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“Ladies first,” He chuckled, and I ground my teeth together to stop from scolding him. His new laid back, carefree attitude rubbing me the wrong way.
I let go of Cyrus’s hand, sliding my hood off my head pulling my skirts together enough for me to sit down on the edge of the hole and slip my feet inside, I shuffled until they hit the solid feeling of a ladder. I could hear voices coming from somewhere far below me, and with one last look at Maeteo, I started down the ladder.
~~~
My feet met solid concrete with a soft thud. The ladder down into the bunker had been a nightmare to navigate around my skirts, but I had managed it eventually. Cyrus had come down after me, so every time I looked up, I was greeted with the view of the bottom of his boots. Maeteohad slid in last, pulling the manhole cover back over and plunging us into darkness for a minute until the light from the torches below had reached us.
Cyrus landed beside me, dusting his hands off as he looked back up at where we had just come from. I nudged him in the ribs with my elbow, and he turned his gaze to me, his eyes wide.
“I take it you had no idea this was here.” Maeteo chuckled as he landed beside us, his boots meeting the ground creating a small cloud of dust. Cyrus shook his head, the wonderment on his face disappearing at Maeteo’s words. It was as though he had given too much away in just that one facial expression.
Maeteo shook his head, shoving his hands into his pockets as he looked the two of us over.
“Let me go first.” He said, looking at me. “Hollis is not going to be happy.”
My heart tugged in my chest, but I nodded, clasping my hands together in front of me. Maeteo watched the movement with a small smile on his face, before turning on his heel and leading us down a small, dark hallway.
Holding out a hand for us to stop, Maeteo stepped out of the darkness into a large, open space.
From my space in the shadows, I could see a row of cots, blankets askew and bags scattered on the floor. There was a large fire pit with a cast-iron pot hanging above it, and I could hear the unmistakable huff of Aepein’s breathing.My hands began to sweat as I wrung them together. Cyrus must have sensed my nerves, because a solid hand met the bottom of my back through my cloak, and the relief I felt was instantaneous.
Hollis and Tarian were crouched together by the fire, their eyes wide as they took in Maeteo crossing the room. Hollis was the first to move, jumping up from her spot and running towards him, throwing herself against his chest and wrapping her arms around him tightly. My stomach jolted with an uncomfortable surge of unwanted jealousy. An annoyed huff from the corner told me that Aepein had seen the display of affection as well, and seemed to be as annoyed about it as I was. It was almost comforting.
Tarian stood slower, placing whatever he was cooking down on the ground and taking his time rounding the fire.
“Where were you?! What happened? Look at your face!” Hollis’s words came out at speed as she fussed over Maeteo, a hand on either side of his face as she turned his head this way and that to take in all his injuries.
Maeteo chuckled, wrapping his hands around her wrists, and gently pulling her hands from his face but keeping her close.
“I’m fine. I got… ambushed, let’s say.” Maeteo said softly, his eyes glued to Hollis’s face, her cheeks flushed a scarlet red. “I have a surprise.”
Maeteo turned his head, looking over his shoulder at where Cyrus and I were standing and nodded at us. My heart hammered in my chest, but a gentle push from Cyrus had me stepping out of my hiding spot.
A heavy silence fell over the bunker as four sets of eyes landed on us. The space was larger than I had originally thought, with enough space for Aepein to be stretched out in the corner where she lay. She rolled from her back onto her belly, her head snapping up at our appearance. Tarian was grinning wider than I had ever seen, his eyes crinkling at the side and all his teeth on display.
Hollis stared. And stared. And stared until my skin felt like it was going to burst into flames. Her eyes flitted between me and Cyrus, and her lips pursed into an unhappy line. Unsure of what to do with myself, I lifted one hand, offering them a lame wave and a small smile. Cyrus squeezed my cloak at the bottom of my back, the best he could do under the circumstances.
After what felt like an age of uncomfortable silence, Maeteo cleared his throat, and the noise seemed to kick everyone else into action. Hollis turned on her heel, heading towards her cot without a single word to us, while Tarian clapped Maeteo on the shoulder, welcoming him back. Aepein jumped up onto her legs, her head nearly reaching the ceiling as she trotted across the space to where Cyrus and I were standing.
Cyrus backed up, a curse coming from his mouth as the great beast drew nearer, but I just laughed at him, holdingout a hand and welcoming Aepein’s snout to it when she got near enough.
“Hello, sweet girl.” I cooed, running my hand along her snout and up to her eyebrows, her eyes closing in happiness as her tail swished. “Have you been good?”
“No.” Maeteo and Tarian’s voices came at the same time, and I laughed as Aepein swung her head around to glare at them, a huff of smoke coming from hernostrils.
19
Maeteo
After another hour or so of awkward small talk, the ever-wonderful Prince Cyrus invited the three of us back to the castle.
I had tried to refuse, saying that someone would have to stay here with Aepein, but the annoying beast just looked at me as though I was dumb. Kira had taken her side, obviously, insisting the dragon was big enough and smart enough to look after herself for a night or two. Aepein huffed, throwing her head down in a nod, and that is how I ended up here, sitting on a plush, red velvet couch, watching Hollis as she climbed the wardrobe to check for anything that could be spying on us.
Tarian was sitting to my right, rolling his eyes at his twin sister as he stuffed his face with large, buttery croissants.
Kira and Cyrus walked us back to the castle, and after a tour of the grounds, dining halls, and the library, we were shown to our rooms. Two of the rooms were interconnected, and one was a single room across the hall. Tarian and I had agreed that Hollis should take the single room, and she had not argued. I knew she would be thankful for the privacy after so long cooped up with her brother in the bunker.
She hit the ground with a thud as she dropped down from the wardrobe, dusting her hands off on each other and turning to look at Tarian and I, her eyebrows raised.
