My skin heats in something akin to embarrassment. “I don’t know how I did it. I’m half-sure I imagined it.”
“You didn’t.” This from Malachi. “We would have escaped safely, but your awareness gave us extra time.”
“I don’t know if I can replicate it.” If they’re putting their faith in me… As much as I crave being an equal part of this foursome, the reality is that for all my supposed power, I’m still doing the equivalent of learning how to walk. Some things I seem to be able to do on instinct, but that will only get me so far. “I don’t want to risk all our lives on the assumption that I can recreate something I don’t know how I did in the first place.”
“It will be fine.” Malachi sounds so damn sure, I kind of want to smack him. How dare he put so much unearned faith in me? If something happens to one of them because of it, I’ll never forgive myself.
I don’t get a chance to continue arguing because we round a bend and the house comes into view. House. The very term is laughable. It looks like a bunker built into the side of the mountain.
I squint. There are a handful of windows shining in the early morning sunlight, but even so it’s difficult to tell where the house ends and the mountain begins. “What is this place?”
“It’s safe. That’s the bottom line.”
Rylan’s answer isn’t much of an answer, but I suppose the relative safety is all that matters.I wonder if it protects against demons. The thought almost makes me laugh.
Rylan guides the truck to a cleverly hidden garage door that slides open to allow us in. When we drive through, the entire car is encased in darkness as the door shuts again. Rylan mutters something and then a low light flickers to life around the perimeter of the floor. It slowly gets brighter until I can see clearly. I pick out half a dozen vehicles, ranging from luxury cars that must be horrifically expensive to something that might get mistaken for a military tank. “Interesting friend you have.”
“You could say that.”
We pile out of the truck and Rylan leads the way to the thick metal door. He keys in a code and the light flashes green. “We’ll go over security when we get settled.”
Inside, I expect something that feels military and spartan, but the door opens into a charming hallway with fountains running the length of it that give the impression of gentle waterfalls. The next door opens into a small room with several more doors. The thick rug swallows my footsteps and the furniture is all high end, but even I can see the advantage of the layout. Anyone coming in through the garage will be funneled into this room, which is a death trap. There’s no room to spread out, no room for tactical advantage for the advancing enemy. Rylan ignores the two doors on the right and leads us left.
Another long hall, another small room with a series of doors.
We do this three more times before we end up in a cozy living room with a giant fireplace and comfortably sturdy furniture. He motions around us. “This is the east wing. While I realize it’s not ideal to be in the one without windows, it’s safer than the west wing.”
“How deep are we?” I look at the ceiling, but it looks like any other ceiling in a nice, if expensive, home. There’s no sensation to suggest the press of earth, the weight of a mountain over the top of us.
“Deep enough that we don’t have to worry about someone trying to burrow here. It’s pure rock around us, so short of dynamite, it’s impenetrable. And we’ll hear dynamite before they ever get close enough to be a danger.”
It really is a bunker.
“The bedrooms and kitchen are through there.” He waves at the doors on the other side of the room. “We need to get cleaned up and feed Mina and then we’ll talk.”
Wolf stretches, his spine cracking loud enough to set my teeth on edge. “Slow down there, Alpha. There’s only one leader I accept in this merry little trio, and it’s not you.”
Trio?
Does that mean I’m outside the hierarchy? I don’t know how to feel about that. Then again, I don’t know how to feel about a lot that’s happened since awakening my power. Why should this be any different?
Malachi shakes his head. “He’s right. We’re covered in blood and Mina hasn’t eaten in…” He glances at me. “When?”
Damn, I was hoping he wouldn’t ask me. “I don’t remember.”
“Thought so.” He hooks an arm around my waist and half carries me to the center door. It leads into a room just as luxuriously appointed as the rest of this place. The bed is low to the ground and massive enough to fit several vampires Malachi’s size. An open doorway leads into the bathroom. There’s another of those clever waterfall walls and a shower with more shower heads than I can begin to know what to do with.
I brace myself for an argument. He’s clearly not happy with me; he hasn’t been happy with me since they identified the scent of brimstone and realized what Wolf and I have done. But Malachi just turns on the water and faces me. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” It’s even the truth. I’m exhausted despite my nap in the car and my stomach is attempting to chew its way through my spine, but I’m as well as can be expected at this point. “Are you?”
He shrugs. “Things were a little more complicated than we expected, but we got the job done.” He pulls me beneath the water and sets about washing me with the minty soap available. I almost argue that I’m more than capable of washing myself, but there’s a fine tremor to Malachi’s touch. I don’t know if it’s rage, or lingering fear for my safety, or simply a faltering control, but I keep silent all the same. Especially since each pass of his hands over my skin seems to calm him. No doubt it’s more side effects by the bond.
When we’re both clean, Malachi leans down and presses his forehead to mine. “Don’t do that again.”
“Malachi—”
He keeps going before I can figure out what I’m trying to say. “Don’t endanger yourself. Not on our behalf.”