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An insane thought crosses my mind. What if Dair offered for me as part of the alliance?
Surely the assembly would salivate at solidifying their agreement with a bond made in blood. Maybe we could even be something more—something greater than I thought I’d ever get to have with Clay’s offer. It would give me an escape from this hellish push and pull with Ferris. The thought of leaving here doesn’t scare me like it used to, not when I think about traveling with Dair and his companions and the adventure of learning a new place.
I’ve always thought that my feeling of safety was a direct side effect of being within the walls of this compound. It was simple in my head: the wall keeps away Biters; therefore, I am safe. What else could the wall possibly be for, if not to keep Biters out? Dair had said, to keep people in. Is that safety?
“Raine!” River clips, and I snap to attention.
“Sorry, what did you say?”
“Are you even listening to me?” he gripes, eyes flashing with annoyance.
I palm my face, suddenly very exhausted. “Sorry,” I mutter, “I spaced out.”
He grunts, annoyed. “I said that the negotiations aren’t done, so Soline told me to tell you that there’s no work tomorrow.”
“Right, thanks,” I try to smile. He just huffs and rolls his eyes, continuing his conversation with Ferris while they both go back to ignoring me.
Am I happy here? I think about Dair’s question late into the night.
Iwake with a start, my hand coming up to cover my pounding heart. With bleary eyes, I look around my room, shocked to see how much sunlight is pouring through my window. I definitely slept in, although I probably needed it after chasing sleep all night.
I begin to crawl out of my nest when a loud, haunting siren begins to echo through the air, drowning out everything except its piercing tone. All the hairs on my body stand at attention as my sleep-addled brain finally catches up to what’s happening.
There’s only one reason they would risk sounding the perimeter alarm: a catastrophic breach.
I scramble the rest of the way out of my nest, grabbing a tight T-shirt and my favorite pair of cargo pants, then slip on one of my tactical jackets and the best pair of boots I own. As I stomp out of my room toward the tiny hall closet that’s been repurposed as an armory, I tie back my hair in a quick braid.
At the closet, I strap my holstered axe around my hips and secure the end to my thigh, swing a rifle onto my back, and fill every pocket of my jacket with ammo. For the hell of it, I grab a smaller knife, shove it into my pants pocket, and then run down the hall and out the door.
[ 10 ]
FERRIS
Grand Prairie Compound
Days Since Last Attack: 0
Every time Leigh’s thigh touches mine, I want to crawl out of my skin, which makes me sick with guilt. She’s a genuinely nice person and works hard to tend the compound’s many gardens under Josef’s direction. Her wheat-colored hair and brown eyes are surely attractive to others, too. Yet, the thought of being bonded to her makes me want to vomit.
I tried my damnedest to avoid coming to the second day of negotiations, but River was already pissed at me for leaving yesterday, so I didn’t get a choice. Now Leigh and I are both stuck sitting next to each other, and I can tell by her sour scent that she’s just as unhappy as I am. My muscles tighten just thinking about how angry River is going to be when he finds out how poorly things are going with the omega we are supposedly courting. Judging by the looks Dair keeps shooting my way, he’s not even a little bit fooled by this farce of a united front.
It’s nearing midday, which means we’re either going to take a break so that the dining hall can prepare for the afternoon meal, or the assembly needs to call for a vote. Soline must be thinking the same thing because she interrupts whatever bullshit Sutton is on about and asks, “Are we in a position to take a vote on the proposed alliance?”
Unsurprisingly, the assembly cannot agree. Aside from Sutton pushing back at every turn, I can tell that River is holding something back. My gut is telling me that he wants something more from this alliance but is purposefully hiding whatever it is from the assembly. My guess is he’ll be making some backroom deals with Dair while the assembly isn’t there to police it.
“Very well,” Soline sighs. “Any last-minute additions before we break?”
I hold my breath, bracing for the annoyance of Sutton’s insufferable voice, but suddenly he’s muted by the low, droning wail of the perimeter siren.
I jump to my feet, hands already grabbing at my belt, and I curse when I remember that I came to this meeting unarmed, as requested. The siren drones on, long and haunting. We all know what this means—we only risk sounding the siren when something really fucking bad is happening, because otherwise, the loud wail will actually attract Biter hordes. If it’s splitting the air, then no one is worried about luring hordes this way because they’re already here.
“Ferris!” River yells, stopping my sprint toward the door. He comes jogging up behind me and grips my shoulder. “I need to make sure that Leigh and the assembly make it to a community cellar. I need you to find the breach. I trust you to handle it, okay? I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
I nod, turning to leave, but nearly run into Dair, who is standing right in front of me. He asks, “What can we do?”
Hating how much time we’re wasting, I bounce in place, eager to move. River looks conflicted. “I won’t ask you to fight, so you’re welcome to follow along as I lead the others to the community cellar.”
“Absolutely not,” he says. “We’re going to help where we can.” Dair turns toward his group and starts doling out orders, “Koda and Tore, go with River to escort his people to their cellar. Koda, stay with them. Tore, ensure they’re safe, then go fuck shit up. No fur unless necessary, yeah? Aspen, you’re with me.” Then he turns toward me and says, “Lead the way.”
