The Gender War by Bella Forrest

Author:Bella Forrest [Forrest, Bella]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Nightlight Press
Published: 2017-02-09T00:00:00+00:00

20

Viggo

It had taken us an hour to rig a fix for the gate, but somehow, Violet, Owen, and I had managed it. In the end, rather than rigging some brilliant feat of engineering, we’d just leaned the broken side of the iron gate back up and used the truck to support it. I was less than pleased by the final result. It might keep people from coming in, but it certainly didn’t open.

I was trying to remain optimistic while waiting for the meeting to begin, but it was hard when I was so sleep-deprived. We’d probably only been sleeping for a few hours before Thomas had interrupted. My ability to focus was waning, not because I wasn’t interested in planning our next move, but because my brain kept trying to shut off, leaving me staring blankly at a bookcase until my head would drop suddenly and I would jerk back awake.

Taking a deep breath, I stood up, scrubbing my eyes. Owen looked up from where he was lounging on the couch, looking pretty exhausted himself. I admired his brave attempt to lie down—if I were him, I would have been asleep long ago.

We were in one of the numerous top-floor studies that seemed to be around every corner—between all the bedrooms—in the Ashabee mansion. This one was outfitted with an array of antique-looking furniture and trinkets centered on a giant desk, all in shades of yellow and gold. It was not making me feel any more awake or cheerful.

I paced the room as we waited for Violet, my footsteps practically silent on the mustard-colored carpet. Owen watched me, and then shook his head. He sat up with a groan and rolled his neck. “How long is she going to take?” he asked.

I shrugged. She had volunteered to go fetch Maxen and Ashabee, and I didn’t imagine either of them taking kindly to a wake-up call in the wee hours of the morning.

That thought alone gave me a small, twisted thrill of pleasure. I was being spiteful, but those two weren’t going to lift a finger to make our jobs easier. Or to defend this place. So the fact that they were at least getting to share in our rude awakening made me feel better. At least it allowed me to stop resenting their good night’s sleep.

Yes, I was exhausted to the point of behaving like an ill-tempered toddler.

An amused smile grew on my face as I heard the familiar indignant squawk of Ashabee, followed by a visceral growl from Maxen, coming from the dining room. Within seconds, they staggered in, forcibly pushed by Violet.

I quickly downgraded the smile to one of tight-lipped politeness and inclined my head to them. “Good evening, gentlemen. Or morning. Not really clear at the moment.”

Ashabee’s cheeks were red as he jerked his elbow out of Violet’s grasp. “Do you have any idea what it was like to be roused from our beds by this… this… harlot?” he spluttered, looking at me for sympathy.

I cocked my head at both of them and frowned.

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