They Are Monsters (Deathless Trilogy, #2)

Chapter Three: Gunther Quail

Jane opens the door. "Isla Blume, sir," she says, bowing her head.

My vision zooms into focus: Gunther Quail stands at the end of the room, in front of an illuminated stained glass window depicting a scene of sheep grazing in a field.

He's smiling, and upon seeing me, shoos Jane out the door behind me. As he sits down, I notice that he's sitting at a U-shaped golden table with three empty chairs on either side of him. This must be where the Leaders here meet.

One chair waits in front of the desk, and he motions for me to take a seat.

There's a platter of rice piled in front of him, and as I lower myself into the seat, he pushes the platter toward me. "Eat up, Ms. Blume. It's not poisoned, don't worry."

I hadn't even thought of that, but his mentioning it calms the growling in my stomach. "Why would it be poisoned?"

He chuckles, and rests his elbows on the desk. "It wouldn't be. I don't need to kill you... yet." He waits for my reaction before bursting into laughter. "It's just a joke. I'm just trying to get a rise out of you. It's perfectly safe, and you look famished. Eat."

I reach cautiously for the fork poking out from the mound of food, and he laughs again.

"Eat," he insists, smiling like we're old pals. Like he didn't just try to blow me up.

I pick at a few bites, telling myself I'll have the patience to eat slowly, just in case, but once the salts touch my tongue, I dive in, unable to pull back even if I wanted to. I'm too hungry.

He watches me eat, his elbows still resting on the desk, and he smiles. Through his suit, I can't see if he has controls on his arms, but he wouldn't, would he? He's the one putting them in everyone. He's smart enough not to do that to himself.

My entire body tenses, like the air is made of pins and needles, so I take a few more bites to satiate the gobbling monster in my belly, and put the fork down.

"Where's Daniel?" I ask, swallowing the last few bites.

He looks at his wristwatch. "Took you, what? Two minutes to ask? I feel like, as his friend and colleague, I ought to tell him exactly how excited his wifey-to-be is to see him."

"What are you talking about?" says the anger in my chest.

"As soon as Crowley woke up from being knocked out, your name was the first word out of his mouth, so I was really hoping for a Romeo and Juliet situation here, you know? Two lovers from opposing sides, fighting to stay together, even if it's in death. That would have been heartwarming."

"Daniel isn't on your side."

"Aw," he coos. "That's adorable. Yes, he is. How do you think he sent that transmissions ask for you? You think we just let our captives run around the bunker?" He laughs to himself, and pinches some rice between his fingers. "This isn't the Immortal." He dangles the rice over his mouth before dropping it in.

"Why did you blow up the bunker?" I ask, watching his teeth grind the food to bits.

"Oh, we're already done talking about Daniel? I never even answered your question. Yikes, wifey-to-be doesn't even really care where hubby-to-be is. Yet another disappointing realization for young love." He is waiting for me to ask again, I know it. I can tell by the sly closed-mouth smile that stretches across his face, but when I don't say anything, he groans, "Daniel is fine. You will see him shortly. He's excited to see you, but, like I said, I'm disappointed in your reaction. I was kind of hoping for tears."

"Forgive me if I'm just a little pissed that the supposed love of my life left me in a cell to be taken care of by drones."

"Oh, the truth comes out," he says, his eyes widening. "I wish I could be a fly on the wall for that conversation. Now, to answer your second question, why did I blow up the bunker, right?" He picks another pinch-full of rice and plops the grains in his mouth. "That was the plan. Simple as that. The President wanted to transfer all of us here, so we had been working on that. The bunker was meant to be a trap for the Deathless, to take care of them slash get anyone on our side at the last minute. Like Alexander, your old pal, and Mitchell Harper. Phoebe and Winston weren't as keen, though."