Page 17 of Tortured Soul
I created a new pair of panties on myself and picked up the bra, T-shirt, and leather pants I left on the floor next to the bed.
That would have to do for today.
Once dressed and sure my hair was styled in a way that hid the tip of my ears, I pushed the ring back under my T-shirt and opened my door to peek outside. There were hushed voices and noises downstairs, accompanied by the amazing smell of fried bacon and eggs.
Aymeric was definitely going to be my new best friend here. Food and coffee were the way to my heart.
I locked the door behind me and went down the stairs, only to find Marcus sitting at the exact place he did last night, eating scrambled eggs, bacon, and reading the back of a cereal box. Aymeric was emptying the pan on two more plates.
“Good morning, Lola.” He smiled, dropping the couple of frying pans into the sink. “Did you sleep well?”
Marcus didn’t bother to lift his face from what I assumed was a very interesting list of ingredients as I stopped a few steps away, nervously double checking my hair with my hand.
“I did, thank you.”
“Have a seat, breakfast is ready.”
I took the same stool as I did the night before right as he took his, setting both plates in front of us. A shot of espresso was already waiting for me.
“Thank you. For the food and the coffee,” I said, reaching for the small cup.
He grinned. “Marcus poured it for you. I don’t understand how that thing works.”
My arm froze halfway between the table and my mouth.Marcus poured it for me? It was not poisoned before, but maybe this time he took a shot since he wasn’t making it in front of me…
“I’m to escort you to Kai as soon as you’re ready,” Marcus drawled after an awkward silence, not diverting his gaze away from the large box. “If I could do so in peace without you rambling about your lack of caffeine, I’d gladly pour you a coffee or ten.”
Oh. “Thank you?”I guess?
He only grunted, Aymeric shaking his head with asoft smile.
Marcus was a weird one.
“It’s your first official day here,” Aymeric said. “Kai will give you your resident ID and explain to you how things work. Then you can go around and explore. Visit the stores, find yourself a job, anything.”
“I have money set aside, can’t I use it here?”
Aymeric winced. “You’ll be able to, eventually. It’s a hidden camp. We can’t let humans track anything and find us here. It’ll take time for the Guardians to transfer your money into our secure bank system without leaving traces behind.”
“The Guardians?” I asked.
Marcus’ eyes narrowed briefly at Aymeric. “Kai will explain,” he said simply. Aymeric cleared his throat.
So…no money for the time being. And I was desperate to buy new clothes to save up my energy. I guess I’d have to find a job, then…Preferably a job where I’d be alone most of the time to not tempt anyone with my potential pheromones outbursts.
With this in mind, waitressing, bartending and possibly retail were out. Maybe Kai—or the Guardians, whatever or whomever they were—would have some leads.
Marcus dropped the box and began swallowing his food whole.
“You should finish your breakfast, dear,” Aymeric said, leaning closer to whisper in my ear. “Grumpy has to drop you at the temple and report back to Carrie to know where he’ll be stationed for the day.”
“Carrie?” I asked, finishing my coffee in one go and digging into my food.
“She’s the head of the camp’s security.”
Oh. Like a general or something? A woman? Good for her. Maybe she’d give me something to do. I haven’t trained in a while, but I knew I could still be useful.
“Hurry up, I don’t want to be late.”
