AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That was what I wanted to do to you more than anything,” I whispered. “I wanted everyone to see that you were my Alpha as much as I could be your princess. I wanted to show everyone that I loved you and would never treat you less than anyone else. I wanted people to know that I trusted you this much and would kneel before you.”
He did a double take, frowning. “Wanted?” Then he swallowed loudly, hearing the rest of what I’d said. “Loved?”
I dropped his dick and pulled his pants back up, blinking back tears as I stared up at him. “Now I just feel cold. I don’t feel warmth and love with you anymore. I just feel cold and pain when you’re near.”
I didn’t wait for him to respond, standing and walking out of there and into the kitchen. Nick gave me a worried look and fussed over me, promising to make me everything special and fresh.
Kristof hugged me to him and led me out to the terrace having put in a heat lamp by our table for the colder mornings. He pulled out my chair and then knelt in front of me when I sat. “Don’t give up, Inez. Don’t feel cold inside. Stay with me. I love you no matter what life you lived or how you were abused, okay?”
I nodded, muttering a thank you and feeling guilty for… I hadn’t felt cold as I’d drank from James.
It was the only time I hadn’t felt cold since my brother had shown up who I was terrified of. I felt warm still, James’s blood filling every inch of my body.
Another man that I will end up hating.
I shook my head and focused on my warm coffee and fruit salad when Nick brought it out. Kristof made a point to tell me who gathered which fruits and that he had picked the guavas just for me last night before bed. I smiled at him, touched he always remembered what my favorite was and thinking of me.
After breakfast was a meeting with the generals that were staying with us at the castle. Taking over the crazy governors and those on their side was no problem. And we had over three hundred thousand of the verified good humans out of Fort Knox and at the convention center of New Orleans.
The question to address was—what came next? All five million people couldn’t fit at that convention center. We needed more places and plans to do this safely.
“Before we start with ideas, I need one answer first,” I interjected when people seemed ready to present to me. “Do we have communications back online?”
“Yes,” Trisha said firmly. “It’s not great, but we’re able to communicate with Seattle and Prince George with a phone call. As long as there’s the right kind of tower up, we can tap into the old military communication network. The engineers are getting towers up today in Edmonton, Albuquerque, and New Orleans now that we know it works.”
“So it’s like a red phone in the security office of the castle like the president had in that movie?” I asked, ignoring the confused and frowning faces, some clearly thinking I was mocking someone or something.
“Yes, basically,” Trisha confirmed. “But they can also call each other. It’s not phone numbers like it used to be, but more connecting to the satellite and the phone network.”
“Oh, so everyone could pick up if there’s an attack on New Orleans and hear the call?” I asked, nodding when she did. “Even better. Good. Okay, so priority is to get those in everywhere before we consider expanding.” I glanced at the oldest general who was clearly in charge of Fort Knox. “Tell me the plan. Tell me who likes it and who doesn’t.”
He seemed amused with my bluntness and nodded. “The plan you have in Albuquerque is stellar. It’s the best idea for the moment with the changes in corrupted and obstacles still facing us. We want to emulate that at Ohio University, Minnesota, and Michigan. All three campuses are intact and have a large dorm system to start.”
“And can easily be built upon with the apartment complexes, hotels, and more directly around them,” Moon added. “I checked as much as I could of the infrastructure and everything seems intact, maybe some minor repairs but nothing we can’t handle. Same as in Seattle—flatten a stadium and there’s the solar plant, windmills on the outside and connect them up.”
“And then they have university hospitals and medical facilities?” I checked, nodding when others did. “Good. Who objects?” The generals were shocked when a few nobles raised their hands, shooting them nasty looks. “Why?”
“I don’t object to the idea as a whole, simply University of Minnesota being one of them,” Branko clarified, waving me over and laying out a map on the large meeting table. “The Mississippi River runs through a chunk of campus and certainly more of the area we’d add. I don’t like that.”
“The corrupted can’t handle water well and certainly not the Mississippi,” one of the other generals argued.
“For now,” I cut in when people seemed ready to throw down. “We used to be able to sense them. We need to plan for…” I looked at Darius.
He snorted. “Resident Evil where each movie the zombies were worse. We saw a nine-foot corrupted that was hard for us to take down in Russia. My wife is smarter than us and always plans for what hasn’t happened yet but could. Corrupted also aren’t eating their own and seem to have better coordination. The possibility of swimming doesn’t seem so out there now.”
“Agreed,” said the nobles who all raised their hands.
And that was their only objection. They didn’t like University of Minnesota and agreed with Branko on this point.
“Okay, which out of Ohio and Michigan is the better option to start with?” I asked the group.
“That’s it?” one of the generals hedged, glancing at the other humans.
I snorted. “There is a lot of intelligence and years of wisdom in this room. I think the way Albuquerque has worked out is great too. Let’s do it better this time.” I locked gazes with Kristof. “We get it set up without announcing to everyone which location. That way Keres can’t do something first.”
“Smart, my love,” he praised. “We have Risa and Vitor back for the day we go in, buildings already marked. We start getting it back online before we put up the fences. Those go in last because that will be the glaring sign what we’re doing.”
“Good,” I agreed. “Talk to the coven that are still visitors and get groups together who will stay in the area. We can put things online for them that won’t be in the fenced area, so some apartment buildings and so on. Every inch cleared and guards there patrolling. I want all the supplies they will need, that Albuquerque immediately requested loaded in trailers.”
