“The good news is, they’ve figured out how to bed down for now.”
Bijou peered around the bunks that lined one solid wall. Two narrow beds, one set atop the other, were positioned like fence posts for as far as the eye could see. Okay, maybe not that far. If her quick math was correct, there were thirteen bunks—twenty-six beds—in total, with roughly ten feet between each. And like what she’d seen on television, they were taking their cues from the American military. Each mattress had a puke-green bedspread pulled tight with perfect corners on the ends and a single white pillow at the top.
“Will they have more privacy eventually?”
“Yes,” Huracan replied. “We’ll have two to a room. They’ll share a private bath.”
“And the females?” she asked, noticing there were currently five standing in the long line of angels and vampires.
“We’ll be placing the outlier with one of the duets, provided they all last that long.”
Bijou cut her gaze to him. “I assume that’s not a gender bias, Huracan.”
He chuckled. “Not at all. Hell, I suspect the males will ring out before the females.”
“What about meals? How are they dealing with that?”
“Theheurosphave agreed to feed them until they have the kitchen in order.”
By in order, Bijou took that to mean built and accessorized, because as it stood now, there weren’t any walls, no appliances, not even running water.
“Mind if I talk with them?” she asked.
“Be my guest. I’m going to assist with the building material that was delivered this morning.”
As the hulking vampire walked away, Bijou headed toward a group of trainees who currently had their heads together and were peering down at a notebook.
“Evening,” she greeted, stopping a few feet away.
Six pairs of eyes lifted and suddenly two of them snapped to attention, backs going ramrod straight, hands at their sides, chins up.
“Stand down,” she said with a chuckle. “Treat me like you would any of the Zenith.”
“But you are the Alpha’s daughter,” one of them countered.
“And you are going to one day be working for the Alpha. I think it’s safe to say we’ll be in close contact for the duration. Might as well become friends.”
During that brief conversation, the other four had taken up similar positions, though they clearly hadn’t realized why they were doing it. And when the first two relaxed their shoulders, so did the others.
“How about we start with names,” she prompted. “My name’s Bijou. Call me Bijou. What may I call you?”
The trainees blurted their name as they moved down the line: Romer, Sariel, Berk, Engel, Koray, and last but not least, Jayke.
Not that she would remember their names. Not immediately, but she suspected as they got to know one another, she wouldn’t have issue. Of course, noting whether they were angel or vampire was much easier for her than their family-given honorific. As a vampire, Bijou could sense her own kind. They had a unique scent. Angels … well, they were masked, which was how she could detect them from humans. Always protected, that lot.
“What are you starting on?” she inquired.
Sariel, an angel, motioned toward the notebook. “It’s imperative we have our living quarters and feeding facility constructed first.”
Smart. She completely agreed.
“We’ve decided to work on the kitchen first,” Romer (vampire) noted, motioning toward the rows of bunks. “For the time being, we have our sleeping arrangements. Not ideal, but livable.”
Bijou turned and surveyed the space. “If you had your living quarters erected, it would give you more privacy from noise, right? In turn, you could run twenty-four-hour shifts on the rest. That way you’re not working on top of one another, plus you’re covering more ground by not wasting even daylight hours.”
Romer glanced at Sariel. “That’s not a bad idea.”
Sariel nodded. “I agree. Plus, we’re looking at simple walls for the sleeping quarters.”
