The Six: Genesis | A Reverse Harem Novel

Twelve

"Are we going to talk about this, or are you going to keep ignoring and avoiding me?"

I stiffen as Chris closes the distance between us, sidling right next to me. His gaze is powerful, scanning my profile, but I refused to look up. He'll see right through me.

We're home, in my main lab. It's the only place where things make sense. The only place I have peace.

It's massive, hewn into a sphere like cavern and full of technology. Flat panes of glass planes separate the lab into two main spaces. We stand in the first, where hazmat gear and sterilization aren't necessary.

Heavy grey tiles sit on the floor, floating above a concrete floor. They glow with blue and green fiber optics. Screens line the walls from floor to ceiling, centering around two tables positioned to face one another featuring raised touchscreens. In the center is a theater with a hologram projector and sound system.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about."

It's been three days since the incident at the Hold and we're all still reeling. Ryker's on edge, losing his temper at everything little thing and the silence at the Attic is deafening as we all withdraw into ourselves. Catrina, too, is on edge.

The evidence of her rage marks my skin. Dark bruises line my back and the upper parts of my arms. It takes all I have not to shift to straighten the collar of my shirt or pull at the sleeves.

Chris watches me like a hawk, always, and I can't let him see. Not again. The sharpness of his gaze is all encompassing and I loathe to find what he wants to speak about.

He waits until we're alone before he approaches me. He'll stand near me, large body looming in a patient silence. It wrecks my nerves and my focus.

"Yes, you do."

He follows as I move to the other table carrying a stack of hard drives. I gently unstack them, placing each hard drive next to one another on the glowing interface, and wait for Iris to sort through them. She'll download the data, reduce its size and earmark it for contents.

"No, I don't believe I do."

Scoffing, he leans against the table and crosses his arms. I still refuse to look at him. Silence and time yawn open as Iris works and the blue display flickers like lightning.

The elephant in the room only grows in size. It never diminishes. Especially since I know he's caught Catrina sneaking into my room once late at night and twice leaving before the day has begun.

Questions burned in his blue eyes. Questions I don't want to answer. Questions I don't want to examine.

"I nearly kissed you, Blue, and you pushed me away when Catrina called your name."

"No—" I fish for a believable lie. "I pushed you away to answer we were alive."

He leans closer, angling himself directly over my left shoulder. His left hand presses against the display and it lights up, scanning his fingertips. Warm, minty fresh breath washes over me and I shiver. "And you couldn't wait until after I kissed you?"

Stomach dropping, I open and close my mouth. "Ryker was worried."

"He's always worried about you." Chris answers. "It was more than that. It was Catrina."

"It wasn't." I hiss. "Why won't you believe me?"

"Because I've caught her sneaking in and out of your room several times and I see the agony in your eyes."

He reaches for me, but I jerk away. Sighing, he drops his outstretched hand and looks away. I'm trembling, barely able to keep it together.

"You don't know what you're talking about."