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I’m about to take a hint and leave when I hear it.
Arguing.
Zoe and Avrell in a heated argument. He’s dressed from head to toe in a protective suit I haven’t seen before, most likely trying to avoid The Rades exposure. Her hands are waving wildly all around her while he stands there with his arms crossed over his chest, glowering down at her through his mask. Avrell wouldn’t hurt anyone, but it’s no wonder some of the other females in the nutrition bay seem uneasy. The tension coming from Avrell is palpable. He’ll need to learn to relax if he ever has any hope of making them warm up to him.
“They should get a room,” someone says, nudging me with her shoulder. “Am I right?”
They really should.
Arguing of this caliber should be done in private.
“You are correct,” I agree.
She laughs. “I hear we’re going tomorrow to hunt for Stella and Henry. I’ve been itching to get out of this prison.”
I glance down and recognize the woman. It’s Julie. She has short hair that’s cut not far from how Avrell wears his. It’s so different than how other females wear their hair—long and flowing, but it doesn’t look bad.
“It is safe here,” I challenge.
Her eyebrow arches up and she lifts up her sleeve to show me scars up and down her arm. “Do I look like a woman who’s lived her life being safe? Nah, I belong out there. Doing something. Anything. I’ll go insane if I stay in this place for much longer.”
“You know how to use a zonnoblaster?” I ask. “Just point and shoot.”
Her eyes roll. “Honey, I was drafted into the Earth II Authority Army when I was sixteen. I’ve seen your zonnoblasters. I’m used to much, much bigger.” She smirks, dragging her gaze down my front. “I’m not one of these damsels who needs saving. From where I come from, I do the saving.”
She’s a cocky female. Been hanging around Hadrian too long.
“Why’d you get sent here?”
Her features tighten. “I broke the rules.”
I’m about to ask what rules when I hear the alarm.
Loud.
Deafening.
Willow.
All thoughts fade as she becomes my number one priority. Finding her. Keeping her safe. She’s my mate.
I’m already running in the opposite direction when Zoe, Julie, and Avrell fall into step behind me, murmuring out their worries.
“Theron, check the west entrance and I’ll check the east. Avrell, go make sure the patients are okay,” Zoe barks out. “Julie, grab a fucking gun and be prepared in case we’ve been breached.”
We all split up. I take off in a full sprint toward the entrance of the ship bay. I pass a few terrified women along the way, but none of them seem to be hurt. When I reach the door, I’m thankful to see it’s secured. I use the monitor on the wall to check the view into the ship bay, searching for any creatures or Kevins. Nothing. I grab one of the zonnoblasters from the cabinet and go back in the direction I came, assuring the same females to go to the safety of their rooms until the threat is cleared.
“What is it?” the white-haired woman asks me, rounding the corner.
“We don’t know. We’re looking, old female,” I assure her. “Stay calm.”
She scoffs. “I have a name, child, and it’s not old female.”
“Now’s not the time,” I growl.
“Edith’s the name and don’t talk to me like I’m a child.” She pulls out a zonnoblaster from her belt. “I’m coming with you. I’ve sent Hollie back to her room. Let’s go, boy.”
“Theron, not boy,” I grunt. “If you can’t keep up, I’m not waiting.”
She grumbles at me but surprisingly stays with me. We search a few hallways and then she shows me a stairwell that leads down to an area where plants are growing in incubators. Galen would love this place.
“This way,” Edith says. “There’s a door that goes into the mountain.”
This area is dark and quiet. The air is warmer in here, almost thick. A sense of foreboding settles over me. She and I are stealthy on our feet as we walk between a row of plants, many unusual ones I’ve never seen before with bulbous, colorful masses growing on them. I make a note to come back here with Willow to ask her about them as they’re clearly Earth II plants.
Something hums. An overhead light above me. It flickers but doesn’t go out. I step until I reach the end of the row and then turn down another hallway. It’s dark when it should be lit. My heavy breathing and the shuffling of Edith’s clothes are all that can be heard in the hallway. We wind our way down a series of corridors until we’re walking blindly in the dark. I keep my hand out in front of me as I walk. When my claws brush against what feels like zuta-metal, I make a hissing sound for Edith to halt.
