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He grunted and openly watched as I removed my pants.It didn’t bother me.Some of the guys we’d been with along the way had watched me just as closely.And I’d openly studied Molev plenty of times.
I wondered if the time Roni had flashed him had been his first nude view of a woman.Then, I wondered what he thought of us in general.He was obviously protective.We were a resource he sought after all.That made me think of Tamra and the anger in his eyes when he’d understood she’d been bitten.
“What did Tamra say to you?”I asked.“At the end.”
I pulled back the covers and got in.He looked at the door then joined me, rolling to his side.
“She said, ‘Not everyone is worth saving.You’re our future.Choose well.’”His gaze swept my face.“Patrick did not trust me, and she lost her life.I will not allow his suspicion to take more lives.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
“Patrick said he would trust me if he understood my motivation.I will tell your general what I want in return for my help.”
I nodded slowly.“That might go a long way in reassuring him.But it might also cause some concern.Are you open to a suggestion?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t come out and say you want women.”
“Explain.”
“A lot of people would become reactive to that kind of statement like you’re planning on taking women whether they want to be taken or not.And I don’t think that’s your intent.”
He grunted.
“The woman you were with, Cassie, said you’re at Whiteman, right?That’s a military base.This is a military base.And every base between here and there has been understaffed or overrun.So, tell them you’re looking for volunteers to help maintain base operations.Be specific in that you’re looking for individuals without family ties and state you need to interview all the candidates to make sure they’re a good fit with the humans already on the base.Tell them your end goal is to establish better relations between our two people.And when it comes time to selecting the volunteers, make sure you add a few men in to make it look good.”
“Why do humans manipulate instead of speaking the truth?”
I thought about it for a moment.
“I think, for most people, by manipulating the outcome, there’s less risk of not getting what they really want.If they come out and ask for what they want, there’s a good chance they’ll be told no.”
“So I must manipulate in order to receive what I truly want?No.I will speak the truth and my terms.Manipulation will only feed the mistrust that’s already grown.But I will take care with how I word my terms.Thank you, Andie.”
He closed his eyes, an obvious signal that he was done talking.I did the same and slept a few hours until I got too hot.The heat from Molev’s chest radiated against my face.I rolled onto my back and felt his hand slide from my waist to my stomach.
For a brief moment, I wondered if he was still worried that Roni would molest him in his sleep before I sank back into my own.
When I surfaced next, my face was melting into his pecs again.Just before I rolled away, I caught the scent of his own sweat.It wasn’t unpleasant, but it did tell me he was just as hot as I was, and I forced my eyes open.
His were still closed.
Trying not to disturb him, I set the back of my hand against his forehead.He didn’t feel too warm, so I didn’t think he had a fever from an infection.
“I am well, Andie,” he said without opening his eyes.
“You’re sweating but still holding me close.I’m trying to figure out why,” I said, being direct since he preferred it.
“If I hold you while you sleep, I know you are safe.”
I couldn’t speak for a moment.I often thought of Sid and all the people he’d had to kill, like Tamra, but I’d never considered that Molev might have had a similar role.
“Then hold away,” I said.“When I sleep next to you, I feel safe too.”
His arm lifted from my waist and smoothed down my arm like he was trying to comfort me.I should have been well past needing comfort, but damn if I didn’t love it.
I lay there awake, letting him pet my arm as if I was a kid he was trying to get back to sleep after a nightmare.And I guessed that was pretty accurate.The last several weeks had been just that, and I didn’t want to go back to it.I wanted to stay right where I was, with my eyes open, in this bed with Molev.
