ridden for days it had become a tangled mess. When he woke up, he worried that they’d have to cut it, so Sonya and Elise sat with him for hours working out the tangles. Sonya understood the power hair had in one’s identity. Now, it was plaited it into three thick braids against his skull that flowed down his back. He sported a newly sprouted beard, and his arctic blues drooped with exhaustion but danced with amusement. Rolly lay on his side next to Alex and pillowed his head on the man’s thigh, while Titus pressed against Rolly’s back. There was a comfortable intimacy they all shared that made Sonya curious to know more about their setup.

  “To answer your earlier question, Alex, I’d like you to stay in bed for a couple more days. It’s cold outside, and I don’t want you to relapse.”

  He grumbled and muttered to himself about work to do but didn’t offer further protest.

  “Sonya, how is it you’ve escaped the Valkyrie for so long?” asked Celene.

  It was a question Sonya had dreaded. How were they supposed to hide what they were? They didn’t fit in to this time. It would be obvious to any casual observer, and Celene was more than casual.

  Risa was the one to save the day. “We had a very good hiding place. Over the mountains. Unfortunately, they found u
s. We had to run.”

  Celene regarded her for a long time before bringing her gaze back to Sonya. X-rays were less probing. Presenting her best neutral expression, she doubted it did any good.

  “The Valkyrie. They aren’t going to stop.”

  “You’re one of them, right? Wasn’t that your uniform in the supply closet?” Risa asked Celene. “Can’t you just tell them to back off?”

  Celene paled to the point of alarm.

  Sonya reached for her wrist to check her pulse, but she raised her hand to hold the doctor off.

  “I’m not—I left the Order. The consequences of returning would be dire.”

  “How do you know so little of them?” asked Titus.

  “Who wants broth?” said Ditre cheerfully, striding into the room, arms laden with bowls.

  Sonya sagged into her chair, wanting to kiss him for his good timing. After hasty good-byes she left Risa and Ditre to deflect anymore awkward questions.

  Downstairs, Cole and Soren were working on a batch of penicillin tea, and she tried to get past without them noticing. She just wasn’t that sneaky.

  “Sonya? Where are you going?” asked Cole, wiping his hands on a scrap of cloth before crossing the room to loop an arm around her waist.

  Sonya leaned into him, not opposed to spending more time learning about him. “I’m going to the barn for a little while to read the journals and maybe take a nap.”

  “Do you need me?” Cole asked. There was nothing demanding or pushy to the request. He was leaving it up to her. Tempting as it was to invite him to the barn and make out like a horny teenager, she really did want to go over the journals and take a nap.

  Leaning forward, she kissed the tip of his nose. “Not right now. I’d like to have some alone time.”

  Cole returned the gesture with a light brush of his lips before returning to Soren, who elbowed him with a sly grin. Sonya rolled her eyes and stepped outside. The rain had come back with a vengeance, and she ran quickly while dodging large standing pools of water on her way to the barn.

  Once inside, she stopped to inhale the musty scent of old hay and dried manure. In her old life, it would have grossed her out, but now there was something so earthy about it. She was loath to admit that the farm was growing on her. Passing the four horse stalls, she moved to the back of the barn where they stored equipment and where the ladder to the loft was located. At the top, was a platform covered with hay, and little pods of blankets the Sentinels had been using to sleep on. Settling onto her own, she pulled a journal into her lap.