by Amelia Jade
Allix’s eyes opened and she stretched, raising her arms above her head. This caused the covers to fall away, and he watched admiringly at the way her body moved as she arched her back.
“Pervert,” she said, catching him staring at her.
“Sorry you’re sexy,” he said in fake apology.
Allix giggled, then sat up, pulling the sheets with her to keep her covered. Luther sensed the mood change and he looked over at her. She had something to say, he could tell.
“I’ve been thinking,” she said without preamble.
He nodded. “So have I.”
Allix looked at him sharply, but then shook her head. “Not about us.” She paused. “I mean, I have been about that as well, but that’s not what I’m referring to.”
“Go on.” He nodded at her once, sitting up as well, fully intrigued now by what she was about to say.
“You’ve seen me wandering around. Looking, watching, listening.”
“Yes,” he said. “The colonel mentioned to me that people have begun to take note. A few have wondered if you’re perhaps a spy for Fenris, but those of us who know your story know that isn’t true.”
She nodded her head appreciatively at his support.
“Luther,” she said haltingly.
He sat up straighter, if that were possible. Whatever she was about to say was big, for her.
“Take your time,” he said, reaching out and resting a hand reassuringly on her crossed leg for a moment.
“All my life, I’ve roamed, wandered, explored. I’ve never set down roots, I’ve just done whatever felt right at the time, while I tried to find what it was I was looking for.”
He nodded, understanding what she meant intellectually, if not emotionally. This was something they’d discussed before. She’d lived in plenty of places, rarely for more than a year, sometimes for as short as a month or two.
“So you’re ready to move on?” he asked, guessing what was coming next, even as his heart readied itself to be hurt.
That realization came as a bit of a shock, but he didn’t have time to process it before she continued speaking.
“No,” she said with a nervous smile. “Luther, this is what I’ve been searching for,” she said, spreading her arms wide to indicate Base Camp as a whole. “This, this structure and rigidity. This sense of place, where everyone has a role to play, and they just do it because they want to. People choose to come here, and they choose to stay. And all of those who have are just so interested in doing what’s necessary, right then and there, without delay or whining, or just bullshit in general.”
She waved off his protest. “Oh I’m sure there is that as well. I’m not stupid. But that’s what the chain of command is for. It’s a rigid hierarchy that’s clearly laid out, without any stupid backroom games to determine things.”
Her hazel eyes brightened as she spoke, and Luther saw the barely contained energy in her limbs.
“Luther,” she said, firmly meeting his gaze. “I want to stay here. I want in, I want to be a part of this. I need it.” She fell silent for a moment, and he saw helplessness creep into her expression. “How the hell do I do that as a human?”
He bit his lip, taken aback by the ferocity of her emotions on the topic. It was clear to him she meant every word she’d said. She did need this sort of structure and rule in her life. But she was right; she was human, and everyone here was a shifter. Nobody would take her seriously if she couldn’t put the shit-disturbers into line physically. That was just the way it was in shifter life. She would get run out of town in a heartbeat.
You could always offer to—
No. He wouldn’t suggest that, or go down that avenue. Allix wouldn’t understand what she was signing up for before she accepted. She needed more time before that idea was broached.
“I don’t know,” he said aloud. “I’ve never had to consider that sort of situation before. It would be difficult, that’s for sure. Too much of our society functions around physical strength to keep the more unruly components in line. Some of the dicks that come through here would make your life a living hell before they were booted from the program.”
“Trust me, I’m aware,” she said grumpily. “I’ve watched the good and the bad here.” She eyed him. “But trust me, there is more good here than bad. I know you don’t feel that way, but I can see it, perhaps with a little less of a bias than you.”
Now it was his turn to frown. They’d discussed his misgivings with Cadia and to a lesser extent the Green Bearets as a whole. He’d thrown himself into his job because he knew Fenris wouldn’t give a rat’s ass about his feelings. Luther might not believe that Cadia truly stood for all it claimed to, that the corruption was too rampant, but he would absolutely take it over Fenris any day.
“I don’t know,” he muttered, looking away. “You don’t see all that I see though. Things get glossed over for you. Hell, you’ve never even been to Cadia proper, or talked to any of those politicians over there, the ones who truly make the rules. When you hear some of the bullshit that comes from their mouths, it might jade you a bit as well.”
Allix shrugged his criticisms off. “It might at that. But Luther, the people here, at Base Camp, they are the ones making a difference. The ones doing the training and who will do the fighting when Fenris comes. And if I’ve become confident in anything lately, it’s that they will come. Nobody seems to doubt that they’ll invade Cadia eventually. Shit,” she said angrily, “they already kicked you out of Cloud Lake. I’m surprised they haven’t come after Cadia itself yet.”
“They tried doing that before they were ready,” he admitted. “They hired a mercenary company of dragons about a month ago. From what I understand, they wrecked a lot of shit before our new king, Daxxton, killed their leader and half of their most badass troops. That was when he met his mate.”
Allix nodded, a faraway look entering her eyes. Luther tried not to snort. He knew how fairytale-esque Daxxton’s story was. But the gold dragon was so far detached from the grounded realities in Cadia that Luther wasn’t sure he believed half the story. The dragons simply operated on a different level than the rest of the shifters. The rules didn’t apply the same way to them.
It made him jealous.
“So, what do I do?” she asked.
Luther looked at her helplessly, trying to keep his one idea concealed from his facial expressions as best he could. “I don’t know.”
He would tell her about that option in time. Perhaps. But not yet, not now. Once she’d had more time to experience life in the shifter world, perhaps he would tell her about it.
Still, he had to keep his heart from breaking at the look of dejection that settled over Allix’s face. He needed to find another way.
And he needed to do it fast, before she decided to move on again.
Before she left him.
***
Allix
Luther wasn’t telling her everything.
He’d hid it well, but they’d spent so much of their time in close proximity to each other recently, that she’d seen the flash in his eyes. What confused her the most, besides his unwillingness to tell her, was that the look had, if anything, been one of fear.
Whatever his idea was, he was scared to tell it to her. The question that remained was his reasoning. Was Luther scared of the idea, or of her reaction to it?
And what was his idea? All she wanted to do was help, not to turn things on its head. Allix quite liked the way everything was being run there. She just wanted in.
“I’ll be a bit late tonight,” Luther said, pulling his shirt over his head, the rank insignia she now knew indicated he was a captain emblazoned upon the arm.
Another nice part of living in Base Camp was the fact that their uniform was military pants and a tight-fitting T-shirt. The amount of muscle on display as she walked around was delightful. She only had eyes for Luther; she’d made that clear from the start. But that didn’t mean she disliked their clothing choices.
“Running them extra ragged?” she asked with a smile.
“Need to see which of them spent their time off wisely, and those who thought they could get away with a bit of partying,” he replied affirmatively, a mischievous smile on his face.
“I almost feel bad for them,” she said with a laugh. “See you later.”
He leaned down and kissed her thoroughly before departing.
Allix waited until he was gone before she leapt from bed, throwing on some clothing. She’d finally managed to secure some new undergarments and outer clothing as well. A lovely female lieutenant had gone on leave to Cadia itself, and she’d offered to help Allix out, since she wasn’t supposed to leave Base Camp.
Apparently nobody here had told the rest of Cadia that they were harboring a human fugitive from Fenris. She wondered why. Luther had said it would just cause unnecessary problems, and he hadn’t seemed to be giving her a jaded sarcastic response either, so she assumed that had most to do with it.
Either way, the lieutenant had brought her several changes of clothes. She looked more like a shifter now, dressing in their clothing style. If it weren’t for the parka and thick pants keeping her warm, she might even have passed for one.
That thought brought a laugh as she slipped from the quarters she shared with Luther and headed out across the parade grounds.
More than one set of eyes looked her way, and a few heads even turned. She heard drill instructors berate their charges over lack of discipline and tried to hide the smile from her face. She would never dream of cheating on Luther—although they hadn’t actually said it, they both knew things with them were exclusive—it was still nice to know that she was considered attractive enough to turn heads, especially when dressed in the clothing she was.
Her march took her straight through the middle of Base Camp. The barracks were on the east side of the base, the officers’ quarters on the south. Her destination was the offices on the north. This was the fastest way, and she knew Luther wouldn’t have his charges out yet, so he wouldn’t see her. That would be all the better, based on her destination.
“Allix.”
She turned as a familiar face came up alongside her.
“Aksel!” she said happily, giving him a brief hug.
“How are you?” he asked, falling in step next to her, seemingly headed in the same direction.
“I’m good,” she replied. “Really good. How have you been? I haven’t seen you in several days.”
Luther had properly introduced her to Aksel, but since then, four days ago if she recalled, he hadn’t been seen.
“My training company went out on an extended exercise,” he said. “Just got back last night actually.”
“Sounds like fun,” she said with a grin.
“I had a blast. The rest of the company…” he trailed off and she joined him in laughing.
“Where are you headed?” he asked.
“Colonel Richter’s office,” she said, seeing no harm in saying anything.
“Uh-oh, in trouble?” he teased.
“No, just need to talk to him,” she said, trying to discourage any further questioning.
Aksel looked at her expression, then nodded once firmly. “Fair enough. I need to go file some forms for lost and ruined gear. Should be fun,” he said, rolling his eyes.
“Have fun!” she said, giving him a friendly pat on the arm as they split.
The quartermasters office was on the opposite side of the administrative building from where she was headed.
“See ya around. Say hi to Luther for me.”
She smiled and gave him a wave before ducking inside. Her feet carried her confidently down the hallway, until it opened up into a large room filled with eight or nine desks. One desk was directly in the path of anyone walking into the room, and behind it was an officious looking woman who glanced up at her.
“Hello, Allix,” the woman said with a friendly smile. “What can I do for you today?”
“Hey Lana. I need to talk to the colonel,” she replied. Allix had only ever been in this building once before, but she and Lana had met several times over the week that she’d been here.
“You’re in luck, actually. He has about ten minutes before his next meeting. Go on in, I’ll let him know you’re coming,” the blonde secretary said, jerking her head to the walled-off office behind her.
“Thank you,” Allix said gratefully, and moved around the desk.
Her stride faltered slightly, but she didn’t let it stop her.
Remembering her manners, she paused at the open door and knocked.
“Come in,” came the distracted reply, and she entered to see Colonel Richter shuffling some papers into a file and stowing it in his desk.
“Thank you for seeing me,” Allix said as she took one of the offered chairs, nervously looking around the office.
It was furnished with what appeared to be a respectable compromise between efficiency and respect for his station. The furniture was all dark wood, heavy and long-lasting. There was the desk and two chairs in front of it, as well as a large wall unit behind the desk, all in the same style.
But everything else was fairly Spartan, from the plain black filing cabinets to the lack of personal decorations or pictures. Colonel Richter was interested in doing his job, and doing it well. He didn’t do it for any accolades or power that might come his way.
“What can I do for you, Allix? Are you ready to leave? I can provide transportation out of Cadia if that’s the case.”
“No,” she said hastily, shaking her head. “No, that won’t be necessary.”
“Okay, has there been an incident? Any of the shifters not respecting the rules?”
“No,” she said again. “I don’t even know if I’ve been catcalled since I’ve been here. Your men are quite respectable, Colonel.”
He gave her a look of disbelief. “I’m not sure I can agree with that. It’s probably just that none of them wish to cross Captain Klein.”
Allix laughed nervously. “I can believe that. I’ve seen him deal with discipline issues. He’s not exactly…lenient.”
The colonel looked at her strangely for a moment and then joined in the laughter. “No, no I suppose he isn’t. I have to admit though, I’m surprised you aren’t more put off by our methods. There have been a few humans that have come here before, and while most of the men get it to an extent, the women never seem to. They also abhor the violence that is part of our culture, and try to tell us to be more civilized.”
She frowned. “Sir, you’re half-animal. Animals aren’t civilized. It’s only natural that your culture would be an amalgamation of human and animal.” Allix sat back in the chair, suddenly more at ease as she talked about the subject. “I was shocked and disgusted when I first got here, I won’t lie. But the more I see, the more I watch and learn, the more I understand. Someone who just watches an instructor discipline their recruits wouldn’t understand. They would just see the violence behind it, and try to compare it to a human example.”
The colonel nodded. “That’s pretty much exactly how they do it.”
“But that simply can’t work. You aren’t human. Not completely,” she said. “So what works for them, won’t work for you. But I’ve been here for a week now. I’ve seen the way the instructors and superior officers, like yourself and Luther, interact with the men under your command. It’s clear to me that you care, and care deeply. That you want them to succeed, to become better.” Her voice lowered. “That you care about them.”
She sat up and grinned. “But don’t worry, I won’t tell the men your secret.”
“You are most astute for a human, Allix Rose,” the colonel said, sitting back in his chair and regarding her. “Most astute. But that isn’t what brought you to my office. I hate to be rude, but I do have only a few minutes before I have an important meeting.”
“In a way, sir, it is what brought me here,” she said, her confidence stronger after Colonel Richter’s kind words. “You see, sir, wh
en I said I don’t want to go anywhere, I meant it.”
“Well, you know you’re welcome to stay with Captain Klein for the time being…”
“I know, sir. But I want to stay here.” She looked him directly in the eyes. “I want to help.”
“Help?”
“Yes,” she said fiercely. “I can’t go back to Cloud Lake, and for once in my entire life, I don’t want to run away. I want to stay and help. To assist in any way I can.”
“But you’re human.”
She grew angry. “I damn well know that, thank you very much. Trust me, I’ve been made very well aware of it. But there has to be a way that I can assist.”
“No. Absolutely not. Staying here is one thing, but getting involved, that’s a different can of worms entirely, Allix. You would be eaten alive.”
Her teeth ground together. “There must be some way I can assist.”
“I’m sorry Allix, but I can’t allow it. This is a shifter base, and it just wouldn’t be safe for you.” He paused. “Perhaps you can help in the office?”
She snarled. “I’m not going to be a paper-pusher.”
Garrin Richter shrugged. “I’m sorry then, Allix. It’s nothing personal; it’s just logic.”
Angrily she stood, the chair pushing backward against the floor, propelled by her rise. “Thanks for nothing,” she snapped and turned smartly, striding from the office, her head down as she muttered impolite things.
So much for that. Maybe I’m not meant to be here after all. Maybe I should just leave. I could—
Allix slammed into a brick wall.
“Ow!” she exclaimed, shaking her head and looking up to see what had happened. She was positive a wall hadn’t existed there before.
Her eyes fell on another tall shifter. This one was different, she saw. He was older, and his icy blue eyes spoke of having seen much in his time. Her eyes strayed to the white shirt he was wearing, and they went wide as she noted more rank symbols on it than she had on anyone else.
Including Colonel Richter.
“Uh, I’m sorry,” she stammered, barely getting the words out.
