Artifice - Man x Man - Book Six

Chapter 51

The debriefing room buzzes with monitors; I can't help but wonder how they managed to get everything to look identical down to placement and even the darkness surrounding the beacons of light put off by the screens. 

How can a room created mostly of metal be so dim? A shape spins casually on the table, projected as a hologram as our small group begins to file in. Apparently, when someone finds out you've been shagging, they have very little sympathy for your lack of sleep. 

Try as I might to convince Tonya we were doing anything but, Verando wasn't as embarrassed as I was and openly admitted that we were blowing off steam the only way two grown men can save for fight each other. 

Much to my dismay, she had already heard our activities over the projection for the alert that had been going off for quite some time; we had only just heard it. 

If I could melt away and hide, I would do so. Knowing that the entire medical ward heard our 'distress' call was quite a feat to recover from. Yet, my unshamed warlord held the young pale-haired girl in his lap as if nothing had occurred. 

Silvia happily filled him in on her months separated from him, telling him how much she'd grown and how it was hard to get Legardo to sing the songs with her how she liked. 

"I'm sure your Daddy does a fine job." He tries to reassure her as she pouts, her fluffy dress resembling that of a princess from our time, something I've come to know is 'pretend' in this era. "Who made your dress?"

"Mummy." She responds happily, kicking her shiny shoes gleefully. Where his hair mainly was a soft, messy variety of tangles and wave, hers possessed thick, heavy curls, and I wondered if her mother did them or if they came to her naturally. Her hair was much longer than I'd last seen, almost down to the middle of her back, and tied up with a large red bow. 

"Helen!" She hops up from his lap to run and hug her sister. 

Helen now resembles a woman who actually looks happy and even a little tired rather than frightened. "Helen, Papa liked my dress."

"Papa?" She asks with a small smile. "Where did that come from?"

"I saw it on the TV," Silvia replies shyly. My heart melts, and I try not to swoon at the endearing name. I clutch his wrist and earn myself an annoyed look. 

"Papa." I tease lightly, not missing the slight hope in Helen's eyes as she comes to sit on the other side of him. She squirms in her seat as she tries to look poised, as a proper Alpha might look. Chin slightly lifted, crossing one leg lightly over the other, and it was almost as if she had come for a business meeting. 

I hear the shrill squeal of Silvia seeing Tyler, and I remember why I hated being here so much, yet at the same time, I'm glad to be back for small moments like these. While they may be painful, seeing him do something that he's so naturally good at it quite intoxicating. The room fills as Tonya leads our new recruits in, and they sit around the large table. 

Verando shifts his weight to slightly angle his body towards Helen. 

"So, no casualties." He allows. 

She beams back at him but closes her fists tightly and gives him one slight nod. "Nope- er, No. None. It was smooth sailing, a couple of cats, but we were able to outrun them." 

He nods approvingly. "What can you tell me about them? What have you learned?" 

Her eyes searched the table as if she wasn't expecting more questions, and I saw her almost wanting to shrink. 

"Don't get overwhelmed. Observe." He gestures lightly towards those sitting across. "Look. The female is slouching, and her expression is angry; she doesn't want to be here. That one, confidence, taking everything in." His eyes lock on the senator. "One to watch out for; could be useful. What have you learned?"