31. Lehm
Chapter thirty-one
Lehm
Home? Zinnia told me all about the ark. The habitat sounds magical compared to the silo I grew up in—the one I thought my daughter was still in until she appeared in the hands of nightcrawlers.
I’ve been in the Kartchner Caverns for six months—ever since they forced me to become a nightcrawler like them. And while the nest has a certain pecking order—and being the youngest, I’m at the bottom—some folks ignored the hierarchy and welcomed me. I made a few friends.
What will happen to them now?
I’ll miss those friends, but not enough to stay when I have my family back and the freedom to go with them.
Zinnia. I can’t stop looking at her as we walk to the truck. She’s grown so much since I went looking for Gabriel’s medication. I’ve missed Maria, but it’s Zinnia whom I missed the most.
And it was my little girl who broke the sad news to me that Gabriel had died. All this time I hoped he’d survived the illness and was taking care of our women. Instead, that responsibility fell to Maria.
Chris lifts Zinnia into the back seat of the truck, and Maria climbs in after her. I step on the running board to join them.
Chris pulls me back. “Take the front passenger seat.”
No one will keep me away from Zinnia, not even the handsome man with deep blue eyes who’s replaced me. I face off with him.
Chris frowns. “If some of the…nest…are hiding on motorcycles and plan to ambush us, I may need your help up front to defend us.”
“Oh. Okay.” I climb onto the front seat. He takes the wheel and pulls away from the encampment.
I hang on to the door handle as we plow down the bumpy hillside at full speed. “Why do you suspect an ambush?”
“Tig doesn’t know how many vampires live in your nest.”
“Oh. Forty-eight, not counting me.”
“Give me a second.” Chris then clicks his tongue, and a virtual screen appears above the dashboard. “Tig? I’ve got a head count for you. Forty-eight. Let me know if we have a match so I can relax.”
“We have a match.”
He sighs, and slows down the truck. “Good.”
“But we’re still rounding up the mortals,” Tig says. “Apparently the nest hid them deeper in the caverns to protect them.”
Chris glances over at me. “Lehm?”
“They should find twenty-six mortals.”
“Tig, did you hear him?”
“Got it. Bye.”
From the back seat, Maria clears her throat. “Lehm, what happened after you left the silo?” Anxiety permeates her voice.
I glance back at Zinnia. I told her a sanitized version, and with her present, I keep this version to the same child-appropriate story.
“You’ve probably already guessed. I searched all day for the medication Gabriel and Zinnia needed.
I drove from one town to the next, hoping to find a pharmacy that hadn’t been completely raided.
All the towns were dead—no survivors—and I tried searching through homes, thinking I might find the fever-reducing drugs in a bathroom’s medicine cabinet.
But I lost track of time. The sun started to set, and I hid out in the house I was searching.
I don’t know how the nightcrawlers found me, but they cornered and captured me and drove me to the caverns… ” My eyes flood with tears.
Over the seat, Maria clasps my shoulder. “When you didn’t return, it broke my heart.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Chris’s jaw clench and his fingers grip the steering wheel so hard I’m afraid he’ll break it.
“I’m so sorry.” I pat her hand, not sure what else to do given Chris’s reaction—an angry growl.
“Even though I’ve been worried about Zinnia and you this whole time, I never said a word about the silo to the nest. When they captured me, I told them I was on my own, raiding whatever food I could find.
I wanted to protect you as best I could.
” I take a deep breath and wipe away my own tears.
“They made me a blood slave for a short while. But I had the same illness Gabriel did. I didn’t know it at first, but when I started coughing, the vampires debated killing me because they were afraid I’d infect the rest of the blood slaves. Diego saved me. He offered to turn me.”
“Why would he do that?”
I censor what I say in front of Zinnia. “It gave him more status in the nest.”
From the look on Maria’s face, she doesn’t entirely believe me, but she doesn’t push. Zinnia slowly closes her eyes and dozes off.
Poor thing.
Even though I’m grateful we’ve been reunited, I can’t imagine how traumatized Zinnia is from the kidnapping.
We fall silent as Chris drives us to his ark, and silence is not my friend.
All the questions I’ve been holding back flood my mind. What will happen to me? Will I be permitted to see Zinnia going forward? Or will the Lux haul me away to wherever they imprison renegades?
In hushed whispers, Zinnia told me all about the Lux. Now, stories I’ve heard from the nest make more sense—rumors about what happens to those who fall into the hands of “angels.”
I assumed they meant some religious nonsense. But Zinnia’s description of Uncle Ari made the angels all too real.
Maria seems to assume everything is well. She said we’re going home. She may be, but I’m not so sure I’ll be allowed to call the ark my home. Still, I’ll take any moments with Zinnia and Maria that I can.
My jaw drops open when we drive under a bridge, and an entrance magically opens.
I forget my anxiety for a moment. Zinnia’s description of the place was spot-on.
We head down a tunnel and into the garage, where two armed mortals wave us in, and Chris parks the truck.
Are there more people living here than Zinnia told me about?
Chris opens his door and jumps out before anyone else. Maria and I climb down from the passenger side. Zinnia is still sound asleep in the back seat.
Chris turns to Maria, looking at her across the truck’s hood. “Show Lehm how to go through decon. The engineers sterilized the living areas while we were gone, so everyone has to shower to kill the bacteria. I’ll go first. Take care of your family.”
Your family? What the hell does that mean? Zinnia told me that Chris and Maria sleep together.
Does he think that I’ll—
He slams shut the truck door and whooshes to a doorway leading out of the garage. Luckily, he didn’t wake Zinnia.
I step in his direction. “Chris—”
Maria pulls me back. “Let him go. He’s just in shock that we found you.”
“Are you sure?”
“I can feel him through the bond. He’s upset. We need to talk, but I’ve learned he sometimes needs a moment to himself first.”
“Wait. He’s the one who turned you?” I growl. “I should stake him for that.”
“Long story, but he turned me to save my life. We can discuss it later.” Whispering in my ear, she adds, “Chris probably went first to avoid being naked around Zinnia.”
That makes sense. But still—Zinnia’s being home and his running away bothers me. No matter what his reasons are.
Maria tugs on my hand. “Let me introduce you to today’s guards. They’ll make sure we’re okay during the day. This is Sebastian and Roger. Guys, this is Lehm, Zinnia’s father.”
“We know.” Sebastian holds out his hand. “Glad to see you’re reunited with your daughter, sir.”
We shake hands, and I furrow my brow. “How did you know?”
“We’ve heard the story. Tig briefed everyone who works for her how Chris found Maria and Zinnia. And when they realized who you were, Tig comm’d us with the good news.”
“Uh, thanks.”
With a gentle shove, Maria turns me around. “Come on. Chris should be done. You can go next, and then I’ll take care of Zinnia.”
It’s then that I notice my surroundings. Nothing like I’ve seen out there while scavenging with the nest. A two-story garage big enough for five trucks. A workbench with tools neatly arranged. And clean—so clean. No sand. No decay. No mold.
We walk into a small…bathroom? Chris is still in the decon shower. His silhouette is visible behind the frosted glass.
Maria briefs me on the process and shows me where the towels are.
“Just throw your clothes in this trash bin. They’re rags.
Once you finish your decon shower, go through that door”—she points the direction—“and you’ll find pull-on pants and a t-shirt in your size in one of the drawers. Get dressed and wait for us there.”
She heads toward the garage, then stops. “Don’t just stand there. Start stripping. Chris’ll be done any moment. When he comes out, you need to be ready to start your shower.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Oh, don’t be a silly goose. You have a lot to learn about living in an ark. We’ll teach you.”
I’m not so sure Chris wants me living here.
But I do what Maria orders and strip off my filthy, tattered clothes.
Just as I toss them in the bin, the shower door opens and Chris steps out, a towel around his waist. Our eyes meet, and I avert my gaze, embarrassed to be standing here naked.
But before I do, I see something in his deep blue eyes that catches me off guard.
I walk past him and close the shower door behind me. I’d better hurry, or Maria will wonder what’s wrong.
And after my naked encounter with Chris, I’m not sure how I’d answer.