Page 107 of Ravaged Devotion

“He’s right,” Uriel agreed.

“I’ve been alone since sundown,” Bowie told them. “I haven’t been near anyone who could have put anything on me.”

“When was the last time you saw Hollis?” Ryker asked him.

“When we were all running. I was with you guys after, remember? And then I was alone.”

He’d left them and tried to make Rue leave without Ryker.

Now wasn’t the time to discuss that though, and fortunately, the Black Hart seemed to agree and wasn’t in the mood to hold it against him.

Ryker considered it and then sighed. “He should be fine. Hollis attacked us twenty minutes ago. If Bowie had been drugged before everyone dispersed, it should have gone into effect by now.”

Rue gave his best friend a reassuring smile. “Stick together from now on, okay?”

“Yeah, sounds good.” Bowie seemed like he wanted to say something, but wasn’t quite sure how to. He ended up not getting the chance, because in the next instant, Ryker was pulling Rue away.

Ellery and Uriel moved ahead, and they all set off to get answers.

* * *

“Who the hell built this place?” Bowie searched the main room they’d entered a few minutes ago, bewildered.

The ceilings were low, but there was plenty of space for them to move around without having to worry about their heads skimming it. Which was good, because there were cobwebs everywhere.

“How did you find the entrance?” Ryker asked his friends as they led him toward a cluttered desk.

“Went to the kitchen to find something to eat,” Ellery explained. “Uriel felt the draft while we were checking the pantry.”

“Lots of hidden nooks and crannies in video games,” Uriel said absently, taking the single chair in front of the desk. There was a computer on it, and he clicked a few buttons and brought the screen to life.

It wasn’t the only item that required electricity that was on. The secret passages must be connected to the same power source as the pool house, which would explain why it was still functioning when the rest of the building had been cut off.

Light fixtures set into the walls provided a dim orange glow, and a glance around didn’t provide any switches where they could adjust the setting, not that anyone else seemed bothered by it. Rue listened to them talk as he wandered the perimeter of the medium sized room, taking in the odd machines.

One of the wall panels in the pantry upstairs had shifted inward, exposing a narrow stairwell that led straight down into darkness. Of course the Black Harts had taken that as a challenge and gone exploring, instead of doing what any other person currently running from a potential murderer and monster would do. At the foot of the stairs, there was a sharp right into the room they were currently, but the hallway itself stretched forward.

According to Ell and Uriel, they’d walked down some of it, returning when they realized how often it branched out. They hadn’t wanted to risk losing their way without first getting Ryker and Rue.

They’d said that specifically.

That they’d come back for the both of them.

This so wasn’t the time, but Rue couldn’t help but feel a sweep of warmth at the offhanded statement. Ever since he’d fled the planet, he’d felt listless, like there was nowhere he belonged anymore. With that single passing comment, they’d made him feel…home.

Bowie was the only one who seemed to have noticed Rue’s reaction. He was uncomfortable by it, for whatever reason, but Rue didn’t bother asking him about it.

“It’s not even password protected?” Ryker scowled when the computer came on.

“We’re thinking it was, but whoever has been dicking around with us turned that function off when they arrived,” Ellery said. “If you look around, you’ll find proof that they stored things here ahead of time. Most likely to ensure they weren’t caught with any of it when they traveled with us to the lodge.”

They’d all shared the same bus, so that made sense.

“There isn’t a ton on here, but it’s enough,” Uriel told them. “Blueprints of the lodge and the outer buildings, as well as schematics for the tech they integrated into the bears.”

“Why the antlers?” Ryker crossed his arms.

“Seems like not all of them got that upgrade.” He clicked a few buttons and pulled up a page showing information on several bears. There were photo attachments and notes in a messy handwriting as well.