Still, it was an explanation. Not a very good one, she thought. But it was one.
“Come on, Petey,” she told him. “Let’s explore.”
*
Their first stop was the rest of the enormous kitchen – taking care not to touch anything, of course. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before. Everything she had seen of the bunker so far had been function over form, and this was the first area in here that had gone against that. Probably the only part.
But maybe he needed it. To be honest, she didn’t know a lot about Shifters. They kept to themselves, didn’t go to public hospitals often, and so she’d never had the opportunity to deal with one while working. It made sense. He would need to blow off steam, especially in his animal form. A large rec room would be the perfect place to do it, since he couldn’t go outside. She had a feeling that even though the back part of the kitchen was huge to her, it would be small to him.
Whoever he was. She still hadn’t been able to get a name out of him. That irritated her more than she would like to admit.
She knew she shouldn’t touch anything, but she couldn’t resist touching the massive pole in the middle of the room. She took a quick glance backwards to make sure that he wasn’t in the room, and then she ran her hands along it. There were deep gashes in the wood: claw marks. It was good he could take his fury out on the wooden post instead of the room around him. Gina wondered how long something like this could last. She shuddered and hoped that it would be long enough. She would hate to see him truly take his anger out on something else.
As she walked around the weight benches, she wondered what her next step would be. She couldn’t stay in here forever. She didn’t want to stay in here forever, either. Especially not with this man, if he was as unstable as he’d shown so far. Still, she was weak. Even walking slowly around the bunker hurt, now that she had done it for a while. She would never survive outdoors, at least not yet.
And do I even want to go outdoors? She asked herself the question, but she couldn’t tell herself the answer. If bombs had really been dropped, then the whole country could be in chaos right now. She thought back to Haysberry. By now, it had undoubtedly burned completely to the ground. How many people had died? Was Mr. McNeil still alive? She hoped so, but in her heart, she knew the answer.
If things were that bad in Haysberry, then what were they like in a larger city? By most standards, Haysberry was only a small town. It had a decent sized grocery store, a post office, and a swimming pool. The hospital was nice – had been nice, she corrected – but it just wasn’t that big. It seemed like everyone had just gone completely crazy.
The larger cities were probably hundreds of times worse. If they hadn’t been nuked off of the map. The thought of that actually happening made her shudder. She lowered herself to a weight bench and thought about it. As long as she could remember, nukes going off had been one of those fears that had always been in the back of her mind. Had been in the backs of everyone’s minds. It had seemed so ludicrous, but it had always been there.
And now, had it happened? Were they nukes, or were they smaller bombs? Would that even be better? Had bombs even been dropped at all? She had heard explosions, though she hadn’t seen any. If anything, hearing from the Shifter that bombs had been dropped, by the government no less, had confused her even more. She didn’t know what to think, so she got back up and pushed it from her mind. No use dwelling on it now.
The rest of the kitchen was pretty standard, as far as kitchens went. She quietly opened the cabinets, checking what was inside. They were stuffed full of nonperishable foods. A lot of it, too, but not enough to survive indefinitely.
She shivered. What would happen to her and Petey if they had to go back out there? She couldn’t be sure, and she didn’t want to find out. Things would probably work themselves out shortly, and go back to normal. She hoped.
She left the kitchen and peered into the room on her left. She couldn’t see much, so she went inside and felt along the wall until she found the light switch. She turned it on and gasped at what she saw. She was in a bathroom. An actual, real bathroom. She had expected it to be some sort of rudimentary room with a shower, toilet, and sink, but this bathroom was actually nice.
It had all of those things, of course, but instead of a small, stand up shower, there was a huge tub that filled half of the room. Even though it took up the majority of the space, there was enough room for everything else to sit comfortably as well.
Come to think of it, it made sense: if this bunker had been specifically made with Shifters in mind, everything inside would need to be just a bit larger than necessary. For her, it was the perfect size. She imagined herself lounging in the tub, candles lit on the side and bubbles covering the warm water. She felt ashamed. The world had gone to hell only two days ago and here she was fantasizing about taking a long, luxurious bath.
She flipped the light off and went across the hall. The sound of machinery running, familiar from her time spent in the underbelly of Grady, filled this part of the bunker. She turned the light on and saw a couple of generators, larger than any she had ever seen. They seemed even more powerful than the ones at Grady, if that was even possible. There were also other machines and tanks. She spotted a hot water heater and felt herself grinning. That bath might not be so far off, if she could figure out how to reason with the Shifter.
She moved down the hallway until the bedroom was to her left. To the right was another room, currently occupied by the Shifter himself, crouched in front of a massive metal rack. He was poking around in it, shifting boxes to the side. There was all sorts of useful stuff in here, Gina noticed: extra gas, oil, more and more food, and useful-looking tool boxes on top of shelves. She saw soaps, shampoos, old cans of shaving creams, even a stack of books in the far corner.
And even more food. She did some quick mental calculations and reasoned that one person alone could live for at least three years, including the food in the kitchen, maybe more if they rationed. Add another person, and a dog, and that timeline shortened considerably. Still, it was more than she had expected, or even hoped for.
“What are you looking for?” she asked him. Petey moved past her, going towards the man’s ankles. Instead of biting this time, he licked carefully.
The man surprised her by saying, “Another cup.”
Another cup? Oh, that’s right. He broke it.
Gina started looking around, peering into the shelves, careful not to touch anything. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the man warily looking at her out of the corner of his eye, but he said nothing. After a few moments, Gina spotted a stack of cups hidden behind a stack of medical kits.
“I think they’re back here,” she offered. He gave her another look, but stood up and dug through to where she was pointing. He reached his arm back and pulled out a stack of cups, all identical to the one that had shattered earlier.
She waited for his thanks. When he didn’t say anything, she bit off, “You’re welcome,” a bit harsher than she had meant. He flinched under her tone.
“Thanks,” was all he said.
“You’re welcome,” she repeated. “See, that’s how it works.”
He grunted.
“I’m Gina,” she tried for the second time.
He grunted again.
“Now, you tell me your name. That’s how it works.”
“Dean,” he said, and left the room. He flipped the light off on his way out, leaving her in darkness. Petey followed him out.
“Petey!” she hissed. They really were friends now. What the hell was going on here?
Then she followed them out of the storage room.
*
Dean didn’t know what to think. For the longest time, he thought he had everything under control: his life, his bunker, everything in it. He’d effectively dropped off the grid. He hadn’t seen another person, let alone talked to one, in nearly two years. And he had been fine.
Or so he had thought.
Now,
he wasn’t so sure.
It wasn’t just that he didn’t want to talk to this woman - Gina, he corrected himself - it wasn’t just that he didn’t want to talk to Gina; it was also that he didn’t know how. His own voice sounded foreign to him. It sounded wrong. Words were hard to come by.
Sure, he had muttered a few What the hell?s Occasionally a Shit! when something went wrong in the bunker. But real sentences? Those had been silent for a long, long time.
If he had it his way, he wouldn’t talk to this woman at all. If he had his way, he would kick her out this instant. Then again, he could. She was in no position to stop him. She had her dog, of course. Petey. He was vicious and had a lot of heart, but in the end, he wouldn’t be able to stop Dean from kicking them out.
It would be the smart thing to do. It would have been what his grandfather would have done, if his grandfather would had risked his life to save hers in the first place. But Dean didn’t think he had it in him to make her leave. Even though he kept himself away from other people, he had a soft spot in his heart for them.
He had vowed that he would never harm another person again, no matter the reasons or consequences. And yet he had already let his rage get the best of him, if only for a few moments, just a few minutes ago.
That was something he would have to work on, and soon. It had been a long time since he’d shifted. It was always there in the back of his mind, that feeling that he should shift, but he refused it. And he’d almost lost control today. He’d have to do better, especially with another person in the bunker.
He heard her following him back into the kitchen, Petey hot on his heels. He wanted her to leave him alone, to go into his room, to go into the bathroom, anywhere – just away from him. He didn’t want to talk to her.
Well, that was a lie. He did want to talk to her. Who wouldn’t? He didn’t know much about her besides her name, but he could tell that she was a strong woman. She would have to be, after all. He had found her medical kit laying in her car, ready for her to use it to stitch herself up. Most people out there couldn’t do that, no matter what the consequences.
So, she was tough. Strong. Determined. He could also tell that she was smart: probably one of the smartest people he’d ever met. She had the foresight to load up a carload of important stuff. Most people would panic and grab their valuables. This woman had grabbed the essentials to survival. In a way, it resonated with him.
She was also beautiful, though he tried his hardest not to focus on that. He hadn’t seen a person for years, let alone seen a woman. He hadn’t been with one, or even talked with one, for even longer than that. Finding her in her car yesterday had been a surprise.
He’d almost frozen up when he had to cut her scrubs off of her body. It felt wrong. But it had been the only way he could be sure she wasn’t hurt any more, and the only way he could patch her up and save her life. Still, he had seen her almost completely naked, and he didn’t like what he was feeling towards her.
He was attracted to her. That was dangerous. He needed to set some ground rules; not for her, but for himself. If he let himself get attached to her, his survival could be at stake.
What should he do?
There was only one choice. Once she was back to full health, he would send her on her
way. He felt horrible thinking about it, but it was what he had to do. She simply couldn’t stay here. It wasn’t safe for him. He stood in front of the cabinet then, rolling the glass on the counter. Could he do it? Kick her out?
He turned and looked at her. Gina was sitting at the table, playing with Petey. There was a smile on her face. She was kind, too, he realized. Too kind. Too trustworthy. She should be scared stiff right now, he thought. Trapped in a fallout bunker with a Shifter who hasn’t talked to anyone in over two years and looks like a mountain man. She should be scared, but she’s not.
He sat down at the table, unsure of what to say. How did these things go, again? Conversation had never been his strong suit, even before his life had turned bad, but now, it was ten times worse. He thought of plenty of words: Sorry. You need to leave. How are you feeling? That dog sure likes you. You’re beautiful. You’re lucky to be alive. I’m dangerous.
But none of them left his lips.
“So how long have you been in here?” she asked. The dog jumped up into her lap and she stroked him behind the ears.
He opened his mouth to answer, but then closed it. How long had it been? Over two years, but how long, exactly? That’s what she wanted to know, right?
“Two years. Two months. And…” he answered. And how many days?
“Two years and two months, huh? That’s a long time. Why have you been in here so long?”
Dean felt a fresh surge of anger rising up in him. How could she ask him that? It was none of her business! He pushed it away. It wasn’t her fault; she couldn’t have known. Still, flushed emotion must have been evident on his face. She looked surprised.
“I don’t want to talk,” he said. About it, he wanted to say. He still wanted to talk, but the words wouldn’t come out. She nodded at him.
“I’m going to go lay down, then,” she said.
I don’t want to talk about it, but we can talk about something else. The thought was intrusive and he wanted to say it so bad, but the words just wouldn’t come out. But she was almost gone and he had to say something.
“Don’t touch anything.”
She shot him a glare and left the room. Petey hesitated for a second, but when she called him, he followed her dutifully out of the room. Dean sat alone, the silence so loud that he pounded his hands on the table to block it out.
*
Gina heard the banging from the hallway. She faltered for a few steps and stopped. Should she go back and try to calm him down? Try to figure out what was going on? She considered it, but then went into the bedroom. She didn’t want to push the man – Dean – any more than she had to.
After all, if she pissed him off enough, he would just kick her out. That was definitely not what she wanted, especially with her strength so low. She would do her best to get along with him, though she wasn’t sure if that would happen any time soon.
Once she was recovered, what would happen, though? Would he let her stick around here? Would she want to? Would she leave willingly? There was just so much she wasn’t sure of.
She could be stuck with worse, though. Yes, he was crass, brutish, and uncivilized. His speech and actions left much to be desired. But he was good looking, as well. If he would cut his unruly hair and thick beard, he would be a very handsome man.
Stop, Gina! Don’t start thinking about that kind of stuff now! She knew she shouldn’t, not right now. Maybe not ever again. Still, it didn’t hurt to look, right?
Gina had no idea what time it was. In the bunker, time was irrelevant. There were no open windows, no clocks, no way to tell what time of day it was outside. No way to tell what the weather was like. No way to tell if the forest was on fire above them, or bombs had wiped away the face of the earth. In a way, it didn’t matter down here; not right now, anyway. She took comfort in knowing that, for the time being, she was safe.
She lay down on the cot with Petey curled up between her feet, trying to get comfortable. She had a feeling it was going to be a rough night for both of them. Now that her pain was fading away and she didn’t need to rest to heal, Gina noticed all of the downsides of this damn cot. It had been made with efficiency in mind, not comfort. The pillows were hard, and the blanket was itchy wool from some era past.
Still, Gina found herself drifting off, despite everything. As she was dozing off, she saw Dean come into the room and pull a chair up to the table. He leaned back in it, kicked his feet up on the table, and was asleep before she was. It was astonishing to her that he could be so relaxed like that, but soon she too was drifting off into a much-needed sleep.
MUNDO (BBW Bear Shifter MC Romance) (MC Bear Mates Book 2) Page 60
