Chapter 13
The next day
Heather carried the wrapped package with the baby quilt to Devlon’s tent. He was waiting for her. His eyes traveled up and down her body. She was wearing a skirt and a pretty blue blouse. Totally not her style, but some of the women in her tribe had refused to let her go off with Devlon wearing her usual baggy jeans and sweatshirt. They would have put makeup on her if there was any available. They did put her hair up in a french braid. She hadn’t felt this nervous since she was in high school. She was out of her element. At least she had her gun strapped to her thigh under the skirt, which made her feel a little better.
She stopped a few feet from him and shifted the package on her hip. “Hi.”
“Hi. You look…”
“Weird? Stupid?”
“You look beautiful.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “Thanks.” She remembered the package and thrust it at him. “Here, it’s the baby quilt. You might want to check it out to make sure it’s okay. You didn’t say whether the baby was going to be a boy or girl so they used neutral colors, yellows, browns, and white.”
“I’m sure they’ll like it just fine. I love the one you lent me.”
She imagined him in that quilt and wearing nothing at all. Her lips were suddenly dry, and she had to clear her throat. “So, are you ready to go?”
“Yes. We’ve decided to take a subcar to test the tunnel, but we’ll attach the floating carts to the back in case of any issues. If it’s clear, you’ll be able to start using it to travel to the nearest dome for supplies.”
“Great! The sooner we can establish a trade with the dome dwellers, the better. Will it just be...the two of us?”
“No, I have one of my warriors coming along with us for security reasons. He’ll also handle the steering of the subcar in case we need to come to a sudden stop.”
“Okay.” That would leave the two of them kind of on their own. Images of them together in her subcar popped into her head, and she couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“Shall we?” He offered a hand to her.
She stared at it for a few seconds before putting her hand in his. The skin-on-skin contact sent electric currents up her arm. Glancing up, she noticed his eyes darken with desire. He was feeling the same way about her. What the hell were they going to do when he finally left?
Heather pushed those depressing thoughts aside as she let him lead her to the waiting subcar that had been renovated by the Drastans. It had new lighting, a solar-powered engine, a new interior, and comfy seating. Boy, if she could have this thing for her living space it would feel like a fancy hotel room. There were steering cabins on both ends of the subcar so that it could go in either direction.
The idea of them traveling tribe-to-tribe and dome-to-dome was exciting. What they wouldn’t have given to have this capability a year ago. No more having to send out scavenging teams through the tunnels to find canned food and other supplies. They would be able to trade with other tribes in ways they couldn’t do before. Until they had the gardens up and running, though, they wouldn’t have much to trade with the domes.
They sat down next to each other and the subcar lurched forward gently as it began the journey.
“What’s put that frown on your face?” Devlon asked, rubbing his thumb over her forehead.
“I was just trying to think of things other than the vegetables that our tribe could trade with the domes.”
“You’ll be able to help rebuild other tribes, and the domes may want to expand their area. Maybe you could offer them your services?”
“That’s true, except that the domes have engineers, scientists, and such. They would be able to do the same.”
“My people could issue the building tech only to the tribes, and stockpile your tribes with more food and supplies than what we’ve been giving the domes.”
She looked at him in surprise. “Why would you do that?”
“It would ensure that the domes are willing to trade with you.”
“Won’t you get in trouble or have the dome leaders claim you are being unfair?”
“I could care less what the dome leaders think. They purposely turned their own people away in a time of need. Millions and millions died. You and the other tribes fought to survive having been exposed to radiation. While they lived in clean facilities, you had to live out of a subcar and take communal showers in dark, dingy areas.”
He sounded truly upset on her behalf. “I don’t want to cause trouble for you.”
Devlon caressed her cheek gently. “You are no trouble... I mean, your people are no trouble.”
