Read The Dragon King for Free Online

more secure we are. I wanted you both to see where we are — there are two open ways in and out, and another three ways I can get out if I shift, but can’t in human form. I brought you in one way and I’ll take you out another.” He turned to me. “I’m assuming you’ll be okay here if I put you to bed before I go topside with them, but you can walk with us a ways, if you’d like?”
    I shook my head and reminded him, “I’ve only had a few hours’ sleep in nearly two days.”
    His smile was a little more affectionate than it’d been since the werewolves joined us, and he said, “I want you in the last bedroom on the right. Close the door when you go in and I’ll see you in about an hour. You’ll find sheets and blankets in the hallway closet. The generator should hold up, but keep the flashlight handy in case there’s a malfunction.”
    Once they were gone I wondered if maybe I should’ve gone with them, but refused to go running after them like a child, telling them I’d changed my mind. Going above ground risked someone or something seeing me. I was safest here, even if it was eerie and unnerving.
    I walked into the bedroom and saw an ugly steel bed with what I assumed was a mattress on it, and nothing else. I’d never seen an unmade bed before and I was a little disconcerted, but I remembered Aaron telling me where to find sheets and blankets so I went back out into the hall and found the closet.
    The air was chilly, so I grabbed two blankets. Everything was in zippered plastic bags, and I pulled the sheets out and guessed that the one with elastic on the corners should go on first. It took me nearly fifteen minutes to get the bed made, and I got more frustrated than I probably should’ve when trying to stuff the pillows into their cases.
    I found what could only loosely be described as a bathroom. A low toilet had instructions for how to use it, and I was thankful I only needed to urinate, as the instructions for that were much simpler and didn’t require water. I used some of the bottled water to brush my teeth, spitting it into a sink-like basin that appeared to drain into the same tank as the toilet.
    I kept my t-shirt on but changed into yoga pants, and climbed into bed. I wondered if I should’ve taken the plastic off the mattress and pillows when I finally stretched out and heard all of the crinkling under me, but no way was I going to undo it all and start over.
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Four
     
     
     
    Sophia
     
     
    I slept deeply, and when I awoke it took me several rapid heartbeats to figure out where I was. After a lifetime of waking in the same room, my world shifted as I remembered flying out my bedroom window.
    I’d gone to sleep with the door closed, but now it was open with light filtering in from another part of the safe house. I made my way to the bathroom and emptied my bladder again, not sure I wanted to brave the added instructions for flushing solid matter with the little hose hooked on the side. If we were going to be here weeks, I’d have to figure it out, though.
    I did my business and then worked the lever so the liquid went out of the bowl, and worked it again to close the drain. Instead of the urine smell I expected upon opening the drain, I was assaulted by a strong chemical smell.
    Aaron looked up from his electronic gadget as I came into the living area, his smile telling me he was truly happy to see me. I had no idea if I’d slept two hours or twenty, though I felt well rested.
    “What time is it?” I asked.
    “Nearly noon. We’ll take the plastic off your mattress tonight — I’m surprised you slept so long with it crinkling under your sheets.”
    I shook my head. “I’ve never put sheets on a bed before, and by the time I got them on and realized maybe the plastic should’ve come off, no way was I taking them off and starting over.”
    He looked distressed as he said, “I’m sorry, Soph. I should’ve realized and helped you before I went