Page 65

They were running on high stress, no sleep, and extreme pressure.

And now they were stuck inside a bunker in close quarters.

She winced and nodded at Cian, and they moved to the next room.

A bathroom. It was tucked near the far side of the bunker with three rusted metal toilet stalls and three showers, though there was only one with a showerhead that hadn’t snapped off.

Cian tested the taps. The pipes groaned and shuddered before coughing up a sluggish stream of water .

“It’s brown,” Isobel said.

“Gotta run it for a while,” Gabriel muttered, stopping in the doorway and frowning at the discoloured flow. “Might clear. If it doesn’t, we boil it.” He walked off again, not waiting for an answer.

They moved to the next hallway, where they found Kalen and Maya in a small galley space with a dented steel counter, a busted microwave, and what looked like an ancient camp stove bolted to the far wall.

Gas canisters huddled against the wall. They eyed the cracked, empty cupboards as Kalen and Maya opened each one, glad that at least they didn’t have to contend with rodents and expired food.

There was also a small office, also stripped, in that hallway.

Cian wheeled the dusty office chair out from behind the empty desk and back to the main room, where he slotted it beneath one of the desks.

Isobel drifted back down the entrance hallway to make sure the outer steel door was closed and locked, and then she did the same with the second steel door, sealing them inside.

The lights suddenly brightened, flickering on down the hallways and in the other rooms. A faint whir sounded from overhead.

“The air?” she asked when the others returned to the main room.

“Ventilation is working,” Elijah said. “The system was on low-energy mode, but we were able to switch it over. There’s even a temperature control. ”

“You guys really don’t do things by halves. It’s like you’re blessed by the fucking gods or something,” Bellamy said, shaking his head as he slipped down the wall to sit beside Sophia. Luis was cradled in her lap as their mother explored the bunker.

Sophia smirked and held up both of her hands, wiggling all of her fingers before gesturing at their gathered bodies. Bellamy somehow translated the non-verbal communication.

“Right. Ten mates, yeah, that was a dead giveaway. If they’re going to do anything, they’re going to overdo it.”

Isobel snorted.

“Thank you,” Maya said, sitting on Sophia’s other side, her fingers gently threading through Luis’ hair as he still slept. “For giving us the choice and taking us with you.”

“Of course,” Isobel said.

“They’re right, you know,” Maya added, gazing around the bunker. “This was … extraordinarily lucky. How did you find it?”

“A geocaching site,” Elijah answered, rubbing his arms like his skin was itching.

He really needed to just stop for a minute.

“The post was buried—it wasn’t actually about the bunker, but I saw it in one of the user’s photos and figured out the location.

It was a lucky find because I was searching for one that I knew would be in this area—from his history of this region—I just couldn’t find evidence of it. ”

Maya nodded, humming thoughtfully beneath her breath, but she didn’t say anything else.

“Well,” Kilian spoke up, still eying Elijah, “I guess there’s nothing more to do tonight. We should sleep so that we’re ready for the world to start crashing down tomorrow.”

“I’ll stay up,” Elijah said automatically. “Monitor the news sites.”

Kilian wasn’t the only one who cast Isobel a quick look, and her lips twisted a little at the assumption that she had any power over Elijah, but she nodded anyway. “I’ll stay up with you.”

“No.” He was already unpacking his computer bag, slipping his laptop and cords from the waterproof plastic they had been wrapped in, along with other equipment. “You need to res?—”

“I’ll stay up too,” Niko spoke over him.

“Let’s set up the rooms.” Mikel herded the rest of them to the hallway that housed the bunk rooms, and she could hear them unpacking the mattresses and blankets from the supply room.

Gabriel had drifted toward the kitchen, likely to make sure the old fridge was working and that the food had been stored properly.

“Anyone else feel like this was too convenient?” Elijah grumbled as he set up his work station. “We have power. Air. Appliances. Mattresses. Blankets. Fucking bedrooms. Running water. I was expecting so much worse.”

“Feels too good to be true,” Niko agreed, sitting on one of the desks. He locked eyes with Isobel and jerked his chin at Elijah.

She looked hesitantly at the stressed-out Alpha, wondering what the hell she was supposed to do with him. Niko leaned to the side, glancing at Elijah’s screen as he scrolled through the headlines. He had set up an internet connection so fast Isobel hadn’t even realised that was what he was doing.

“Nothing,” Niko said, dismissing the screen, like he had expected as much. “And nobody has called. They don’t even know we’re missing yet. We should sleep.”

Elijah ignored him, instead flicking to the Ironside website and scanning it for recent activity. Niko shot Isobel another look before pushing off the desk. “Night,” he said.

Elijah ignored him again.

“Night,” Isobel whispered.

He stopped by her side, glancing down at her sideways, his voice whispering into her head through the bond.

You know what would work for me?

What? It was almost a plea. She was so lost.

Knowing you needed me , he said, though he was frowning, and then she felt it.

Despite his words, Niko wanted her. She could feel the urge for her itching beneath his skin.

She had been so focussed on her own anxiety and exhaustion that she had somehow managed to arrange the bond to a corner of her mind.

Niko wanted to tug her into one of the rooms. He wanted his fingers on her skin, but the desperation wasn’t born out of desire.

He was too anxious, too unsettled for that.

He just wanted her in his arms to soothe his edges.

She reached out to the others. They all felt the same, but they were smothering their instincts and pushing her toward Elijah, who was determined to work himself into the ground once and for all.

She gave Niko a small nod, and he returned it with a tight smile, stalking from the room.

Gabriel reappeared with two paper cups, sliced apples in one and pretzels in the other.

He handed both to Isobel, dropping his head to kiss her temple.

He lingered there for a second, and she was unable to stop her head from tilting up.

Their lips met, the kiss as natural as breathing, her heart squeezing as her belly heated.

She heard Elijah’s fingers suddenly halt on the keys.

Gabriel broke the kiss, his nostrils flaring, his eyes darting over her head before he turned and stalked the same way Niko had gone.