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“Sounds good.”
He led her back into the main rotunda to which the Command Center staff had also returned. New equipment had already started arriving to replace the damaged tables, chairs and flat screens. Thorne ran a tight ship.
Endelle stood talking quietly with Merl, while Luken was huddled with Owen, Joshua, and Alex. Fiona and Jean-Pierre were long gone and it looked like Thorne had returned to North Africa as well.
Merl, Luken, and Duncan’s squad, as well as the entire Command Center personnel, all cheered when he and Rachel appeared at the threshold of the room.
Endelle praised Rachel. “Well done, ascender. You ready to join the team and stop holding back?”
Rachel turned to face Endelle. “I won’t be bullied, not by you or by anyone. You should know that by now.”
Endelle held her gaze for a long moment. Duncan felt the tension mount between the two women as Rachel returned Endelle’s stare in full force. He knew enough not to intervene. Rachel wouldn’t have allowed it anyway, having already made it clear this was her battle, and she was right. Rachel would have to resolve things with Endelle by herself.
Endelle nodded. “Fair enough. If you were a pushover, you wouldn’t be fit for the team anyway.”
She lifted her chin. “And Duncan and I will be at my home in the Seattle One Colony for the rest of the night.” She glanced at Duncan.
He nodded. “If any of you need us, you can reach me on my cell.”
Luken, frowning, asked, “Are you sure this is wise? I mean, what if the wreckers return?”
Duncan smiled ruefully. “Seems to me, we won’t be safe anywhere. But we have Rachel’s shielding power and a better idea how it works. And as all of you know, Rachel can use a wrecking gun.”
“Here, here,” Owen called out, his arm healed up by Horace’s team as well.
“Speaking of which,” Luken said, grabbing two of the guns and a box of shells. “Take these with you.”
Duncan took the guns, cradling them in his arm. Rachel took the shells. Bidding everyone goodnight, he headed with Rachel to the landing platforms.
Once situated, he folded them both to the landing platforms at the Seattle One Colony and greeted the Militia Warriors on duty. Folding was allowed within the confines of the mossy-mist dome that kept the colony invisible to the mortals in the area, so he and Rachel made a quick trip of it to her home.
The cabin-like house had a small front garden, and he saw Rachel’s hand in the amount of spring flowers blooming beneath a micro-climate. She even had a patch of lawn, a weeping willow off to the right and an ornamental birch to the left. The curved front pathway had a string of dark brown, metal lights, each in the shape of a downward facing daffodil. The front windows had blue shutters, while dark wood shingles covered the entire outside of the house.
There was even a wreath on the door, very woodsy and homey.
All of it was so much like Rachel that his chest squeezed up tight. “You have a very sweet home.”
“It is sweet, but do you think it’s ridiculous?”
“I think it’s lovely, just like its owner.”
She slid her arms around his waist. “I’ve been happy here, Duncan. I don’t want to give up this life.”
He nodded. “I know. And honest to God, I don’t want you to. In some respects, you must feel like a horrible mistake has been made.”
Her eyes widened. “I feel the same way, as though it’s one big WTF.”
Duncan laughed and kissed her, a full kiss, holding nothing back. He felt her relax as she leaned into him.
Drawing back, Duncan glanced around and saw a couple of her neighbors were sitting on their porches. “Maybe we should take this inside.”
She smiled. “Good idea.”
Slipping her hand in his, she led the way.
When he crossed the threshold, he realized the house was much bigger than it looked. The foyer, with oak floors, opened up onto a large living room with furniture big enough for even his warrior-size body. A bank of windows beyond gave way to a view of her garden, a portion of which was scorched.
“Oh,” she murmured. “I forgot.” He heard the dismay in her voice.
