Page 11 of A Lion's Heart
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Nisa. It’s also good to know that my scent pleases you,” Keller said.
“She didn’t say that,” Decan snapped. “She said you didn’t smell like a rogue. There’s a difference.”
Keller shrugged. “I guess you’re right.”
“Where are we?” Nisa asked. “What is this place and why is it not on the maps?”
Keller was quick and replied without Decan’s assistance. “Ah, yes, you are the lovely brain behind the holodeck and its wealth of information.”
“I seem to have missed something pretty prominent,” she replied and then looked around the room. “I’m guessing this bunker has eight levels, this one being the lowest. It’s built up instead of out like most of the others down here. The tunnel floor is almost thirty-one thousand feet down. That leaves a lot of space to build up, but it would have taken some time. And approval.”
“Well,” Keller said with a chuckle. “Now that we’ve gotten the logistics out of the way, can I get you a drink, Nisa? Or something to eat? I’m sure you’re starving after your long ride.”
She looked at him skeptically and Decan expected her to decline and demand he tell her where they were or take her out of here one more time for good measure. He wasn’t going to do either, but he wouldn’t deny that he liked her tenacity. It almost matched his.
“Fine,” she said and then accepted the hand that Keller immediately offered her. “I can eat.”
The moment Nisa’s fingers touched Keller’s, Decan felt it. The immediate and almost painful push of his cat against the wall that he always kept erected. He had to take a step to keep from falling with the force. Nisa looked back over her shoulder at him and when their eyes connected he could have sworn she was smiling. Her cat, that is.
It was a strange thought, one Decan had never had before. A Shadow Shifter’s sex drive could be insatiable. A full grown white lion could be skating along the human lines of being addicted to any and every sexual act. Decan declared himself somewhere in between. He also, once again, prided himself on his restraint. He chose who, when and how. Every time.
Nothing a female did could arouse him if he was not in the market for sex. And when he was in the mood, there was usually no female willing to turn him down. Tonight, Decan wasn’t in the mood. Or rather, he knew in his mind that he wasn’t. So why was his cat, and hers, doing some odd type of mating call?
Nisa was correct, this facility was built up. They took the elevator to the third level where the dining room was located. This circular room had only two tables, fifteen-feet each of dark glossed wood with high-back red cushioned chairs lined along each side like soldiers. These walls were smooth and painted a cool green color that wasn’t too bright or too dark. The carpet here was a tree bark brown and Decan immediately got the vibe that he figured whoever designed this space was going for. He’d never been to the Gungi rainforest where the Shadow Shifters originated and he’d never wanted to go. Tonight, was no exception.
“Have a seat,” Keller told Nisa.
She looked up to him and had even smiled before sitting in the chair Keller had pulled out for her. Decan grit his teeth in an effort to hold back the growl that wanted desperately to break free.
He pulled out the chair across from her and sat down heavily because he felt like he was being pushed.
“Our chef can make anything. He used to work for some fancy restaurant above ground and he had a television show. Tonight, in honor of where you are traveling to, I had him prepare barbeque.”
Keller was talking as he sat at the head seat. It was his favored spot, Decan recalled.
“I’ve had barbeque before,” Nisa told him.
“I’ll bet you have,” Keller continued. “I’m sure the chefs at Assembly Headquarters are top notch.”
“I’ve never seen you at any of the quarterly meetings,” she stated.
Keller glanced at Decan who was still trying to figure out what the hell his cat was up to tonight.
“I don’t attend them,” Keller answered.
“Because you’re not a Lead Enforcer? You’re not part of the Shifter Tactical Team at all, are you?” she asked.
Decan lay his hands flat on the table and drummed his fingers. Nisa immediately stopped talking, her head snapping toward his movement. He stopped. She looked up at him. He inhaled deeply and was just letting out a whispered curse when trays of food were brought out and placed on the table between them.
He immediately reached for the glass of water that had been placed in front of him. He watched her, watching him, as he drank.
“Well,” Keller spoke a little louder than he had been before. “I am not part of the STT, but I assure you that it’s perfectly safe for you to be here for the night. Isn’t it, Decan?”
Hell no! Decan almost roared.
He had a dreaded feeling that it wasn’t going to be safe for her to be anywhere around Keller. Not for long anyway.
“So you’re a renegade with enough money and manpower to get this place built. I’m guessing that you probably also have someone in the Assembly helping you keep all of this a secret,” Nisa said to Keller, with her gaze still locked on Decan’s.
