The Gender Game 2 by Bella Forrest (audio ebook reader .TXT) 📕

I crossed over to him, and twisted the hand wheel, opening the door.

We made our way down yet another identical stairwell, our shoes loud on the steps. Even though we hadn’t finished searching the rest of the facility, I was pretty certain that there was no one there. However, it was better to be cautious than wrong.

I was glad Viggo was here: I was sure I would’ve been too nervous to do this alone. When he was around, I felt more comfortable. I believed that he had my back. I fully believed that he wasn’t going to take me back to Patrus. At least, not to turn me in, anyway. Everything I knew about him told me he wouldn’t—couldn’t—consign another female to hang. It felt strange—like the ghost of his wife was somehow influencing his decisions about me. I wasn’t sure how to handle that.

Of course, we hadn’t really talked about Patrus or the egg or anything since our fight earlier today, so I had no idea what he was planning, if anything. Had it even been today? It felt like years ago.

Suddenly, a wave of dizziness surged over me, and I sagged against the wall. Viggo was there immediately, his hands on my shoulders.

“Violet?”

I shook my head, waving him off. “Sorry, I just got a little dizzy.”

He frowned, a furrow forming between his brows. “I’m worried. Maybe we should stop. I think I can jam the door mechanisms if you want. Then you can get some rest.”

I licked my lips, thinking. We had no idea how deep this facility was, and once we were done, we would have to climb back upstairs and through each level. My legs began aching with the thought.

“Let’s clear this room. We’ll secure the door here, and head back upstairs.”

Without waiting for his response, I pulled the door open to the next room. He gave a soft curse behind me as I strode in, but followed behind me.

Like the level above, the floor plan was more open. It was a wide space, filled with book cases, tables, sofas, a kitchen, and a large table.

“This must be the common area,” I said, as I took a step down onto the plush white carpet. Everything in here was designed to be comfortable. It had everything a person might need to entertain themselves, and more.

“It’s nice,” commented Viggo, as his eyes scanned the room. We searched through it, looking at all the things. Most of the books were science-related, but there were a few fictional titles scattered here and there. There were also games, stacked neatly on a shelf.

“They were here for the long haul,” I realized, my fingers tracing over the lines of boxes.

“Yeah, they definitely stayed here for a while, whoever they were.”

I frowned. “I thought this was some sort of research facility, but it doesn’t make any sense.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well… if they were researching The Green, they wouldn’t have put the living quarters and food toward the top. Too dangerous—you’d want to put yourself as far from danger as possible right.”

Viggo considered this, cracking open the door to the refrigerator. “I suppose you’re right. Then what do you think they were doing?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know.” A yawn caught me by surprise, one of those long slow ones that gripped my entire body. I stretched as it happened, well aware of Viggo’s eyes on me.

“Okay. I think we need to be done now,” I said once it had finished.

I heard Viggo doing something to the door, and looked over to see that he had jammed a long metal rod against the mechanism. He twisted the handle, giving a satisfied nod when it locked, and turned back to me.

“Come on,” he said, reaching out his hand. I took it, marveling at how big it was compared to my own.

He led me back through the sitting area and to the door, opening it. Then we made our way back upstairs.

As we climbed, wave after wave of dizziness and exhaustion washed over me, and I felt myself falling, until Viggo’s strong arms grabbed me, and he lifted me up, carrying me. With a little sigh, I tucked my head under his chin, and felt the world fade away.

23

Viggo

I trudged upstairs with Violet fast asleep in my arms. I wasn’t even sure how I was propelling myself forward at this point, but somehow I made it back to the living quarters.

Placing Violet in an empty bed, I tucked her in, smoothing her hair out of her face. She gave a little un-ladylike snore, shifted to one side under the blanket, and settled back down. I smiled down at her.

She looked so peaceful at that moment. The constant torment that she had endured was melting away. I took another moment to soak her in, and then made my way upstairs. There were a few more things I needed to do before sleep claimed me.

I secured the door leading from the decontamination room to the inner hall in a similar fashion to the one downstairs, and then went back to check on Ms. Dale. Color had returned to her skin, so I removed the patches from her. I checked her fingertips and toes to make sure blood was circulating well, and hooked up a second IV bag, so that when the first one drained, the second one would start working.

After that, I headed back downstairs. It was tempting to crawl into bed, but I wanted a shower first. I still somehow had energy to burn. I searched through the rooms, and eventually found one that contained clothes that would fit me.

I staggered into the bathroom, and turned on the shower. The pelting of the water on my back, rinsing me clean, was just what I needed. I could feel the sticky residue from the foam dissolve under the water pressure. Dirt and blood and grime fell from my body, forming a pool at my feet. I compressed