Chapter Ten
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CAMRIEL AND AMAROS were studying some pipes at the rear of the resort when the cambions arrived. “This is going to be harder than I thought,” Amaros said, frowning in concentration.
“What’s going on?” Grace asked when she and Zoe joined them.
“We’re trying to figure out how to install indoor plumbing at our base,” Cam explained.
Zoe looked at all the pipes running along the back wall and shook her head. “We need a plumber,” she figured.
“Cam and I can do this,” Amaros insisted. “We just need the right tools to bore a couple of holes through the dense stone walls.”
“Then we need to find the right sort of pipes to attach to the toilet and somehow pump water to it from the lake,” Camriel added.
“Where’s the wastewater going to go?” Grace queried. “We don’t exactly have a sewage system that leads to a treatment plant.”
Amaros scratched his cheek, looking sheepishly at the thick pipes that led into the ground. “We didn’t think of that,” he admitted.
“Rural properties don’t have access to sewage systems,” Zoe pointed out. “There has to be another system we can use to process our waste.”
“We definitely need to return to Manhattan soon,” Camriel suggested. “The library should have information we need.”
Amaros nodded. “For now, we can at least set up a temporary toilet, even if the wastewater flows into a bucket.”
“I second that,” Zoe said in support. “We can take turns emptying the bucket into the outdoor latrine.”
“How many closets have you guys salvaged so far?” Grace asked. They’d seen a pile of stuff in the truck.
“A few,” Amaros said. “We wanted to make sure we have enough room for a toilet in the truck as well.”
“The closets are kind of small,” Cam said, gesturing for them to follow him. “How many do you think each bedroom will need?”
“It depends on how many clothes we’ll have,” Zoe figured.
They filed in through the back door and headed up to the next level. The knights had avoided the rooms where women had been held captive. They’d stripped some of the other rooms instead.
“I see what you mean,” Zoe said when they examined an intact closet.
“It’s barely big enough to hold a few jackets,” Grace complained. “I don’t have much stuff, but I’d need at least two closets.”
“We could easily fit eight of them in our bedroom,” Amaros said, judging their size.
“Where will you store your clothes?” Zoe joked and Grace snickered.
Amaros sighed and gestured at the dressers. “How many of these should we take?”
“We’ll need eight closets and four dressers,” his cambion said. “A couple of nightstands would be good, too,” she added.
Grace looked around the room, then swept her hand in an arc. “We’ll need pretty much everything in here for every bedroom in our base, but on a larger scale,” she figured.
“We’re going to need your truck, brother,” Amaros said to his second. “This will go a lot faster if we load up both vehicles.”
“You can use our little red truck, too,” Zoe suggested. “We should take a few toilets with us. Each bedroom should be large enough to build a small ensuite. We can practice setting them up in the other bedrooms until we get it right.”
“I like that idea,” Camriel said in budding excitement. He wanted his room to be perfect for his cambion. She would expect a private bathroom like most houses had in their master bedroom.
“Why don’t you and Grace take the red truck back to our base and grab some more tools?” Amaros suggested to his knight. “Bring everything we might need to dismantle some toilets and drive your truck back.”
“We’re on it, boss,” Cam said, then herded the kid out of the bedroom.
“They’re totally going to do it,” Grace whispered as they hurried down the hallway.
“Do what?” the warrior asked absently. His mind was focused elsewhere.
“The nasty,” she replied and received a blank look. “Knock boots. Do the horizontal mambo. Hump like rabbits.” He blinked a couple of times, still not catching on.
“We’re going to have sex, Camriel,” Zoe said in amusement.
“As soon as you leave the premises,” Amaros said pointedly.
Rolling his eyes, Camriel increased his pace as he headed downstairs. Grace had to run to keep up with him, snickering at his broad back in amusement.
“You drive, shorty,” Cam said when they reached the tiny vehicle. He turned the radio on when she started the engine.
“I had a dream last night,” the Mad Prophet was saying, instantly capturing their attention.
“Evil is already beginning to spread through New York,” he went on in a hushed voice that was full of doom.
“It’s seeking weak minded puppets to use as its tools.
Soon, their pawns will begin to grow in power.
They’ll promise to fix the country, while secretly conspiring to enslave us all. ” His rant ended and static took over.
“Wow, he’s as cheerful as always,” Grace said with a shudder. “I bet he’s right, though,” she said dourly. “He’s been right about everything else so far.
“If so, then it seems Rahab plans to be here for a long time,” Camriel figured in a disturbed tone. “We’ll need to discuss this with Amaros and Zoe.”
“Let’s give them an hour to bone each other,” the teen said, wrinkling her nose at the prospect of walking in on them during their naked interlude.
It was easier to negotiate around the huge boulders along their driveway in the small red vehicle. Grace read a book while Camriel searched for suitable tools back at their base. He’d only taken tools to dismantle the closets and needed different ones to undo bolts and dismantle pipes.
They returned to the resort an hour later to see Amaros and Zoe locked in a kiss in the foyer.
“Break it up, lovebirds,” Grace ordered with a mock scowl. “We’ve got work to do.”
Zoe’s face was flushed and her hair was mussed. Amaros looked satisfied and more relaxed now. He couldn’t keep the grin off his handsome face. From the leaves caught in their hair, they’d done the deed outdoors.
“The Mad Prophet was on the radio again,” Cam said. “He seems to think our enemies plan to be here for the long haul.”
“I hope he’s wrong,” Grace said, but she sounded doubtful.
“We’ll have to make sure we ruin their plans,” Amaros said grimly. Cam nodded in agreement, then skirted around them and headed for the staff bathroom at the rear of the building.
“We should have containers ready to catch any water that might leak out,” Zoe suggested. “The water isn’t running anymore, but there might still be some in the pipes.”
“Good call,” Grace agreed and went in search of something to catch the water in.
Camriel was hunkered in a stall, figuring out which tools to use when she found him. He’d already turned the water off on the pipe leading to the toilet. “I flushed it, so it’s empty,” he said, taking the bucket she’d found.
Grace backed out of the stall, leaving him to it. She found Zoe in the foyer. Amaros was upstairs. “What’s going on with Cam?” the teen whispered.
“What do you mean?” Zoe asked just as quietly.
“He’s been acting weird the past couple of days,” Grace said. “Why is he suddenly so interested in setting up closets and stealing dressers?”
Zoe mulled about it for a few seconds. “I think he’s nesting,” she said. “If he really did sense his cambion, then he could be preparing for her arrival. Maybe he wants to make sure their bedroom has everything she’ll need.”
Grace put her hand over her heart. “That’s so sweet,” she said, heart swelling at the knight’s commitment to a woman he hadn’t even met yet. “I hope my knight is going to be as thoughtful as Cam.”
Zoe smiled and nodded, avoiding the kid’s eyes. “I’m sure he will be,” she said, then motioned towards the stairs. “We should help Amaros dismantle more closets.” She’d had a premonition that Grace’s knight wouldn’t be appearing anytime soon, but she was too chicken to tell her.