The Bunker
First was the tingling in Toni’s fingers. The sensation crawled up her wrist and roused her from unconsciousness, but as her eyelids fluttered, she realized the same pins and needles had swept from her feet to her legs as well.
She furrowed her brow, trying to think. What the hell had happened to her?
She was cold, she knew that much, and the bed beneath her was hard and uncomfortable.
She recalled being on the expedition. Along with other colleagues from their Greenland base, she’d been hiking around the National Park looking for colonies of musk oxen, until… Her mind was blank. Until something had happened.
The snow.
The answer crashed over her like a tsunami. An unanticipated storm had swept in and separated her from her party. Disorientated, she’d stumbled in the squall until she’d all but given up hope. The last fragments of her memory recollected a giant in the blizzard.
A yeti, perhaps?
But she didn’t believe in supernatural creatures. Whatever the Bigfoot was, it had stomped through the habitat as though it owned the terrain. She’d wanted to run and hide, but there’d been no energy left in her immobile limbs for that.
She’d given in to the snow, and she’d thought, to her fate. Yet the ache in her joints assured her she was still alive.
A crackling noise tugged at her subconscious thought, and all at once, she acknowledged what should have been obvious from the get-go—there was a fire.
She rolled reflexively toward the warmth, reveling in its conviviality. Someone must have found her in the snow—located her and taken her back to base. There was no other explanation for the blaze now reviving her skin.
She was safe.
She was saved!
It took a few further seconds for her to acknowledge the next obvious thing—she was nude. Save for what felt like one heavy cover enveloping her body, she couldn’t feel a single scrap of clothing.
Someone stripped me.
Unease echoed in her belly. Who had stripped her and why? Presumably, to relieve her of her frozen garments—a fact that had no doubt kept her alive, but still, she couldn’t shake the niggling sense of distrust.
Forcing her gaze to open, she found herself looking straight into the flames. Its warmth was soothing, lulling her to stay and heal, but the unnerving sense that all was not well still taunted.
Get up.
She didn’t recognize the fireplace. True, Toni hadn’t seen the inside of every cabin on the base, but in her months stationed there, she’d never once seen one like the hearth before her. The flames, trapped behind the safety glass, goaded her to move. Though her body protested and her extremities still prickled with sensation, she managed to drag herself to one elbow before finally pulling herself upright.
Where the hell was she?
The room was claustrophobic with no windows. The only light came from the fire and the sophisticated lamp standing in the opposite corner. Swathes of ocean blue and military gray met her eyes, illuminated by the lamp. Paintings and soft furnishings were scattered around the space, as well as one two-seater couch and a large chair. She swore she’d never seen the place before in her life.
“Ah, she’s awake.”
The rumbling thunder of a male voice resounded from behind her, and snapping her head around, she saw the man who’d spoken. Tall and dark-haired with skin that had been kissed by the sun, he was dressed only from the waist up as he walked into the room. She stared at his bared skin, drinking in the look of his strapping, perfectly-formed body.
“Who are you?”
She clutched the blanket to her chest, but as she looked closer, she realized it was only a runner of some sort—the fur of some innocent animal that had been woven to create a rug.
For a moment, she was torn between her conflicting emotions—the biting fear that the man was dangerous competing with the thrum of arousal his presence had evoked. She hadn’t had sex for a long time, and she’d never enjoyed someone as overtly magnificent as the stranger before.
“Is supper ready?”
A second man stalked into the space, his leer intensifying both her sense of mistrust and desire. Unlike the first, the newcomer had pale blond, disheveled hair, which he wore to his shoulders, and he was also naked, save for the tight-fitting pants showing off his sculpted body.
Holy hell.
She forced her gaze to his face. Even though she yearned to absorb more of his scintillating form, she had to be sensible. She didn’t know either of them, and she couldn’t just sit there gawping at them. She watched in slow motion as the men exchanged what looked like amused glances.
What’s happening here?
Had she been abducted by the two most attractive kidnappers in the history of the world?
“Don’t be cruel.” The dark-haired one chuckled, apparently reprimanding the blond, although Toni couldn’t even recall what he’d said. “She’s confused and probably dehydrated.”
“Please.” The air in the room seemed to be disappearing, but she couldn’t decide if it was panic or provocation that inspired its loss. “Please. I don’t know who you are or why I’m here.”
“She’s begging already.” The blond’s lips curled, and something about the gesture tightened the tension trembling in her tummy. “That’s good.”
Begging? She was confused and scared, but she had no intention of begging anyone.
Keep that up and we’ll get along very well.” The blond winked at her, and as she huddled in a ball, she watched in disbelief as he leapt from the floor to the arm of the nearby couch.
“What?” Her jaw dropped open, her heart racing at what she’d witnessed.
A leap like that—an ethereal act that happened in a split second—shouldn’t have been possible. She’d seen it, but she couldn’t believe the evidence of her own eyes.
“H-how?” Stammering, she glanced between the men. “Who are you?”
“So many questions.” The blond sighed as he slid down onto the seat. “Are you going to answer her, lover?”
Lover?
The word resounded in her head. He’d just called the brown-haired guy his lover. Toni had no problem with anyone else’s sexuality, but the last people she’d expected to wake up to was a gay couple.
“I found you in the storm.” The dark-haired one crouched by her side but still managed to tower over her. “I brought you here.”
“Where is here ?” Her gaze scanned the room.
“I think some gratitude is in order.” The blond’s tone was imperious. “Ezra saved you, and all you can do is answer with a barrage of questions!”
Her breaths accelerated at his harsh tone. “I’m s-sorry.” She looked from the hard-faced pale man to the darker one. “I didn’t mean to be rude. I’m thankful. It’s just… I don’t recognize this place.”
“Few have made it this far north.” The one the blond had called Ezra sounded philosophical.
“Alive, anyway,” the other added with a snigger. “Though you’ve brought many, Ezra.”
Alive?
She wanted to counter him, but her head was fuzzy, as though the remnants of sleep were still falling away.
“How are you feeling?” Ezra tilted his head at her, the new angle persuading his hair to tumble past his eyes.
“Her feelings are irrelevant,” the blond hissed.
“You forget, Mal,” Ezra told him. “To be human is all about feeling. The species exists in a world of emotion.”
“Those things do not concern us.” The one called Mal dismissed Ezra’s claim with a flick of his hand. “Tell her why she’s here. Tell her what you had in mind when you fished her frozen body from the snow and marched her north.”
“I don’t know what this is about.” She inched closer to the fire. The energy in the eccentric gray room had changed since the men had joined her, and not for the better.
They spoke in riddles, referring to human beings as if they were a different species to them. The idea knotted her disquiet, clouding her fogged head further.
“This is where we live.” In the end, Ezra broke the strained atmosphere. “Mal and I.”
“‘Live’ is hardly an appropriate verb.” Mal tutted. “Stop spinning tales and tell her the truth.”
“I-I…” Her throat dried as she eyed them both. The men were large, muscular, and no doubt powerful. Their strong and chiseled arms alone were proof that she couldn’t outmaneuver them, and she seriously doubted she could outrun them, either. Fleetingly, she acknowledged the way her sex clenched in recognition. They were way too big for her. Why was that so damn alluring? “I don’t understand.”
“It’s simple, dear.” Mal’s voice was patronizing. “He brought you here for supper, but then he realized he might have a different sort of appetite.”
Pressing the rug to cover her breasts, she quivered, understanding his implied threat, yet unsure how it aligned with her growing sexual interest in them. They could hurt her, yet she couldn’t avoid the longing for them simmering in her veins.
Fat chance. She bit on her lower lip until it hurt. They already said they’re gay!
“There’s no need to cover yourself.” Mal sneered. “We’ve already seen you naked. You’re beautiful…”
“Oh, God.”
They had stripped her? When she’d roused, she’d hoped it had been a female colleague, but in reality, it had been the strangers looming over her. She tried not to think of what else they might have done while she had been out for the count.
“That’s why he wants to fuck you before we eat.” Mal grinned, as though he was proud of himself.
“Stop. Being. Mean.” Ezra picked up a cushion and hauled it at Mal. “You’ll frighten her. What’s your name, dear?” Ezra turned his attention to her, his eyes far more sympathetic than his friend’s.
“I’m Toni.” Her dry throat meant she could scarcely get the words out.
“And why were you out all alone in the snow, Toni?” Mal’s condescending voice continued as he leaned closer. “Didn’t your parents tell you it was dangerous?”
“I’m a scientist.” She straightened, gritting her teeth at his belittling tone. Sexy and potentially hazardous the strangers might be, but she wasn’t going to be lectured by anyone about the terrain. Toni had been working there for months. She knew the risks and rewards better than anyone. “It’s my job to explore the habitat.”
“So, it wasn’t your first time out there?” Ezra seemed genuinely interested.
“No.” She tucked her hair behind her ear with a shaky hand. “I’ve hiked the area many times, but the storm came from out of nowhere and I lost track of my colleagues…”
Her voice trailed away as she recalled the moments leading up to what she’d assumed would be her end. The whirling blizzard had spontaneously appeared and enveloped her.
“There are others?” Mal’s curiosity had been piqued.
“Yes,” she confirmed, although a part of her worried that she might be endangering her friends with the confession. If she had to be trapped, then so be it—she’d figure out how to survive and hopefully even have a little fun along the way, but the thought of putting her colleagues in danger disturbed her.
“How many?” Mal pressed.
She pulled in a shaky breath, not wanting to reveal too much, and yet fearing the consequences if she refused him. “Ten of us work at base camp.”
The men exchanged a lingering glance.
“I have seen the camp,” Ezra explained. “I didn’t realize so many of you were there, though.”
“And now we know.” Mal’s lips twitched.
“Where are my clothes?” She was afraid to ask, but the only way she could contemplate escape was if she was dressed and prepared for the elements.
“Sodden.” Mal’s gaze pierced her. “You’d have died if you’d stayed in those wet things.”
“He’s right.” Ezra’s voice was softer. “We had to remove them.”
“Right.” Her heart galloped faster. “Thanks.”
“How long has it been since you ate anything?” Ezra settled on his knees.
“I ate this morning.” She recalled the hot porridge Sam had made for the group, her stomach growling at the memory.
“She’ll be hypoglycemic.” Mal tipped his head back against the top of the couch.
“You need to eat,” Ezra clarified.
A sly smile stretched over Mal’s face as he spoke. “And after you’ve eaten, so will we.”