Sweet Desire (Tales of Dystopian Decadence Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

There was an option I hadn’t counted on – him taking me out in the tundra and abandoning me to my death.
    “That’s what I said.”
    As the shock wore off and Nicholas ate his breakfast, shoving large pieces of waffle into his mouth, my pulse stopped racing and I finally nibbled at my own food. Of course my fear was silly. He had paid good money to the school to have a match. It made no sense to harm me. But what could possibly be of interest to me outside a house in the middle of nowhere?
    Once I cleaned the dishes, I ran upstairs for a change of clothes. Everything I had packed was too frilly and feminine for this rough living. I looked at the beautiful floral summer dress that was my absolute favorite, and felt hopelessness well up in me once more. Then I shook my head and made do with the knit tights and my school uniform – a black, white, and red plaid dress with a white pinafore. I layered a coat over my clothes, and donned my hat, scarf, and gloves.
    When I met him at the bottom of the stairs, Nicholas looked me up and down. His brow creased slightly as he winced. “That will do for now, but you need better protection than that here. This isn’t exactly the place to wear your dresses. Your next project should be to make some warm clothes for yourself. I expect you to get started on that today. Come on. I need to show you something.”
    It was the most words he had ever spoken to me and the first time he had shown any concern for my well-being. With a tilt of my head, I followed him into the kitchen.
    He gestured toward the door at the back of the pantry and said, “This is just one of many secrets. Maybe understanding this house will help in some way.”
    Understanding... the house?
    The door led to a warm, dark square of a room. Stairs descended to my right and a door in front of me opened onto the blinding snow and sunshine.
    I squawked a bit at the brightness. When I realized how I sounded, heat flared into my cheeks.
    “I know it’s disorienting,” Nicholas said, perhaps mistaking my redness for a reaction to the sudden chill, “but you’ll appreciate it after you’ve lived here during the darkest months. They’re just around the corner.” Nicholas walked into the snow and after hesitating on the threshold, not wanting to immerse myself in that bone-chilling cold, I followed. After several blinks, my eyes adjusted and I realized we were standing in the walled-in backyard. Nicholas banged at the wall with his knuckles. “Only a nuke can take this down, and not even the Regime would waste their precious resources bombing a little cabin in the middle of nowhere.”
    Still blinking, I gulped and nodded. Nukes? Why is he telling me this?
    “It took a hell of a lot of work to build this place, but it was worth it in the end.” He pointed at the striped pinwheel contraptions on the corners of the wall. “Wind turbines and moisture collectors.” He waved his hand around the yard and I turned to follow the gesture.
    The appearance of the cabin, I realized, was deceptive. My initial sight of planks and logs at the front of the building was only a partial view – a true façade that deceived anyone who did not come further than the front door. I reached out to touch the cold exterior of the house. That wasn’t wood under my palm. It was cold steel.
    “Shit,” I whispered. There it was – that memory again, only clearer now that I had a more complete picture of everything. “I don’t believe it…”
    “Solar panels,” he said, motioning to the roof. “Not that we get much sun, but you’d be surprised at how far a little bit of power goes, especially with all of it working together, all the elements harnessed to give us what we need.” He looked at me. “What’s wrong?”
    I removed my hand from the house and shook my head, backing toward the door.
    “It’s getting too cold for you.” He followed me, concern shadowing his expression for the first time.
    I pointed at him. “Did you know