"Deacon?"
Wolfe’s thick brows lower into a frown, as though he’s irritated by my uttering the other man’s name. "Yes."
Fear punches me hard in the chest, taking my breath. It's a moment before I can speak again. "Please don't do this. They need me and they need Deacon. I'm their leader, they can't do this without me. And Deacon protects the team. If you keep me and kill him, you’ll be dismantling our biggest hope of surviving the Primitives. The world needs that vaccine."
I allow him to see every emotion in my eyes, my earnestness, my belief in what I'm saying. But I already know his answer. I can see my future in the stony set of his features. I'm not going anywhere.
True to his personality, Wolfe says nothing more. He's already said it all and he won't repeat himself. He doesn’t care about the vaccine; he doesn’t care about the world.
"Can you please leave?" I whisper, my voice brittle with the tears that are now welling up and threatening to drip down my cheeks. The last thing I need is for Wolfe to see any weakness.
Without another word he turns and leaves.
Twelve
I never had a problem with the harem before. When I was brought to the Santa Fe Sanctuary seven years ago and told that I would be part of the harem, I had felt some trepidation, but the women quickly put me at ease. Gradually I came to accept and then love the warmth and relaxing atmosphere of the harem.
Now, the longer I'm locked behind the harem walls, the more I find to dislike about my former home.
Two days have passed since I was brought here. I have nothing to do but wait, my only company Hannah when she brings food and briefly chats with me. I have tried summoning Wolfe several times, but the guards simply look at me, shake their heads and lock me back inside.
I'm completely ready for a change in scenery by the time Wolfe finally presents himself. I practically jump on him when the door opens to reveal his big scarred body.
"I want out," I demand. "Tell me what I have to do to get out."
Wolfe approaches me where I stand and looks down at me thoughtfully. Finally, he answers, "Time."
"What the hell does that mean?" I frown at him.
"It means," he drawls, "that you need time before you’ll be allowed to leave. I need to know that you can be trusted."
I scoff at him. “Then I guess I'm stuck in here until hell freezes over. I'd rather fuck a Primitive than remain in this city with you."
Wolfe remains unfazed. He's always been this way. It takes a lot to excite him, either good or bad. He’s like a walking Grim Reaper, constantly waiting for death to come. I swear sometimes he lives just to die.
"The doctor is coming in to see you. You will allow Dr. Summers to take some of your blood so the vaccine can be re-created."
I glare at him. "Get it from Deacon; he has plenty of my blood and plenty of the vaccine to go around."
"I already have what I need from your team, but the doctor wants a clearer understanding of how to re-create the vaccine. Your people have indicated that you’re the one to talk to."
"I’m not talking to you or anyone until I’ve talked to my people," I insist stubbornly.
"Your people are being ejected from the city within the hour."
Fury rips through me like a razor blade. "You’re sending my people away? Without letting me talk to them?"
Wolfe’s eyes drop to my clenched fists and he raises a brow as though daring me to take a swing at him. Of course, I don't, because I know what'll happen. If I touch him, he'll kiss me, and I can't cope with that right now. I can't have the man that I kind of want dead kissing me and stirring up feelings.
"As long as they remain in this city, you will hold out hope that you can escape with them. I can't have that. They’ll be heading to the next Sanctuary without you."
I cross my arms over my chest and work on regulating my breathing, so I don't start screaming. "You're lying. Deacon won’t leave without at least seeing me first."
"I don't lie." He says it simply, but there's an underlying steel to his words.
Wolfe is right, he never lies.
"They won’t leave without me, especially not Deacon," I stubbornly insist.
He inclines his head. "It might take some convincing to get them out of the city, but they’ll leave." Seeing the look on my face he continues, "They haven’t been harmed."
"Your definition of harm and my definition of harm are quite different, Wolfe," I growl at him. "I want to talk to Deacon."
Wolfe narrows his eyes at me and crosses his arms over his chest, imitating my stance. "You're very interested in the welfare of your team. You’ve mentioned Deacon's name more than once."
I throw up my hands. "I’m their leader! Of course I'm interested in their welfare. I'm responsible for them, I'm responsible for bringing them here and putting them in your path."
"I’ve told you that they’re fine, now let the matter rest."
Wolfe is becoming clearly frustrated. Even in the face of a Primitive attack I’ve never seen him anything less than unflappable, yet something about my concern for my team bothers him.
"I won't drop it until you let me talk to Deacon."
Wolfe takes a threatening step toward me but stops short of touching me. "You will not say his name again."
"Do you mean Deacon?" I narrow my eyes at him.
"You just signed his death warrant. If he enters my territory again, he's a dead man."
"Very mature, especially since you just told me my team will be unharmed. I thought you didn’t lie. Do you mind telling me why you're threatening my second-in-command?"
Wolfe reaches out to take my arms in a painful grip and gives me a small shake. I stiffen and try to push away, but he continues to hold me.
"He is not your second-in-command. He never was. That’s my job. No one else will get that close to you."
I'm shocked by his words. What does he mean? Wolfe is my second-in-command? The idea that Wolfe might bow down to anyone, let alone a woman, is ludicrous. But before I can question him, he continues, "I will not listen to the name of another man on your lips. You will forget him."
Again, his demands surprise me. Wolfe is always so in control of himself. He almost sounds… jealous. But that can't be right. Though we were partners when we defended Tucson Sanctuary a year ago, he never hinted at anything more. At least nothing that I caught on to. He was my shadow, my protector, but nothing more.
I tilt my face to look up into his. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying, I don't want my wife talking about another man."
A long time ago my grandmother read the story of Alice in Wonderland to me and my younger sister. We'd been under attack by a rogue Primitive who was beating at the walls of our cabin, trying to get in, trying to kill us all. Grandma distracted us with a story. To this day I've never forgotten the tale of Alice in Wonderland. At this very moment I feel much like how Alice must've felt when she fell through the rabbit hole and found herself in a strange land and a strange situation meeting strange people. Of course, the comparison can only go so far. This isn't a harmless children's tale that will end in the defeat of the Jabberwocky. This is our lives, and in the time of the pandemic all lives are lost, no matter who we are. To die of old age is unheard of in this time.