45

“It’s not going to do anything just because you’re staring at it.”

Camille glanced up at the familiar voice, eyebrows knitting into a frown as she watched Jag enter her room and motion to the mobile phone she had been staring at whilst lost in her thoughts.

Sid had left for his mission only a couple of hours before. He had promised to keep in touch for the whole time he was gone just to ease the blonde’s worries but she still hadn’t heard anything from him. She just needed one message from him confirming he was okay and Camille knew she’d relax.

“Well, it’s not like I have anything else to do.” Camille sighed and sank back in her seat on the bed.

“How about pack?”

Camille perked up at that, barely hiding her excitement at the prospect.

“Don’t get too excited,” Jag smirked. “You’re still technically under house arrest.”

“but I will be under house arrest where I can see outside, right?”

Jag nodded. Camille let out a noise of rejoice before practically pouncing the giant male, wrapping her arms around his solid torso to trap him in a hug. The action clearly surprised Jag as she felt him tense for a moment before relaxing and wrapping one arm around her. It was undoubtedly the most affection he had shown her in weeks and Camille found herself cherishing it despite the fact her pride was trying to fight back. Part of her wanted to be angry at the male for his aloofness but she couldn’t bring herself to be so. She was certain she would wear Jag down.

“How long do you need to pack?” Jag finally asked.

“Twenty minutes.” Camille replied confidently as she pulled away and looked up at Jag with an excited smile. “I don’t have much here...or anywhere actually.”

Camille had come to New York with very little. Sure, Charlotte had helped her out but pretty much everything has been lost on the bombing and so anything Camille did have was donated. Even the crappy phone she currently had was given to her by Kal so she at least had something to allow her to stay in contact with Sid but she couldn’t access any internet services. So, when she said she only needed 20 minutes, she wasn’t exaggerating. Currently, Camille’s life fit into one bag.

Surprisingly, Jag had stayed. He waited patiently as Camille packed which left Camille a little suspicious. He didn’t even try and hurry her along despite the fact Camille knew he had a busy schedule. She had been his...whatever for several weeks. She had a pretty good memory and had picked up on Jag’s preferred routine pretty quickly. Even when Camille was finally finished, Jag made no impatient comments nor showed any signs of annoyance.

“Okay, what’s going on?” Camille asked once they were heading for the elevators. “You’re being unusually relaxed.”

“Are you saying I am not normally relaxed?” Jag raised an eyebrow at Camille, amber eyes curious and also slightly mischievous.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“That seems an unfair assessment.” Jag replied as they stepped into one of the carriages. “You have only known me for a short amount of time.”

“And you have basically been grumpy, stressed or strict the whole time.” Camille countered.

“Well you can’t say that’s my fault. My female has a habit of getting herself into dangerous situations.”

Camille snorted at that and rolled her eyes. “I never asked you to walk me home that night.”

“Precisely.” Jag replied. “Your plan was to walk home alone at night.”

“I could have handled myself.”

“Not the point. You didn’t let anyone know where you were really going. If something happened then no one would have known.” Jag continued his lecture. “The total lack of disregard for your safety is exactly why I am stressed, grumpy and strict as you put it.”

Camille couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Despite his flat tone, Jag was teasing her so she didn’t rise to the bait. It seemed that despite everything going on, Jag had managed to develop a sense of humour, or perhaps it was because everything was now out in the open between them all. Either way, Camille felt she was starting to see glimpses of the Jag Kal and Sid had mentioned so much about.

Camille wasn’t sure what she was expecting of her new living arrangements. The three males had been very tight-lipped about everything and so Camille half expected to find herself being locked up in Jag’s apartment once more. So when they got off on a competent different floor, Camille couldn’t help but be confused, eyes darting around to try and find some clues to where she was but only to be met with the same interior as every other floor in the Ark. Even Jag was giving nothing away as they approached a door with the numbers 312 printed in both English and Draygonian.

“Where are we?” Camille finally asked, her curiosity about ready to make her explode.

“I believe in human military language this floor would be called the married quarters.” Jag replied. “Although we are neither married nor have we had a union ceremony. But, since we are together, Sid, Kal and myself wanted you to have a proper home with all of us.”

With that, the door slid open to reveal the large apartment. It was much larger than Jag’s place and resembled a typical condo with stairs leading up to the bedrooms and giant windows making up two of the walls in the open living space. Camille instantly recognised some of the things from the men’s homes while others appeared new. Just the sight of what looked liked a luxury apartment had Camille brain ready to explode.

The colours of the furnishings were muted in light greys and whites which wasn’t unexpected since this was a military base but someone (Camille suspected it was Kal) had taken the time to dot lush plants from both Earth and Draygon about the living room area and even the balcony which was more like a sun room with slats for a roof to allow the sunlight and air in while protecting the area from the elements.

“Would you like to see your room?” Jag asked when Camille finally picked her jaw off the floor.

“My room?”

“Yes.” Jag replied as he led the way towards the stairs. “We all have our own bedrooms. Draygonians value space and privacy. We might be sexual creatures and we certainly like spending time together but we know space is also a valuable part of a successful relationship. It’s not unheard of for a female to not live with her males up until they have children.”

“Oh, I’m good with not living alone.” Camille replied quickly.

“Which is just as well because I have no intentions of you being anywhere else except near me.”

Camille nearly fumbled at the casual manner Jag landed the words. His intent had been to catch Camille off guard and he had done a brilliant job of it. As light as his tone had been, his words had been layered and purposely so. It had to be the first time in weeks that Jag had flirted in anyway but Camille was too stunned to latch on to the opportunity and the moment passed.

The bedroom Jag guided Camille to was spacious but not so much so that it would feel bare no matter how much was put in it. There was a large bed waiting to be slept in and wardrobes ready to be filled. Again, it appeared Kal had found some flowers which were now in a vase on the dressing table, bringing a pop of colour to the airy room.

“Bathroom is through there.” Jag pointed to a door. “I am across the hall, Sid’s room is on your right and Kal’s on your left.”

“Surrounded on all sides.” Camille murmured thoughtfully as her blue eyes took in everything around her.

“All the better for keeping you out of trouble.” Jag replied making Camille blush. “Do you like it?”

“I love it.” Camille admitted.

And she wasn’t lying. She did love it. Sure, it was one hell of a surprise finding out that she was now living with not one but three very good looking aliens. But, standing there in their apartment, it made sense. A lot of people might consider it rushing but Camille was technically homeless and she was likely to end up in one of the dorms the base had donated to the contractors anyway. At least here she had more chance of seeing the guys.

“Camille, I’m sorry but I have to go.” Jag’s voice broke through her train of thoughts. “Sid’s team have landed at their destination.”

“Oh.” Camille’s eyes widened slightly. “That’s okay. I might like down for a bit. Will you and Kal be back tonight?”

“Provided everything goes to plan.” Jag nodded. “We will let you know how it went once it’s over.”

Camille gave a short nod before Jag turned and disappeared out of the door, leaving Camille to explore the apartment by herself.