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“You’re welcome,” Mairlyn said dryly, emerging from the women’s dormitory.
Johnny followed after her, his expression blank. “Are we going to just ignore that the main building is on fire?” he asked.
We turned as one towards the building just as the roof caved in. Smoke wafted into the air.
“It can be rebuilt,” the Director announced, emerging from around the building. Not a single hair on his head was out of place. Even his kimono remained untouched by the smoke as the fire crackled, spitting pieces of burning wood everywhere. “Are the residents safe?”
“As far as I know,” I said. “I think we got everyone. What about the farm and outlying buildings?”
“The animals remain untouched and the people are in the bunker,” he answered. He eyed the burning main building. “Marilyn, will you be a dear and contain that?”
She looked over. “I can try to seal it in a vacuum and hope the lack of oxygen kills it, but I would need to be somewhere safe, because it would drain me to keep the vacuum up that long.”
“There aren’t other witches who can do it?” Johnny suggested, stepping in her direction. “Or maybe if you came together, it would drain you less.”
“That is a good suggestion, Johnathan.” The Director walked past them. “Let us go underground. I am sure the witches would be happy to help.”
He was right. A total of eight witches came up to sit with Marilyn when I finally broke off from the group to find Reese.
The underground bunker was equally as impressive as the grounds of the compound itself. There was running water, electricity, food, and furnished rooms. They weren’t as luxurious as the ones above, but they were beyond good enough.
I found Reese with a little girl hoisted on her hip as she handed out blankets to parents and adults, bouncing her in a clear effort to get her to sleep. Behind her, adults were opening supplies and pointing people in the direction of the bunks.
Warm tea was being passed around on trays, and I was once again humbled by their ability to adjust. No one was acting inconsolable. Even the children, though a little shaken up, hadn’t reacted too strongly to the invasion, granted that the soldiers had barely gotten past the Director.
I glanced over to where he stood giving instructions to some of the older children and adults.
“I see what you mean now,” Reese whispered to me. The little girl on her hip blinked sleepily; her thumb was between her lips, and she held a rabbit by one of its legs in the other hand. Her face was pressed into the side of Reese’s neck, her lashes fluttering as she tried to fight her drowsiness.
“Good,” I said. I was upset thatthiswas how they’d finally see what I meant when I said I didn’t want to be responsible for anyone’s death, but at least they got it now. “Do you need my help with anything?”
“No. I’m going to take a seat and get this little one to sleep, and then I’ll help with the other kids. Neo seems to be a natural, though,” she said, motioning behind me with her chin.
Neo was seated on one of the arm chairs scattered around the open space. A little boy—who couldn’t be more than two—was asleep across his knee, and another little girl was asleep on his shoulder. I watched as an adult came to relieve him, whereupon he switched them out for one fussy toddler.
Neo said something to her that we couldn’t hear over the chatter in the room, and she looked up at him with glassy eyes, then rested her head against his chest. He began to rock gently, his eyes closed as he spoke to her. Within minutes, she was out, her little hand wrapped around his thumb.
“Loverboy, on the other hand, seems to be working for the female gaze,” she said with a soft laugh.
I turned in time to watch Sariel lift a full three-seater couch with four teenaged girls on it and move it to the other end of the room. My mouth watered as I watched his muscles flex, as well as the way he smiled knowingly as the girlish squeals coming from them made my heart swell.
“So it would seem,” I answered distractedly.
Johnny appeared at our side, a box of blankets under each arm. “What are we gossiping about?” he asked in a mock whisper.
“How hot Sariel is,” I answered.
The three of us watched him high-five each of the girls. “So true,” he admitted, and then moved around us to deposit the boxes.
“What’s our course of action after this?” Reese asked. “We obviously can’t stay here. We’re endangering these people. Did the Director talk to you about what the military is even doing here?”
I shook my head, following after her as she passed the sleeping girl off to another adult. “I was actually going to suggest that you stay, Reese,” I said gently. “I don’t want to put you in any more danger than I already have.”
Reese stopped walking and turned to me, her expression contemplative. “Let me think about that,” she said, adopting a faux thinking pose. “Okay. No.”
She continued in the direction of Sariel, who now stood with the Director. “And no is myfinalanswer, Aria.”
My eyes narrowed. “Reese.”
