Ash Princess (The Deviant Future #6) - Eve Langlais Page 0,25

useful it would be under the capital. And wouldn’t it be a stroke of luck if Kayda had brought him there?

Her chin dropped. “No. The city was taken over by dragons, and while we survived for a while underground, the decision was made to abandon it for a safer location.”

“Luckily you had a sturdy backup.” The fresher, less cloying air seemed to indicate shielding of some kind.

“The Necropolis has been around for a long time, just not as a home for the living.”

“Is this an ancient structure?” he asked, highly intrigued.

“I don’t know. Although it has been in use for several generations now. The Necropolis is where we used to inter our dead.”

The revelation had him exclaiming, “You live in a graveyard?”

She rolled her slim shoulders.

“How many of you live here?” Once more he led with questions.

“Just under thirty now, of which around a third are under the age of twelve.”

“Thirty! Surely there are more—”

She shook her head, cutting him off. “We started out with more people. They died. Of the sickness. In accidents and attacks. Some just couldn’t handle it.” The dullness in her tone only enhanced the despair of it. “I know there were other groups like us, scattered and hiding, but it’s been years since we’ve heard from them, so we have no idea how they fare. We can only assume the worst.”

“I’m so sorry.” A heartfelt statement since he knew how it felt to lose a home. He’d had many in his life. None had ever lasted.

“It’s not your fault.” She turned from him and grabbed his clothes, which meant he again had to point out the obvious.

“Er, I don’t suppose I could have my pants back?”

She eyed him over her shoulder. “I was going to have them cleaned first.”

“But…” He pointed to the cloth in his lap.

“It’s not like you’re going anywhere. You’re recovering from a dragon attack. With those injuries, you shouldn’t be getting out of bed yet.”

“I feel fine.”

“Rest. I’ll be back shortly.”

“But—”

She left before he could say another word.

He was half tempted to say fuck modesty and stalk after her. Especially since he didn’t hear any indication of a lock engaging.

However, she’d offered him no harm. On the contrary, she’d gone out of her way to help him and answer questions. It might have been accidental, but Cam had actually stumbled upon someone who might be able to aid him with his mission.

He had to admit it seemed kind of surprising. What were the chances he’d find Kayda and her people? Undertaking this journey, he’d not expected to come across any survivors. However, he’d not just stumbled across the last pocket of them but the prettiest woman he’d ever seen.

And she’d undressed him.

For some reason the realization heated his cheeks. A modest man, even though he’d lived in close proximity with his sister and others, he usually didn’t let anyone see his body. It meant fewer questions about the fact he had no scars. No marks. Nothing of any kind despite all the injuries he’d suffered over the years. And there’d been plenty.

His power of self-regeneration was uncanny and there were times he wondered just how far he could push his ability. He’d been maimed, shot, electrocuted, skinned and broken, over and over. Each time he recovered. Although, growing fingers and toes took a long time.

He imagined decapitation would be permanent and he’d never been tempted to see if he could regrow an entire limb or organ. However, he’d breathed toxic gases before and been fine which was the reason why he’d volunteered to come to Diamond. Only Casey and Axel knew of special ability, but they never talked about it aloud, mostly because they knew how his deviant power would be coveted.

The Emerald Enclave that held him captive was fully aware of it back when he and his sister were their test subjects, but he’d kept it secret once he left, preferring to let people think he was less injured than expected during battles. Which only worked if they didn’t wonder at his lack of scars, because getting shot by Enclave soldiers and clawed by a tigber left marks on regular folk.

His healing power was why he could handle the air in Diamond, although he had to admit being relieved it worked. He’d wondered if it would, having never tested his lungs for healing before. Did all of those living in Diamond have the same ability as him? By Kayda’s own admission the taint existed even in the tunnels. The water.