I landed with a thump, and Celine’s body jerked on my shoulder. Lifting her free, I placed her back onto the ground and was amused to see an expression of shock and irritation on her heart-shaped face.

“What did you do that for?” she demanded furiously.

My hands still held her waist, and I leaned forward to lift one gently to her chin. Tilting it up to reveal her burn, I said matter-of-factly, “It was a big jump. I did not wish you to injure yourself further.”

“That has nothing to do with a jump,” she snapped, batting my hand away and stepping back. “Besides,” she added, jabbing a finger to her right. “There’s a ladder.”

“Ladders take too long,” I replied dismissively. “Come.”

I took the lead again, striding down the new, wider passageway with purpose. Her fire thrilled me. In the infirmary, she had been rather reserved and clearly intimidated, but it was becoming evident that it was merely a symptom of her condition. To hear her address me so brazenly now built a pressure in my lower region I had not anticipated, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. She continuously surprised me, this Celine.

“Are you really not going to tell me where we’re going?” she asked again in a huff. “I thought we were supposed to be convening.”

“We are. I am taking you elsewhere to do it.”

“Is that allowed?”

I stopped mid-step and turned, bringing her to a sudden and unexpected halt. She looked up at me challengingly, and I had to fight the urge to press her against the wall and call her bluff. “I am the War Chief,” I said, speaking with distinct calculation. “Anything is allowed.”

This particular corridor had doors lining either side, and she reached for the nearest knob. “What’s in here?”

I scowled and snatched her hand away from the knob. “That is not your concern. This area is relegated to human and A’li-uud authority only. It is a privilege for you to even walk this hall.”

“Well, you’re not telling me anything, so I have to find out for myself,” she retorted bitingly.

My fingers twitched. I desperately wanted to seize her by her rich tresses and rip her jumpsuit to shreds. Lowering my voice to a coarse murmur, I said, “You will learn patience one way or another, little human.”

Her mouth opened, and I heard the sharp intake of breath that burst between them. The defiant spark in her eyes continued to flicker, but it was muted behind a curtain of stunned stupefaction. When she said nothing, I turned around again and resumed walking. I had taken several steps before I heard her footfalls once more behind me.

She did not speak again until we reached the final door on the right. I opened it, and sunlight spilled into the dimly-lit corridor, blinding us both for a few blinks. My vision adjusted faster than hers, so I entered first, but she was quick to follow.

“I thought we were underground,” she mused, glancing around with a dramatic squint.

“We are,” I confirmed. “Look.”

I pointed upward, and she followed my gesture. Hovering nearly thirty feet above us, there was a glass ceiling of such transparency it appeared to open into the sky. The panes curled down where they met the walls, blending to form a dome-like shape that surrounded us rather than covered us. Only from the ground to my waist were there standard, opaque walls made of the same t’kiel logs as the vast meeting hall, but they, too, seemed to converge seamlessly into the glass. It was difficult not to marvel at the room’s architecture.

“This is gorgeous,” she whispered. She sounded delighted, and the way the corners of her eyes crinkled and the corners of her lips lifted confirmed the inflection.

“You will spend some time here, I am sure,” I told her. She dropped her gaze back to me again, no longer squinting. “You work with food, yes?”

She made an odd balancing motion with her hand, rocking it from side to side rapidly. “Kind of,” she said. “I’m a nutritionist.”

I blinked.

“I tell people what they should eat based on things like their current weight, muscle mass, and long-term body goals,” she explained.

Again, I blinked, but, this time, it was not due to confusion. I lowered my eyes to her form, skimming them from her shoulders to her ample chest to her waistline and hips. When I looked back at her face again, she was frowning.

“What? Just because I’m curvy, I can’t be a nutritionist?” she shot at me defensively. “I might not be stick-thin, but I’m healthy. I’m perfectly qualified.”

A chuckle rose in my throat, but I held it back with a quick swallow. “No. I merely cannot comprehend an intelligent species needing to be told what is best for their bodies,” I said, unable to mask the amusement completely. “It seems to me that should be instinctual.”

“Oh.” Her cheeks rouged slightly, but she held onto her composure admirably. “Sorry. I guess I’m just used to catching a lot of flak for being a nutritionist with a fuller figure.”

My eyes drifted down again of their own accord. “Your figure is magnificent,” I said straightforwardly.

The blush that had risen in her cheeks darkened until it matched the heated hue of her burn. She stared at me wordlessly, but there was no displeasure on her lips. Rather, a shy smile played on the carved mouth. Before she could speak, however, I tore my gaze from her and swiveled with an arm outstretched.

“This is the Seeding Lab,” I told her. “It will mostly be staffed with your agriculturists and a few biologists, but you might expect to visit from time to time to discuss hybrid development or request specific plantings.”

I was not facing her, but I could feel an odd wave of disappointment radiating from her. “And I have to go down the special authority hallway to get here?” she needled.

Again, pressure swelled in my pelvis, and I purposefully kept my back to her. She was feisty, this one. Though I would have expected to find it annoying at the least and insubordinate at the worst, I actually found it stimulating. Apparently, certain parts of me found it stimulating as well.

“No,” I replied coolly. “There is a door behind you. It requires a keycard, but I am unsure whether you will be provided one yet. I will be sure to find out as soon as possible.”

“Is this where you want to do the whole mentor convening thing?”

Finally, under control of my extremities, I turned to face her once more. “No,” I repeated. “I only wanted to show you this before moving on. The Fifth Ward is a larger place than it seems at first glance. I thought it best you learn the lay of the land early.”

“Okay. So, where to next?” she asked.

I opened my mouth to reply, but, before a single sound could come out, the door to the corridor burst open and Silah raced in. He was not out of breath, as A’li-uud rarely were, but there was a deeper tinge of blue in his cheeks than normal.

“Chief,” he said, speaking A’li-uud. “They have made contact, the Conquest attackers. Dane—Elder De’inde—is requesting your presence. Now.”