Page 45 of When Eden Falls

“Cora asked me to retrieve a couple of her books.”

Rooke groaned and shook his head. The tendons in his jaw tightened. He was definitely angry. “You left Dybgo in the analysing room, unattended, to retrieve Cora’s sodding books? He could’ve found anything.”

“The download had finished…”

“But the screen was still on.” He lowered his voice further. “He could’ve seen something.”

“He doesn’t know how to use a computer.”

“And you know that for certain? They could be playing us.”

Was he being serious? I had almost died, yet here he was, chastising me for something he could not prove. “I think you’re being paranoid, Rooke.”

“Don’t turn this around on me!” he snarled. “You knew the situation. You messed up. Do you still have the hard drive, at least?”

I pulled the slim metal block out of my pocket and handed it to him. Without another word, he marched away, slipping the hard drive into his back pocket. I stifled the urge to break down into a blubbering mess. How could he be so heartless?

Kobe appeared, eying me tentatively. “Here’s your radio. Keep this solar pack outside when it’s sunny and it should keep it charged.”

I took the radio pack, nodding absentmindedly.

He went to leave but chose to turn back. “Rookewasgenuinely worried about you, you know.”

I met Kobe’s brown gaze. Somehow, I shrugged, pretending it wasn’t a concern; pushing the thought away.

Back at the fortress, without saying a word to Rooke, I was ushered from the boat by Dybgo. Yuska met me at the top of the stairs, and whilst I followed her up the dizzy stairwells to my rooms, I drowned in my thoughts.

Outside the apartment door, I glanced down at Cora’s booksin my hands, tracing the strange marks in the leather with my thumb. “Yuska?” She turned, attentively. “Can you take me straight to the springs? I feel…” I swallowed nervously, “I feel grubby.”

She scrunched her blonde eyebrows together. “I agree with you.” I met her gaze. “Grubby doesn’t suit you,” she began to open the door, “and you appear in a far worse state than a meregrubby.” How much she knew about today, I was unsure.

Cora and Zamya had hardly moved since this morning. I was too angry to say anything. Cora looked up at me as I dumped the books on the table, leaving immediately afterwards, ignoring her questions about the state of them.

In the quiet gloom of a spring bath chamber, I undressed and slipped into the warm, inviting water. The horrors of the day still swam about in my mind. I couldn’t blot them out. I nearly died…by my own hand, nevertheless.

Aware of Yuska’s presence behind me, folding my clothes into a net basket, I said, “Yuska, could you…could you give me five minutes alone, please?”

There was a short pause before she agreed. I heard the gentle padding of her feet disappearing up the stone steps before I sunk lower into the water, wrapping my arms around myself. It was only then I allowed myself to release the emotion. Full heartedly, I sobbed.

To her credit, Yuska left me for at least twenty minutes, allowing me to compose myself before she returned.

By the time we arrived back at the apartment, my head felt clearer, but I chose to ignore my female colleagues eating at the table. Both watched as I marched across the room to the bedroom, both eyeing each other with question.

I stopped at the foot of my bed, ready to collapse into it. Sleep…that’s what I needed. But Yuska had other ideas. She ushered me into the small room on the far side, gesturing me to sit at the dressing table. I shook my head. “I don’t need assistance, Yuska. Please, I…I can brush my own hair.”

Unexpectedly, she pushed me down into the seat. “I need toget you ready for dinner.”

“Dinner?”

“Havav has requested your presence.”

“Oh, no, no, no.” I met her eyes in the mirror. “There is no way in this world, or any other, that I’m leaving this room this evening.”

“You have no choice in the matter. What Havav requests is always obligated.”

“Yuska, please?” I swallowed down a sob. It wasn’t just the thought of Havav questioning me all evening that I couldn’t bear, I knew Rooke would be in attendance, and I couldn’t stomach seeing him. Not after what he accused me of. Not after…oh, there was so much conflict whirling around my head.

I rubbed my face with the palms of my hands. I hated this place. I wanted to go home, back to my little cottage and its log fire, where I could be left in peace.