Zoey
They haven't found you. You're still safe, Zoey. Van won't let anything happen to you. You're safe.
I repeated these thoughts to myself over and over, hoping that I'd eventually believe myself. It was very possible that a rogue had crossed into lycan territory. It might not be anyone from Midnight. I shouldn't jump to conclusions. It was driving me crazy.
I planted my elbows on my knees and covered my face with my hands. This would be resolved. Stitch and Snuff would find out who the person was, and then they'd come tell Van. I'd stay in the bunker until they were sure that my safety hadn't been compromised. It was fine!
Fine, my wolf snorted. You're only fine because Van is here with you.
You're really a one-track puppy these days, I snarled at her. We're in an underground bunker hiding for our lives, and you're rolling over because of the company.
She gave a smug little smile and laid down. You didn't disagree with me.
I couldn't disagree with her, but I wouldn't admit it. If it was any other circumstance, I'd enjoy the protection a little more. As it was, I currently had serious fear for my safety pounding through my brain.
"Here we are."
I looked up from my hands as Van set a couple mugs of steaming tea on the coffee table in front of me. "Thanks."
He resumed his seat next to me and motioned to the cups. "My mom made sure this place was stocked with loads of herbal teas. She claims they are the best for remaining calm in a safety bunker."
"I remember my mom saying something similar... not about being in a safety bunker, but the calming properties of herbal tea." I grabbed one of the cups off the table and held it in my hands for a while. The warmth seeped into my skin and chased away the slight chill of the room.
For a while, we sat in silence. The walls of the bunker blocked all sound from the outside, so the only sounds were our own: I tapped my index fingers against the sides of my mug; Van stared down into the contents of his. After a minute, he turned his head towards me and let out a sigh.
"Does it make you nervous?" he asked. "...being here? Does it remind you of Midnight?"
I shook my head. They'd never imprisoned me or locked me in dingy rooms. Their form of torture was far more sophisticated. I didn't fear being alone or confined in a box. Safe houses, prison cells, dungeons, locked rooms... They were all the same. Places didn't scare me. People did.
"Midnight doesn't believe in safety bunkers or hidden rooms," I explained. "I can handle being in a locked room. It's the living in fear of Jax..."
"You don't have to be afraid of him, Zoey. He can't hurt you anymore."
"If only that were true," I whispered, taking a sip of my tea. After a minute, I turned to look at my protector.
"Why are you here, Van?"
He blinked in surprise. "It's my team's responsibility to keep you safe. There's a danger out there, and someone needs to stay with you until it's passed."
"But why are you here?" I emphasized. "Any one of your team could have brought me down here. Why you?"
He looked down into his mug for a moment. The answer must have been difficult for him to sort out, because his jaw twitched several times as he thought about it.
"My mother entrusted you to me," he finally said, "beyond the responsibility of the team. I didn't want to take any additional risks by putting you in someone else's care. The only way I could make sure you were entirely safe was to do it myself."
"I see," I murmured around the rim of my mug. "Thank you, one way or another. I'm glad that I'm not here by myself. I'd probably be pacing the room and chewing on my thumbs if I was left alone with my thoughts."
"I know you would," he answered. "All the more reason for me to stay with you."
This protective version of Van certainly confused me. One day he could barely stand to be around me, and now he wouldn't let anyone else take care of me. It didn't make sense.
I set my mug back on the coffee table and fairly launched myself off the couch. First the unknown person within the territory, then the scurrying down to the bunker, then his protective side of Van... too many thoughts running through my head. I pinched the bridge of my nose and walked to the back wall before turning and leaning back against it. Van remained on the couch, silently staring at me.
"I don't know what to make of this new version of you," I said, waving my hand in his direction. "It's a little too much for me to process right now."
He shrugged. "I don't rightly understand it myself. Trust me: I'm just as confused as you."
So he didn't know why he was being nice. Even better... If he could explain his sudden mood change, I could process and accept it; but he didn't know, so it was possible that he'd go back to his moody self tomorrow. Great.
I leaned my head back against the wall and stared at the door on the far end of the room. "If it is someone from Midnight... What will happen?"
"That depends on what the spy does," Van answered. "If they're here on a scouting mission, they will find nothing and return empty-handed. If they don't return home, it'll stir suspicion back in Midnight. Patrol will detain and question whoever it is. Then we'll know more."
Then they'll know more, my wolf echoed. All we can do is wait.
Wait... I closed my eyes and drew in a breath. Waiting required time, and time gave room for discovery. I wanted to trust that Van's team would take care of me, but it was very difficult to do that when everything hinged on waiting. There was nothing else to do for now, so I would do the only thing I could: wait.
"Zoey."
I opened my eyes and jumped. Van stood a few feet in front of me. When had he gotten up and moved? Lycans could be so sneaky...
"I know that this must be hard for you, everything out of your control and relying on us to take care of it."
Thanks for reminding me.
"You've trusted us so far," he continued. "Please... keep trusting us. I won't let anything happen to you."
Yep. This new Van had to be temporary. There was no way he was taking everything on himself. All of these 'I' statements were just tied up in the stress of our current situation. Once we were back upstairs and the danger was past, he'd go back to being a team member.
"You should really try to rest," he murmured, nodding towards one of the other doors. "It may be a few hours before Stitch comes to get us."
I combed my fingers through my hair. "I don't know if I'd actually sleep."
"At least try," he urged, reaching for my hand. "Come on. I'll stay with you if it will put you more at ease."
He'll stay with us, my wolf sighed like a lovestruck puppy. He wants us to feel at ease.
He's just being the weird, protective version of himself, I scolded her. It doesn't mean anything.
I looked up at Van and nodded. "Okay. I'll try."
He took my hand and pulled me towards the closer of the two side doors. It opened into a smaller room with a queen-size bed, desk and chair, and a couple floor lamps that matched the ones in the main room. While simple in design and decoration, it still had an element of 'home' to it.
I stepped past Van into the room. Now that I'd made up my mind to try to sleep some more, my body seemed to get on board and accept the weariness of my mind. Each step weighed a little bit more, so I was dragging my feet by the time I reached the bed. I fairly collapsed onto the blanket and buried my face in the pillow.
The mattress moved a little, and I peeked up from the pillow to see Van settling himself on the other side. Even my wolf perked in surprise.
He's... staying with us, she gawked. ...like with us.
I can see that, I shot back. Are you going to keep me awake with all your obvious observations? We really should sleep if possible.
Sorry... I just didn't expect him to stay on the bed with you.
You're really not helping, I sighed.
Van looked over at me and smiled slightly. "Try to sleep. I'll wake you up if there's any news. Okay?"
I nodded and shifted to my side so my back faced him. If I was going to sleep, I couldn't have him in my view if I opened my eyes. My wolf would probably have some distracting comment that would keep me awake.
"Everything will be all right, Zoey," Van whispered behind me. "I promise."
Van
Van? Are you still awake?
Van flinched awake for the second time as Stitch bugged him through the mindlink. As much as he loved his best friend, the guy was forming a habit of wakening him out of the deepest sleep. He normally didn't mind if he was the only person in the room, but now there was someone else being affected.
Van?
Van forced his eyes open and arched his back a little. Smooth, cream-colored ceiling; only lamp light... The bunker. Right. Without windows, there was no telling what time it was. He could have been asleep for five minutes or five hours.
Something moved next to him, part of it pinning his shoulder down. He turned his head to look, and froze to find Zoey nestled against his side. Last he remembered, they were facing opposite directions. Now he lay on his back with her curled against his side with her cheek on his shoulder. Even more surprising, his arm was curled under her and holding her to his side.
Van?
Yeah, Stitch. I'm awake.
Awake and quite confused.
The intruder is gone. We were right: it was a contract scout from Midnight.
Van inched his arm out from under Zoey, slowly sliding towards the edge of the bed. That's what I feared. And? How did it go?
Just as we planned, Stitch answered. He looked around but didn't seem to find anything. After about an hour, he slinked back to the border. We found a patch of woods that isn't regularly covered by patrol. We're changing the patrol route to keep an eye on that area.
Fully free, Van swung his feet to the floor and eased himself to his feet, careful not to let the mattress move too much. So the coast is clear? We can come out?
Patrol is still finishing a final check of the borders, but it should be clear in about an hour.
Okay. Let me know when it's clear to come up.
Will do. How's Zoey?
Van turned around and did a quick 'lycan scan' of the girl still sleeping. She's sleeping for now. She was pretty wound up when we first got down here. Thankfully she's not claustrophobic or triggered by confined spaces, but the knowledge that someone from Midnight might find her sent her into a mental spiral.
We'll take her through a formal debrief when you guys come out, Stitch said. She seems to appreciate having all the facts, so we should tell her everything that went down and what we do next.
Van ran his fingers through his hair and puffed out his cheeks. Of course. It's best to keep her informed. Thanks, Stitch.
I'll be in touch soon. In the meantime, get some more rest.
Like that was going to happen...
Now that he knew the end of their bunker stay was near, he wouldn't be able to fall asleep again. And after waking up so close to Zoey, he definitely wouldn't. How had that even happened? Why had he laid down next to her in the first place? A few images of Zoey with fear-widened eyes flashed through his mind. He'd taken the responsibility of staying with her, and somehow it turned into a sleepover.
He shook his head and shuffled out into the main room. His wolf must have been pushing hard to protect Zoey. It was the only thing that made sense. Yes, he would protect her; but what he'd just discovered made his head spin a little. Mates usually did cuddly stuff like that, and Zoey was not his mate. His wolf must have stepped in.
You're upset that Zoey feels safe? I thought that's what you wanted, his wolf huffed.
I do want her to feel safe. I need her to trust me.
So then what's the problem? I softened your edge so she wouldn't be so freaked out. You're welcome, by the way.
Van scrubbed his fingers through his hair and grabbed the two mugs off the counter. His mother would expect him to clean up after his 'stay,' so he'd do that in the time left. With Zoey still sleeping, he could also sort a few things with his wolf.
Calming someone down is one thing. Acting like their mate is another.
Oh please, his wolf muttered. If I'd acted like she was my mate, she wouldn't have had any space to freak out. You would have been right there holding her from the get-go.
Van set the mugs in the sink and braced his hands against the counter. He should be thankful that his wolf held back. Depending on how much Zoey remembered, he'd probably have to explain his actions, and he didn't want to confuse her by negating anything he'd said or done. Aside from what Zoey might think, he would have Stitch and his mother to answer to as well. Best to just accept what had happened and keep moving forward.
Let's keep the 'comforting' to a minimum, please? he finally sighed. I have enough on my mind, and I don't need you adding confusion to the mix.
Fine, his wolf huffed. But I will not hesitate to step in if I see a need. Just because you don't like her doesn't mean you have to stonewall her.
Van shook his head and set to scrubbing out the mugs. The task gave him a temporary distraction, and he welcomed the chance to think about something else. He would deal with Zoey and what she might think happened when the time came. There were a lot bigger questions to be solved.
How had anyone slipped into their territory without notice? Had Midnight deliberately sent someone into lycan territory, or were they simply checking everywhere for signs of Zoey? Would they send someone else to search again? Had his team lost their advantage, or could they still move ahead as planned? How would this scare impact Zoey? What lost progress would they have to recover?
He set the mugs in the dish drainer and shuffled to the couch. Digging his phone out of his pack, he dropped onto the couch and opened a new note in his phone. He'd formed a habit of recording events that stuck in his mind or things he couldn't quite explain. Since things were recorded when they were fresh in his mind, the details were most accurate and vivid. He usually stewed over things and went back to his notes later. Bringing Zoey down to the bunker—and everything that happened afterwards—was certainly an event that would need to be revisited when his mind had cleared.