reasoned with myself. Next time I would be ready, or maybe the time after that.
“ I think we should head back,” he said, after we had been laying there until well after curfew.
” Do we have to? If Henri is going to be mad at me, he probably already is. So I might as well just stay out. Unless you’re tired of me?” I teased him.
“ I never get tired of you,” he sounded sincere.
“Good, ” I smiled, not realizing until just then how worried I’d been about that.
“But I really should get you back, Henri might be a little upset about you missing curfew, but he’ll be furious if you don’t come home at all,” Donavon reasoned, getting to his feet and pulling his rumbled clothes back on. Reluctantly I followed suit.
“Tal?” he called hesitantly.
“Yeah?”
“I really do love you. I hope you know that.”
“I do .”
Donavon walked me back to my cab in and kissed me goodbye at the door. I eased the door open as slowly and quietly as I could manage. I slipped off my leather flip flops at the entrance, and crept across the wooden floor boards on my toes. I lowered myself into bed, willing the springs not to squeak. I let out a sigh as my head made contact with the pillow. I was sure that Henri would ream me in the morning, but at least I could go to sleep in peace.
“Natalia?” Henri’s voice cut through the silence. Crap.
“Yes?” I replied, tentatively.
“This is your one pass. Don’t miss curfew again.” He was trying to sound stern, but I could tell from his mind that he wasn’t really mad.
“Thank you,” I said quietly, trying to sound humble. “Henri?”
“Yeah Tal?”
“I’m sorry, ” I seemed to be saying that a lot tonight.
“I know.”
Chapter Ten
“Get up. Get up. Get up,” Erik sang the next morning.
“Go away, go away, go away,” I groaned, covering my head with a pillow.
“Go away?” h e scoffed. “We have a big day ahead of us, and the sooner you get up the sooner we can get it started.”
“It’s my day off,” I whined.
“We have a surprise for you,” he tempted.
“I don’t like surpri ses,” I countered.
“It wouldn’t be a surprise if you had made curfew last night ,” Henri cut in dryly. Guilt washed over me. I groaned again, and threw the pillow in the direction that I judged Erik’s voice to be coming from.
“Nice. All that sensory deprivation training really paid off,” Erik c ommended me, as the pillow hit him with a soft thud.
“Thanks, now tell me my surprise,” I said , sitting up.
“You’re so demanding in the morning,” Erik teased.
“We’re taking you to D.C. for the day,” Henri announced.
“I’ m not allowed to go to the city. Remember, I’m just a lowly Pledge,” I tried not to sound too disappointed.
“I already cleared it with Captain Alvarez, who in turn called the Director , who of course said you could go,” Henri replied dismissively.
I expected Erik to make a snide remark, but for once he kept his mouth shut.
“Wow. Thanks Henri.” Now I felt even worse about missing curfew the night before.
“You can only come for the day,” he warned. “The Director wouldn’t budge on letting you stay down there after dark.”
“That’s okay, I‘ m just so excited to get to go at all!” I exclaimed, jumping out of my bed.
“Then get ready alrea dy, so we can leave,” Erik urged. I squealed happily and skipped to the bathroom.
I absentmindedly hurried through my morning routine and opened up my mind to find Donavon. I could tell he was awake and in his cabin.
“Hey, guess what?” I sent.
“What?” his mental voice sounded sleepy, so I guessed he’d just woken up.
“ Henri cleared it with your Dad; I get to go to the city today!”
“With Henri and Erik?” he didn’t sound happy.
“Well, yeah. I guess, so we can spend bonding time or whatever,” I tried to sound offhand, but I was really excited and I didn’t want him
“ I think we should head back,” he said, after we had been laying there until well after curfew.
” Do we have to? If Henri is going to be mad at me, he probably already is. So I might as well just stay out. Unless you’re tired of me?” I teased him.
“ I never get tired of you,” he sounded sincere.
“Good, ” I smiled, not realizing until just then how worried I’d been about that.
“But I really should get you back, Henri might be a little upset about you missing curfew, but he’ll be furious if you don’t come home at all,” Donavon reasoned, getting to his feet and pulling his rumbled clothes back on. Reluctantly I followed suit.
“Tal?” he called hesitantly.
“Yeah?”
“I really do love you. I hope you know that.”
“I do .”
Donavon walked me back to my cab in and kissed me goodbye at the door. I eased the door open as slowly and quietly as I could manage. I slipped off my leather flip flops at the entrance, and crept across the wooden floor boards on my toes. I lowered myself into bed, willing the springs not to squeak. I let out a sigh as my head made contact with the pillow. I was sure that Henri would ream me in the morning, but at least I could go to sleep in peace.
“Natalia?” Henri’s voice cut through the silence. Crap.
“Yes?” I replied, tentatively.
“This is your one pass. Don’t miss curfew again.” He was trying to sound stern, but I could tell from his mind that he wasn’t really mad.
“Thank you,” I said quietly, trying to sound humble. “Henri?”
“Yeah Tal?”
“I’m sorry, ” I seemed to be saying that a lot tonight.
“I know.”
Chapter Ten
“Get up. Get up. Get up,” Erik sang the next morning.
“Go away, go away, go away,” I groaned, covering my head with a pillow.
“Go away?” h e scoffed. “We have a big day ahead of us, and the sooner you get up the sooner we can get it started.”
“It’s my day off,” I whined.
“We have a surprise for you,” he tempted.
“I don’t like surpri ses,” I countered.
“It wouldn’t be a surprise if you had made curfew last night ,” Henri cut in dryly. Guilt washed over me. I groaned again, and threw the pillow in the direction that I judged Erik’s voice to be coming from.
“Nice. All that sensory deprivation training really paid off,” Erik c ommended me, as the pillow hit him with a soft thud.
“Thanks, now tell me my surprise,” I said , sitting up.
“You’re so demanding in the morning,” Erik teased.
“We’re taking you to D.C. for the day,” Henri announced.
“I’ m not allowed to go to the city. Remember, I’m just a lowly Pledge,” I tried not to sound too disappointed.
“I already cleared it with Captain Alvarez, who in turn called the Director , who of course said you could go,” Henri replied dismissively.
I expected Erik to make a snide remark, but for once he kept his mouth shut.
“Wow. Thanks Henri.” Now I felt even worse about missing curfew the night before.
“You can only come for the day,” he warned. “The Director wouldn’t budge on letting you stay down there after dark.”
“That’s okay, I‘ m just so excited to get to go at all!” I exclaimed, jumping out of my bed.
“Then get ready alrea dy, so we can leave,” Erik urged. I squealed happily and skipped to the bathroom.
I absentmindedly hurried through my morning routine and opened up my mind to find Donavon. I could tell he was awake and in his cabin.
“Hey, guess what?” I sent.
“What?” his mental voice sounded sleepy, so I guessed he’d just woken up.
“ Henri cleared it with your Dad; I get to go to the city today!”
“With Henri and Erik?” he didn’t sound happy.
“Well, yeah. I guess, so we can spend bonding time or whatever,” I tried to sound offhand, but I was really excited and I didn’t want him
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