True Traitor (First Wave Book 7)

by Mikayla Lane

  Especially since he knew that once they were mated, Nana would want them to spend a lot of time there. Not that he would mind, Leif enjoyed the peace here and the excavations that were going on were fascinating to him. He loved that his Nana kept him updated on every new discovery.

  True shook her head at the wooly mammoths.

  “You didn’t create some kind of Jurassic Area 51 did you?” she asked, noting birds, and what looked like deer as well. But, they were different. Larger and different in ways she couldn’t put her finger on.

  Leif laughed. “Hell no! What’s here now has been here since we arrived. We expected them to be fearful of us and we did our best not to interact with them, but the animals approached us. They are very friendly and affectionate creatures here and they are allowed to roam freely, inside and outside, as they had been doing before we arrived. We keep no pets and Nana insists that no meat is eaten here at all. She doesn’t want the animals to smell it on us,” he said.

  True laughed, thinking he had to be lying.

  “The mammoths are allowed inside?” she asked incredulously.

  Leif nodded. “There’s what we believe is a chapel here that looks like it was built specifically to accommodate them. As well as covered walkways, arches and other buildings. They roam as they did before we came. When they want affection, someone is more than willing to provide it, otherwise, we leave them be,” he said, proud of how well they learned to live in harmony with the animals. It was one of the reasons no one tried to harm one of the Sibiox. Besides, Nana would have had them cleaning up animal droppings for the next hundred years if they had.

  True shook her head, it was all a bit much. “So, this was all here? This warm and tropical oasis, dropped in the middle of the coldest place on the planet, was just here when you found it? This . . . what is this?” she asked as she looked up and around at the building they were in.

  Leif chuckled at her awe and knew how she felt. This place still got to him too. “We call this the castle. It really looks like one too, hence the name . . .” he said, then laughed as True punched him in the shoulder.

  True looked out on the stone metropolis beneath them and asked, “How many people do you have here?” she asked, estimating the place could hold at least ten thousand just from what she could see from the balcony.

  Leif smiled at his curious mate, more than willing to answer anything she asked as long as they could remain so friendly to one another.

  “We only have a few hundred. 90 percent of this place remains empty and more than that remains under ice throughout the continent. When the conversion comes, this place is going to be the Garden of Eden. Too bad the elites claimed it and have no plans on sharing it with anyone else,” Leif said with a disgusted shake of his head.

  True gasped and looked at him with excited gray eyes.

  “You mean there’s more of it?” she asked incredulous.

  Leif snorted. “This continent is covered in a mile of ice, but what’s underneath it are cities, just like this one. It’s the second sun that saved this place from the same fate. There are roads here, that the farther you go up, the icier it becomes until it is no longer travelable and turns into a wall of ice,” he explained.

  “And you don’t know who built it?” she asked, unable to believe that something like this could exist and no one know anything about it.

  Leif shook his head sadly. “We’ve never really had enough free personnel to dig into it much. Literally. Hopefully, if Nana and Grai can work things out, we can share the responsibilities and figure it out. I think we’d all like to know,” he admitted.

  True looked into his blue eyes and could see and feel his own curiosity in the place. She looked up at the sky again, before looking back at the park-like area and what was an ancient city.

  “Can we look around or are we prisoners?” she asked, dying to see what looked like ancient Rome come to life beneath her.

  Leif sighed.

  “I’m not really sure . . . but I think we have free reign to roam. I just don’t think we can get back to the Folly anytime soon. Nana probably thought she was protecting us,” he said with a shrug.

  True hopped off of his lap, updated Grai about where she was and wasn’t surprised that he’d already asked Nana about her and knew she was in a safe place. He promised to come in a day or two when things quieted at the Folly. But, ordered her to remain there until things were more settled.

  True gave Leif a small smile. “Looks like we’re stuck here for a little while. So, show me around,” she said.

  Leif grinned and stood, gesturing for her to go back inside the room. He waited for her to get to the bedroom door before saying, “I’m starving. Can we grab some food while we’re out?”

  True was a little surprised and giggled, feeling like she had woken up in another world. It seemed like only five minutes ago they were rushing down a tunnel in the middle of a semi-war and now she was getting ready to explore a mythical paradise.

  Leif moved in front of True to the door and held his finger to his lips as he peeked outside. Seeing no one in the hallway, he opened the door and stepped outside, holding his hand out for True as he did.

  He smiled as she didn’t hesitate to take it and stepped out with him into the large hallway. True looked around the hallway in awe. It was definitely tall and wide enough to fit one of those mammoths. Huge slabs of solid rock made up the floors, walls and ceiling and True likened it to the tunnels they’d been in at the Folly.

  Leif led an open-mouthed True down the hallway and several flights of stairs before ending up in a kitchen that was the size of a convenience store. The counters were covered with bowls of fresh fruit and vegetables and the smell of fresh baked breads and other goods permeated the room.

  Leif’s stomach chose that moment to growl and he blushed as True giggled at him before she walked over to one of the bowls and grabbed a handful of nuts. Leif moved to a cupboard and grabbed a few plates and bowls before handing one to True. Then, he began piling food on his plate.

  True leaned over and smelled the different sliced breads that lined a counter and grabbed a few before spreading them with fresh butter and fruit preserves. Adding some fruit to her plate as well, she joined Leif at a large table in the corner of the room.

  True studied the room for a few minutes while they ate, surprised at the unique carvings that were made into the rock walls and ceilings. She’d seen them throughout the hallways as they went into the kitchen. And they looked strangely familiar.

  Leif interrupted her thoughts with a snort. “You don’t have to smoke your brain trying to figure things out yourself. If you have questions, ask me. I’ll tell you anything I know, even if it’s just observations we’ve made about the place since we’ve been here. And we’ve been here over a thousand years, so we have a lot of thoughts,” he said with a cheeky grin, hoping to re-engage her in a conversation.

  She was smart and funny and when she wasn’t trying to set his ass of fire, she was a lot of fun to be around and Leif really wanted to get to know the person that she was inside, not the fire breathing war dragon she was at the Folly.

  True grinned. “It’s not that I don’t want to ask, it’s so overwhelming that it’s hard to think of something to start with. But, I wasn’t thinking of a question . . . more of an observation that I’ve seen these same carvings somewhere before and I was trying to remember where,” she admitted.

  “Ahh, I see,” Leif said. “You’re right, you probably have seen them before. They are the same unique animal carvings that have been found in some of the oldest archeological sites on the planet. Gobekli Tepe immediately came to my mind when I first saw them,” he said, popping some more grapes into his mouth.

  True sucked in a breath and smiled wide. “That’s it! You’re right, that’s exactly where I’ve seen them! Have you been there?” she asked in amazement, hoping that he had. She loved stuff like this.

  Leif sighed and shook his head. “No, the legends kept a pretty t
ight leash on me and we were usually kept pretty busy so there wasn’t too much time for vacations. You probably know what I mean,” he said, assuming that her people didn’t get much breaks either.

  True shook her head. “No, we get vacations. Hell, we even get paid. Grai thinks it’s better for us to live like the humans for the most part. Mad skills and awesomeness aside, we are still human too. We celebrate holidays like they do. Even if we don’t worship their particular World Gods, we can appreciate that it is a special time for them and show respect for their beliefs,” True said honestly, wondering how tight the leash was on the poor guy.

  Leif snorted and shoved his plate away. “Yeah, we don’t get paid either. The theory is, if everything is provided, what’s there to buy? I would like to travel a little . . . you know, act like a tourist. Check out some of the ancient sites like Machu Picchu in Peru or Dwarka in India. I can’t help but think there are specific clues for the humans in places like that. Clues to help them prepare for the conversion,” he said, his eyes gleaming with interest and excitement.

  As True watched Leif become more and more animated it finally dawned on her what they both had in common and she giggled a little. “You watch that show on the ancient alien stuff don’t you?” she asked with a wide grin.

  Leif blushed a little. “Come on, can’t a guy like history without being accused of being a fluffy hair guy fan?”

  True busted out laughing. “You are!”

  Leif turned a deeper red and stood up to put his plate in the sink and True jumped up to do the same. Seeing he was embarrassed she bumped into him at the sink until he looked down at her.

  True grinned, her grey eyes sparkling with amusement. “I’ll deny this if you ever tell on me, but I love that fluffy haired guy too. He’s so passionate and engaging that it’s hard not to appreciate it. Besides, I call it research into our past as well since no one knows where the first compatible female for the outpost survivors really came from,” she admitted with a slight blush of her own.

  She had no idea why she shared that with him. No one knew of her secret obsession for the fluffy haired guy and his show. All she knew was that Leif had been deeply embarrassed about something they had in common and she felt like a traitor for not admitting it.

  Leif’s bright smile made True shiver a little, but it made her feel 10 feet tall as well. In a strange way, it was nice to know that she could confide in someone about her secret obsession for the fluffy haired guy and his shows. Just then, a thought occurred to her.

  True pulled away from the sink and looked around the room for a minute before she started grabbing random food items and started dumping them in a small basket. Leif watched her in amusement, wondering what she was doing.

  “You don’t have to hoard the food. We won’t starve you,” he said with a chuckle.

  True just grinned broadly and said, “Grab some drinks we can take with us.”

  Leif was curious, but did as she asked and grabbed two refillable drink containers with lids and added them to her basket with a few bottles of wine. Leaning against the counter he asked, “Now what?”

  True looked up at him and smiled. “Now, you get to carry this, while we go play tourist and put our fluffy haired guy knowledge to the test! We can picnic with some mammoths and maybe use the comms to see if we can find out something about this place. We’re stuck here, we may as well have fun on our vacation, right?” she asked with a teasing grin and a twinkle in her grey eyes.

  Leif’s eyes grew wide and seemed to light from within and it only made True’s smile grow bigger to see him become so excited. He grabbed her into a quick hug before grabbing the basket in one hand and one of her hands in the other before pulling her through a doorway and into a breathtaking courtyard. True stopped and let her hand fall from his as she looked around and drew a deep breath into her lungs.

  Leif stopped and was going to urge her on again when he saw the look of pleasure on her face. Wondering what she’d stopped for, he looked around and breathed deeply as she’d done and he was surprised that he’d forgotten how beautiful this place smelled and how gorgeous it looked with the explosions of large, fragrant blooms of all kinds.

  The kitchen courtyard garden contained hundreds of edible herbs and flowers. Some of the plants had been extinct elsewhere on the planet for hundreds of years but continued to thrive here in this little oasis.

  True gently touched a large rose and turned to Leif with a smile that made the flower’s beauty pale in comparison to the woman holding it and Leif sucked in a breath and clenched his fists to keep from pulling her into his arms and kissing her.

  “This place is incredible,” True said, smelling the large flower.

  Several seconds later it dawned on Leif that she’d spoken. “Huh?” he asked, still staring at her mouth.

  True finally realized that not only was he staring, but his desire was being broadcast through his energy pretty clearly. She cleared her throat and stepped away from the flowers.

  Motioning in front of her she said, “Flower break is over. Let’s go see what we can find. How many buildings are here? What do you guys do here besides piss off the humans? And how does that work? Why haven’t they just sled dogged here instead of flying?”

  As she’d expected, her questions were like a bucket of ice water being thrown on him and Leif weeded through her questions in his mind before answering her.

  He began walking out of the garden with her beside him. “We’re not sure how many buildings are here because we still haven’t found them all. Even here, it looks like a civilization, on top of another. Like one was here first, but then left and another took over the already built city and added their own touch,” Leif said.

  He turned and gave her a big smile.

  “We do more than piss off the humans, although just our existence here does that. The elite scum think that we’re here to steal what they think they’ve claimed for themselves. They already know that once the conversion occurs that this will be a sanctuary for most of humanity, but they don’t want most of humanity here. They want this place, its relics, history, and power for themselves. Fiorn won’t let them have anything if he can help it. I have to agree with him on that,” Leif said honestly.

  True walked under a huge covered sidewalk and couldn’t help but swing her head from side to side trying to take everything in until she realized what he’d said.

  “What power and relics are here?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Countdown Clock to Human Discovery

  11:00 Hours

  This is WFWZ Radio News. Several hundred residents have now been displaced in the Burnt Tree Ridge area due to the landslide and authorities expect that number to rise over the next few hours.

  Due to the danger surrounding the area, the roads remain closed down while authorities make their way to the area to determine stability. Stay tuned to WFWZ Radio News for regular updates on this dangerous situation.

  Grai and Ivint had long passed amazed an hour ago when they first stepped into Thjodhild’s command center. Like most of the facility, the floors and walls were illuminated and the crystals interspersed in the walls gave it a magical but surreal feel to it.

  Thjodhild’s personal staff had taken over the moment she had arrived and they were currently manning a wide variety of screens, panels, and comm centers around the room. The center of the large room was taken up by a large table where another 3D image of the area was projected on it.

  Grai had just heard from Tricia that she and the children were now resting in a suite of rooms not far from where they were located, and he couldn’t help but be relieved that they were safe and well. Both Decano and Lauren were staying with her and the children, and Grai was grateful that things had gone so well considering the circumstances.

  The only thing that had everyone puzzled, was where Fiorn and a select few of his team had gone. Thjodhild had ordered someone to go check on him an hour ago, when they hadn’t heard from him in a while, and he
was gone. He had left the Folly and no one knew or was willing to say where he had gone.

  Thjodhild leaned her hands on the table and called out, “Give me a report on the park area. Have all the humans been evacuated?”

  Slate answered, “Ma’am, the humans have been evacuated, but Sam and Jax reported that the animals have seen several drones flying in the area. They aren’t ours, so we’re looking for them.”

  Thjodhild turned to Ivint and Grai. “Can your cloaked ships help find them?” she asked.

  Grai nodded and opened the comm to his brother.

  “Koda, we need your ships to find some drones and shoot them down,” he said.

  Seconds later, Koda’s strong voice came through.

  “Will do. We’re on our way back from the quadrant border, if you need more aerial support. Seems Dagog was trying to test our defenses. He must have thought we were too distracted to notice them,” he said with a sneer in his voice.

  Grai chuckled.

  “He never was the brightest of us. Thanks, Koda. We’ll let you know if we need more support,” he said, glad that it hadn’t turned into a multi-front war.

  Moments later, one of Koda’s hybrid pilots came through the comm.

  “We’re going in for a systematic search, sir.”

  Thjodhild whistled as she watched several ships enter the atmosphere and disappear.

  “Damn, that is so handy. We really need that cloaking technology on our ships. Can we retrofit something like that?” she asked, her blue eyes alight with excitement.

  Ivint and Reven chuckled.

  “Yeah, we could easily retrofit something like that right into the shields. You have shields on your ships right?” Gracus answered.

  Thjodhild nodded.

  “That was something Fiorn did not compromise on,” she said.