Page 8 of Harbor (The Wanderers 3)

Chapter 8

“Can you open your eyes for me, hon?” Someone was stroking her forehead. Gentle fingers. His voice sounded kind.

Maya started shivering with cold as she blinked her eyes. Her teeth were chattering. “So cold,” she managed to whisper as she met the man’s gaze.

He smiled warmly. “There you are. We’ve been waiting for you to wake up. Welcome back to the land of the living.” The man was dark-skinned with nearly black eyes. Kind eyes. Gentle eyes. Creases at the corners grew with his smile.

He continued to stroke her forehead.

She shivered. “Why so cold?”

“Your fever is breaking, hon. You’re under the covers though. We keep changing the bedding every time you soak it from sweating.”

She swallowed. Her mouth was so dry. She kept her eyes on this man. Could she trust him? He seemed so very kind.

He leaned away from her to reach for something and returned holding up a cup with a straw. “How about a drink of water?”

She eyed him suspiciously. She shouldn’t trust him or anyone for that matter. He could have drugged the water.

He must have read her mind because he brought the cup to his mouth and took a drink himself before bringing the straw to her lips. “It’s safe and clean. I promise.”

She searched his gaze. Her options were limited. She was so thirsty.

Finally, she accepted the straw and sucked. The cool water felt like heaven going down her throat. She couldn’t get enough of it.

“Careful, hon. Not too fast. Your stomach will get upset.” The man was wearing blue scrubs. He was either a doctor or a nurse. Or hell, in this new world, he could be anything.

When the cup was empty, he set it aside.

“More,” she murmured, finally able to lick her lips. If she was going to be sold into slavery, at least she wanted to be hydrated.

“Let’s wait a bit, hon.” He cupped her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “Your color is coming back, and I’m so glad to finally see those pretty green eyes.”

“Hey…” Another male voice caused her to turn her attention to the man entering the room. He was slightly older than the first man. Early forties. Tall. Tanned. Brown hair and brown eyes. He wore a lab coat with his name embroidered on the breast. Dr. Dario Shan.

“Where am I?” she managed to whisper. She might as well learn her fate sooner rather than later.

The doctor set his palm on her forehead. “Fever’s breaking. That’s good.” He smiled at her just as warmly as the other man. “You’re in a clinic. You’re safe here.”

She lifted a brow and nearly laughed. She would have rolled her eyes and sassed him if she’d had the energy.

She must have at least managed to convey her reaction with her expression because Dr. Shan chuckled. “I guess safe is a relative term these days, isn’t it? But I promise you it’s true. We’re underground. Totally secure.”

She glanced around, realizing there were no windows. The room was small. She felt trapped. She didn’t like to be underground. That was why she never spent more than a few days in the bunker with The Wanderers. She grew restless and nervous when she felt like she couldn’t escape. “Who are you?” She tugged on her arms. They were still strapped down. Her heart rate picked up. Safe, my ass…

Dr. Shan lifted the edge of her blanket and unfastened her wrist from the side of the bed.

The first man did the same on his side. “We had to restrain you. You were delirious and flailing around. Your IV came out more than once. We didn’t want you to fall out of bed.”

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” the doctor asked.

She swallowed. She didn’t want to tell them anything. Not yet. Not until she could be sure she could trust them.

The doctor smiled again. “I’m Dr. Shan, but call me Dario. We’re not formal here.” He glanced at the other man. “This is Keanu Iona. And the other man you’ll meet eventually is Advic Patel.”

“How did I get here?”

“I found you,” Keanu stated. “Miraculously. Another hour and we probably wouldn’t have been able to save you. You’d lost a lot of blood. You had a raging fever. Your leg was infected.”

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