AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A chime sounded in the distance. Even in their short time here, he’d started to recognize the different chimes the commune lived their lives by. That one was the dinner bell.
Ellie groaned and drew away from him. He missed the contact instantly but covered his disappointment by shutting off the shower.
“Yay,” she said without any enthusiasm whatsoever. “More oatmeal.”
“What, you don’t think they’re going to offer us a big, juicy steak?”
“Sorry, but I can almost guarantee its more oatmeal or something like it. Cult leaders often withhold protein from their followers because it makes people more susceptible to other brainwashing techniques.”
Despite everything, he grinned at her. He loved the way that brain of hers worked. “Leave it to you to turn a dinner conversation into an impromptu lesson on mind manipulation.”
She rolled her eyes, but there was a small grin playing at the corner of her lips. “That’s me, always learning. You should try it sometime.”
“Sassy, Summers. Keep that up, and I may have to show you what happens when you mouth off to a lawyer.”
“Oh, really?” She raised an eyebrow at him. “You going to hold me in contempt?”
Damn. When she said it like that, it sounded so dirty.
Never mind that lawyers weren’t the ones that held people in contempt. He still appreciated her attempt at nerdy flirting.
“I guess you’ll have to keep mouthing off so you can find out.” His gaze dropped to her lips for a fraction of a second before he forced himself to pull away. Now was not the time or the place.
Dinner was exactly what Ellie had predicted—a bland, oatmeal-like substance mixed with some kind of fruit. Everyone ate in silence, an eerie quietness that made his skin crawl.
Then, mid-meal, Merit murmured something in Hopeful’s ear. He abruptly stood up and announced it was time for “reflection.” Everyone was to return to their cabins for the night and meditate until morning. The commune members didn’t find this the least bit strange and stood as one, leaving their meals half-finished.
But it was odd.
Hopeful stalked toward his cabin with Merit, Vigil, and Serenity on his heels.
Cal escorted Ellie back to their cabin, his hand protectively on her lower back. They didn’t speak as they walked, and the silence felt heavy, charged with apprehension.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Ellie spun toward him. “Did you see Hopeful’s face? Whatever happened, he was pissed.”
He removed his robe and hung it on a hook by the door, then sat down on the bed to remove his boots. “Yeah, I noticed.” He’d also noticed the way Merit glanced their way as if they were the threat.
“I wonder what spooked him.” Ellie walked over to the window and peered out into the gathering darkness. “Do you think we’ve been discovered?”
He paused from unlacing his boots and considered it. If their cover was blown, they had to leave tonight. No fucking way they were sticking around if Ellie was in imminent danger…
But he didn’t think so. His gut said that Hopeful’s ire wasn’t pointed their way.
Not yet, anyway.
Yes, there was danger, but he suspected that it was internal, something within the commune itself. Maybe Vigil, Sincere, and Clarity weren’t the only ones uncomfortable with the way things were going around here.
Finally, he shook his head. “The way everyone reacted... it seemed routine for them. Nobody was startled except for us.”
“And Nico and Tyler.”
“Yeah, exactly. The outsiders. Everyone else acted like it was perfectly normal for Hopeful to cut dinner short, so maybe for them, it is.”
She rubbed her arms as if to fend off a chill. “We need to find True and get out of here.”
“We can’t do it tonight. Not with Hopeful and the Blue Robes on high alert.” He patted the bed beside him. “Come, sit.”
Reluctantly, she moved away from the window and joined him on the bed. He could see fear in her eyes, bright and haunting. It woke something deep inside him, a protective instinct that roared to life. He wanted to reach out, pull her into his arms, and anchor her to him as if he could shield her from the world outside.
