“Oh.” She didn’t ask him anything else because he seemed really uptight about the whole thing. She glanced down at the outfit she still wore from yesterday and wished she’d taken the lieutenant colonel’s wife up on her offer of a change of clothes.
He took her hand and led her out of the subcar. “Let’s get this over with.”
*****
Devlon wasn’t happy that the senior commander showed up earlier than he expected. He’d hoped to have a little more time with Heather to try to convince her to travel to Drasta with him. He was determined to win her over; they just needed to spend more time together.
“Commander Estro, good to see you again.”
“Sr. Commander Bond, I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow.”
The other male ignored Devlon’s tone and turned his eyes to Heather. He had the audacity to look her up and down, his eyes showing interest. Devon couldn’t help but feel possessive. He put his hand at the small of her back and brought her up to stand next to him.
“This is Tribe Leader Heather Bates. This tribe is hers. This is Sr. Commander Bond.”
Heather reached out a hand to shake Bond’s, but instead he lifted her fingers to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. Devlon practically saw red.
“Miss Bates, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Call me Heather.”
“Only if you call me Drake.”
“You can let go of her hand,” Devlon growled out. He looked at Bond and yes, he was a little jealous. Bond was younger, his black hair and strong build were considered attractive on their world. Would Heather prefer him to Devlon?
Heather pulled her hand free and edged closer to Devlon. It was a small move. but it eased his tension somewhat.
Bond looked at him curiously. “Shall we go somewhere private so that I can be briefed?”
“I’ll leave you two to it. I have to check on my people,” Heather patted Devlon’s arm as she walked off.
“This way, Sr. Commander.” Devlon led him to his tent.
They entered, while the other warriors stayed on the outside of the tent ensuring their privacy. “How long have you been here?”
Bond shrugged as he sat in a chair and stretched out his legs. “Thirty minutes prior to your arrival. I’ve been given a small tour of the building site of the apartments. It’s impressive. I still don’t understand how anyone would want to remain living underground, though.”
“It will be many decades before the humans can live aboveground.”
“Why not move them all to the domes? From the reports, it sounds like these domes would be much more suitable.”
“The tribes survived in the tunnels. They kept them safe and they were their home for years. The dome leaders turned away millions, who died when their nuclear weapons went off. Many here don’t trust the dome leaders and want to keep their distance.”
“Well, they can’t expect us to rebuild their entire planet underground.”
“We won’t be. We’re training their own people now how to build quickly with the tools and supplies we are giving them. The expectation is that we’ll be able to fully leave Earth in two years.”
“That still seems too long. I need to meet with one of the domes so that I can give a complete report. We’ll travel this afternoon.”
“That’s not going to work, Sr. Commander. I was going to contact you and actually ask that you hold off on your visit a few more days.”
“Why?”
“You’ve read in the reports that there are some humans who don’t approve of our presence here.”
“These rebels, correct?”
“Yes, we have intel that the rebels are planning to try to take over the tribes.”
