by G. K. DeRosa
Asher knelt down beside me and grabbed a few extra cans from my pack and threw them in his. “There’s no way you’re carrying that much when I’m twice you’re size.”
I arched a brow. “I can pull my own weight, Ash. When we’re out there, I need you to know that.”
He nodded, and my eyes veered to the window. It wasn’t full dark anymore; tiny hints of light shone through the clouds. No one was sure how they did it, but somehow the vampires had managed to block the sun. Maybe it was a rumor, but what other explanation was there? I wondered if things were different in the south. Or in the rest of the world. Without a working communication system, we’d lost touch with the outside.
I packed the remaining bit of dog food and snapped on Duke’s leash. His black tail whipped furiously from side to side. Poor guy really missed the outdoors. Before, he had the run of the farm. He’d spend the day chasing pigs and shepherding the sheep. Now he was only allowed out twice a day for a quick bathroom break. I’m surprised he hadn’t gone completely stir crazy. German shepherds weren’t meant to be cooped up in a small space like this.
Neither were humans.
“Looks like Duke’s excited.” I slid the backpack on my shoulder.
“That makes one of us,” Asher muttered. He moved to the old wooden chest in the corner and flipped the lid up.
“You’re taking that?”
He reached in and pulled out my dad’s gun. “Just in case.”
“Bullets aren’t going to stop angels or vampires.”
“It might not stop them, but it’ll slow them down. And anyway, it’s not just for them.”
I chewed my lower lip. The worst part about war was what it did to people. It brought out the worst in most. Looters ran rampant now that there was no police force to stop them. Some would kill for a bottle of water. I hated to admit it, but Asher was right. We’d need that gun to protect ourselves from other humans.
I pushed the depressing thoughts aside as he grabbed a few rounds of ammunition and stuck them in his backpack. “Which way should we go?”
He pulled a crumpled map from his back pocket and held it out by the candle. “This is where I got to yesterday.” He traced his finger along the blue line. “We could try heading further north instead. There will be fewer chances of running into angels or vamps, but it’s also less populated so less chance of large food supplies.”
“And if we go south?”
“More people, more food and more of them.”
Neither sounded great. I mulled over the two options in my mind. “Let’s go south.”
“That’s going to be riskier.”
“You said yourself there was nothing where you went yesterday. If we go further north we’re probably going to find the same. We need to go where humans are. People mean food and maybe even safety.”
He folded the map and shoved it back in his pocket. “Fine.” He tightened the straps on his backpack and trudged to the door. “You ready?”
I nodded and took a step in front of him. His fingers wrapped around my arm, and he pulled me back. “Ouch!” I squealed.
“Sorry.” He loosened his grip but didn’t let go. “When we’re out there, you stay by my side at all times, you got it?”
“I got it.” I motioned for him to go first and shot him my most sarcastic smile.
He slid the steel bar over and heaved the door open. The flapping of wings intensified the moment I poked my head out. I glanced up to get a better look at them. The angels. They were supposed to be good. They were supposed to protect humankind. No one really understood what had gone wrong.
Lowering my gaze, my eyes landed on the sorry remnants of my home. Charred wooden beams were all that remained after seventeen years of happy memories.
“No time for gawking.” Asher yanked my arm and dragged me past the dry pond, toward the apple orchards.
Or what used to be the apple orchards. Miles of burnt trees stretched before us. They didn’t provide great cover, but it was better than nothing.
“We’ll follow the path to Sanson’s farm and see if there’s anything left of it. It’s been a few months since I’ve been down that way.”
“Okay.” I hurried to match Asher’s pace, his long legs eating up the scorched earth beneath us. Duke strolled beside me, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. I could’ve sworn he was smiling.
The steady flap of gigantic wings buzzed in my eardrums as we marched on. The constant noise steam-rolled over everything else. I’d walked through these orchards hundreds of times as a kid, and they were always full of life—birds singing, insects chirping, and the hum of tractors at work. Now it seemed dead. Except for that damn flapping.
I sighed and tried to pretend things were like they used to be. If I squinted my eyes just right, I could envision bright red apples dotting vibrant green trees instead of the bare sickly brown ones.
“What’s wrong?” Ash turned his gaze on me.
I huffed. “Everything.”
A shadow of a smile pulled at his lips, and for a second I was reminded of the cute boy I used to know. The guy that stood before me now may have looked like him, but he was harder, darker.
“Do you remember when I taught you to climb a tree?”
I grinned. “You mean when you broke my arm?”
He chuckled. “Don’t exaggerate. It was only a sprain.” He pointed down the row. “It was that one right over there.”
“Really?” I jogged over to the tree he had indicated, Duke nipping at my heels. I tilted my head up. “It seemed much taller in my mind.”
“Maybe you were that much shorter.” He smirked and leaned up against the rough, brittle bark and exhaled a long breath.
I nudged him in the shoulder and sidled next to him. “Even though you almost killed me, I was the best climber of all the girls in my class.”
“Oh, I remember. And it wasn’t only trees you’d climb. I recall a certain escape attempt from your second floor bedroom.”
I laughed. I’d forgotten all about that. My dad grounded me for a week for that one. “That was your fault too! I just wanted to go hunting with you and Crowder. Dad didn’t think it was proper for a young lady.”
“He was probably right.”
My chest tightened. I’d give anything to be grounded again as long as it meant my parents were still here.
“Come on, we have to keep going.” Asher’s fingers wrapped around my hand, and he led me back onto the worn path.
After what felt like days, we finally reached Sanson’s farm. Or what was left of it. The roof had been completely torn off, and the remainder looked more like a dollhouse than a farmhouse. We had a bird’s eye view of every single room. The porch and front side of the house had been ripped clean off.
Asher’s shoulders sagged as he stared at the ruined structure. “I was hoping maybe Mr. Sanson and the girls were still here.”
I squeezed his hand. “Maybe they got out.”
“Doubtful,” he muttered.
Duke barked and took off toward the broken old house. I yelled after him, but whatever he’d caught scent of was more enticing. We ran after him as he circled around behind the house.
A small red silo still stood intact. Duke pawed at the door, his tail wagging.
“Maybe there’s something inside?”
A steel padlock remained firmly in place. Asher jiggled the lock, but it was locked tight. He got up on his tiptoes and ran his hand over the doorframe.
“Aha!” He held up the small silver key triumphantly. “I guess my dad wasn’t the only one with such a predictable hiding spot.”
“Thank goodness for small miracles.”
He wiggled the key into the padlock, and it clicked open. Duke stuck his nose in and led the way. I flicked on my flashlight and lit up the small circular space. A black blur scurried across the ground, and I screamed. Duke took off after it as it ran behind bales of hay.
“Damn it.” Ash’s eyes scanned the silo.
Nothing but ha
y and a lone rat. “Well I guess that’s what had Duke excited.”
“I’m not ready to eat a rat yet, you?”
Bleh. “Definitely not.” I pointed my flashlight at Duke, and big brown eyes glowed in the dark. A skinny rat hung out of his mouth. So gross. At least I could keep what was left of the dog food for tomorrow.
“Come on.” Ash held the door open, and I trudged out.
Two rifles pointed at my head, a man at the end of each. I gasped and Asher yanked my arm, pulling me behind him. Duke barked like mad, his hackles raised.
“Shut that dog up or I will,” said a scruffy-bearded man.
I grabbed Duke’s collar and forced him down to the ground.
“We don’t want no trouble,” said the taller one. “Give us your supplies, and we’ll be on our way.”
“Not happening,” Asher growled as he slid one strap off his shoulder.
He was going for the gun. I knew he was, and he was going to get killed for it. Two rifles against one gun wasn’t a fair fight.
I held my hands up, my heart lodged in my throat. “I’ll give you everything I have, just please let us keep one pack.” I shot the two grimy men my best puppy dog eyes, praying they’d buy it. “Please.”
The taller man nodded at scruffy beard, and they both lowered their weapons. I quickly unzipped my bag and dumped out all of its contents. Scruffy beard bent down to pick up the cans and bottles, and from my periphery I noticed Ash’s hand twitch. I shot him a narrowed glare, slowly shaking my head.
It wasn’t worth it.
The man straightened, shoving all of our supplies into a duffel bag. “Nice doin’ business with you two.” They took off at a sprint toward the woods, half of our supplies in tow.
“Dammit, Liv.” Asher kicked the ground, sending a cloud of dirt up into the air. “You should’ve let me try to stop them.”
“Absolutely not. You could’ve gotten yourself killed.” I zipped up my empty backpack and slid it back on my shoulders. “At least you had most of the food.”
He ground his teeth together. “It’s not enough.”
“We’ll find more. At least we’re all still alive.” I patted his arm, his muscles tense. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
He took the map out and scanned it. “Ten more miles and we’ll hit the outskirts of the suburbs. You’re sure that’s where you want to go? Running into more people might not necessarily be a good thing.”
I nodded. “We have to try.”
To find out if Liv and Asher survive The Vampire and Angel Wars, grab Wings & Destruction here!
Also by G.K. DeRosa
The Vampire and Angel Wars
Wings & Destruction
Blood & Rebellion
Souls & Salvation
The Vampire Prophecy
Dark Fates
Dark Divide
Dark Oblivion
The Hybrid Trilogy
Magic Bound
Immortal Magic
Beyond Magic
The Guardian Series
Wilder: The Guardian Series
Wilder Destiny
Wilder Revelation
Wilder Legacy
Wilder: The Guardian Series The Complete Collection
Acknowledgments
A huge and wholehearted thank you to my dedicated readers! I could not do this without you. I love hearing from you and your enthusiasm for the characters and story. You are the best!
A special thank you to my loving and supportive husband who always understood my need for escaping into a good book (or TV show!). He inspires me to try harder and push further every day. And of course my mother who is the guiding force behind everything I do and made me everything I am today. Without her, I literally could not write—because she’s also my part-time babysitter! To my father who will always live on in my dreams. And finally, my son, Alexander, who brings an unimaginable amount of joy and adventure to my life everyday.
A big thank you to my new talented graphic designer, Sanja Gombar, for creating a beautiful book cover. A special thank you to my dedicated beta readers/fellow authors Jena, Kristin and Tiea who have been my sounding board on everything from cover ideas, blurbs, and story details. And all of my beta readers who gave me great ideas, caught spelling errors, and were all around amazing.
Thank you to all my family and friends (especially you, Robin Wiley!) and new indie author friends who let me bounce ideas off of them and listened to my struggles as an author and self-publisher. I appreciate it more than you all will ever know.
G.K.
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author, G.K. De Rosa has always had a passion for all things fantasy and romance. Growing up, she loved to read, devouring books in a single sitting. She attended Catholic school where reading and writing were an intense part of the curriculum, and she credits her amazing teachers for instilling in her a love of storytelling. As an adult, her favorite books were always young adult novels, and she remains a self-proclaimed fifteen year-old at heart. When she’s not reading, writing or watching way too many TV shows, she’s traveling and eating around the world with her family. G.K. DeRosa currently lives in South Florida with her real life Prince Charming, their son and fur baby, Nico, the German shepherd.
www.gkderosa.com
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