Her lips stretch into a grim smile. “For your sake, I wish the same. Get out of my city before I send my people hunting.”
I’m beyond tempted to tell her to bring it on. Between Wolfe, myself, and our men, we’ll make quick work of this ragtag group. Instead, I force myself to remember that I have a diplomatic role to play and that there is a little girl depending on me to keep her safe.
I point my blade at Agatha, marking her. “You better hope I don’t see you again.”
“Let’s go,” Wolfe says grimly.
When I lift my focus from Agatha, I see that the room has filled with people. At first, I fear we’ll have to fight our way out, then I realize most are curious rather than hostile. They want to get a look at the survivors of the bite. The blood saviour. I represent hope to them.
We edge our way out of the train car, my men surrounding us, insulating us. Before we go, I seek Agatha and find her staring at our group coldly.
“You need to forget about the past and lead your people into the future, or you won’t survive,” I warn her.
“Get out,” she replies coldly.
We jump off the train car and move quickly through the underground until we reach the tunnels. We move through them, rapidly putting distance between ourselves and the underground, Wolfe and Kingston bringing up the rear, protecting the rest of us. When we reach the street, we head straight for Holland Tunnel keeping watch for city forces.
As we walk, I come alongside Tabitha.
“I’m sorry we couldn’t create an alliance with your old underground.”
She shakes her head. “The underground represented tolerance. These people are only about survival. When we left New York, there was already a splinter group. One that was more radical than ours. I’m not surprised to see them thriving. The true Underground probably still exists somewhere.”
“I’m glad,” I murmur. “The world needs more people like you.”
She gives me a strange look. “I’m not that special. I hate violence and I want nothing more than to settle into my own piece of Sanctuary with my wife at my side and my hands buried deep in the soil of a garden.”
I smile. “Let’s get you back to Sanctuary then and make you a happy woman.”
We fall silent for a few minutes as we walk, then Tabitha looks around. “Wait, where’s the doctor?”
“She’s not coming,” I say grimly. “Sheela… chose to stay.”
Tabitha gapes at me. “Why would she do that?”
Before I’m forced to answer, we arrive at the tunnel leading into New Jersey.
“Everyone ready?” I call out.
This time through there’s a lot less talking. Now that we’ve reached the end of our mission, I can feel an eagerness among our people to get back to Sanctuary. I hold Nova tight against my side as we traverse the tunnel.
When we emerge, we head straight for our vehicles. We’ve been gone for less than a day though it feels like a lifetime.
“C’mon,” I murmur to Nova. “We’re going home.”
Thirty-Six
Wolfe takes the driver’s position in our car and I climb into the back with Nova, desperate to get some sleep.
“Are you okay to drive?” I ask him as he pulls onto the road, the other vehicles lining up behind him. Wolfe has the only vehicle with working headlights. Dolly fixed them for him before we left Sanctuary, which allows us to drive more easily at night.
“Fine,” he says gruffly.
I know that’s the best I’m going to get, so I fall silent. I lean my back against the passenger window and pull Nova onto my lap. We drag a blanket on top of us and snuggle. The heat of her body chases away the sting of failure.
I hope that Sheela will be okay. She’s smart and resourceful. Malachi wouldn’t have gone to all the trouble of collecting her if he was going to hurt her. It’s small comfort, since I don’t know the guy beyond what I’d heard from the rebels.
Before I fall asleep, I vow to find a way to see the doctor again, to check up on her. To find out why she stayed.
Sheela will leave a hole in our Sanctuary. One that will be difficult, if not impossible, to fill. She left her work with the cure unfinished. Silas, Hannah and the other surviving Primitives will no longer have her support.
What happens if the flu comes back?
We’ll have to find another doctor as soon as possible.
With these worries on my mind, I fall into a fitful sleep.
I’m woken a few hours later by a gentle shake.
I look up to see Wolfe hovering over me.
“We’re at the bridge.”
I nod, then blink and sit up, looking around. Nova stirs in my arms.
“We have to get out and walk, sweetheart,” I tell her.
We follow the same process as we did the first time we crossed. Once those of us on foot are safely across, we turn to watch the cars. One at a time, all three drive across, with Wolfe at the rear.
As he crosses, I turn to say to Kingston, “Did he tell you where we’re stopping for the night? I’m damn tired. Could use a few more hours.”
“Here,” Kingston confirms. “Once he crosses the bridge, we’ll start looking for a place to stay.”
I open my mouth to answer when a deafening crack rends the night. I whirl on the spot in time to see enormous slabs of concrete crack and tip. At first, I can’t tell what I’m looking at, then I realize the bridge is collapsing.
“Wolfe!” I scream, lunging toward the deck.
Kingston grabs my arm before I can run out onto a rapidly crumbling bridge.
We watch in horror as the section of bridge he’s on, situated between two towers, falls into the river, taking his car with it. I flinch when a massive slab of concrete hits the hood of his car, sending it into the river.
“Where is he?” I ask desperately, unable to see his car. Then a collective gasp goes up as his vehicle bobs to the surface several metres away from the bridge collapse. The current is dragging it down the river.
I fling Kingston’s arm away and race down the embankment beside the bridge. Feet pound the dirt around me as our men follow. I fling off my weapons and leather jacket, then kick off my shoes.
“Be careful!” Kingston shouts from behind me.
I dive into the river without a second thought. The current immediately grabs me and drags me under, but I fight it. I’m a powerful swimmer. My father taught me using the river near our house. The current had been strong there too. I feel the splashes of our men as they dive in with me.
When I surface, I see several of them out ahead of me, swimming steadily toward the car, which is slowly sinking as it swirls down the river. Ignoring the cold water rushing into my mouth and nose, I swim after them.
They reach the car first, then me, seconds behind them.
I pull myself up on the hood, then immediately slip off as the car bobs and sinks. I grip the edge of the hood and drag myself toward the windshield, slapping my hand against the glass and looking in.
Wolfe is slumped in his seat. His eyes are closed, and a trickle of blood makes a path from his temple into his beard. Though he is unconscious, I see the rise and fall of his chest. I let out a cry of relief.
“He’s alive!” I look around at the others. “We need to get him out.”
We pound on the windows, but they won’t break. Wolfe once told me vehicle glass is made of another type of glass that’s much harder than the windows in buildings.
Of course, he has to pick the one vehicle with all the windows still intact.
The vehicle sinks almost completely under the surface, and I lose sight of Wolfe.
“No!” I scream in fury and dive to follow him, beating my fists against the window as hard as I can.
Someone grabs me by the collar and yanks me back up. I come up with fists swinging, my hand colliding with the side of Kingston’s head.
He ignores the blow and hands me a large rock.
“Thank you!” I gasp, then dive again. The car is
easy to find because the headlights are still on.
I try to smash the windshield, which is now pointed skyward as the car sinks. I can’t get enough of a grip on the rock to make an impact.
I look over at Kingston, who dove with me and hand him the rock. I swim to the side as he lifts it over his head and brings it crashing down on the windshield.
A crack appears in the glass and I scream my encouragement, which is lost beneath the dark murky water.
Kingston hits the windshield over and over until the cracks radiate outward. Then, seconds later, Wolfe’s fist smashes through what’s left of the windshield. He’s awake!
I grip the edge while Kingston takes the other side and between the three of us, we’re able to yank the broken glass away.
Water pours quickly into the car, pinning Wolfe to the driver’s seat. I look up desperately but can no longer tell where the surface of the water is.
I reach into the car. Wolfe takes my hand, and I pull with all my strength. Kingston takes his other hand, and together we’re able to pull Wolfe from the car.
I wrap my arms around Wolfe’s waist and together we kick our way to the surface.
As I break through the water, I gasp for breath, coughing and spitting up water. Wolfe does the same beside me, then seconds later, Kingston as he emerges from the water.
Our men help us back to the embankment where Tabitha is standing with Nova. The little girl’s eyes are enormous and flooded with tears. As soon as I drag myself onto land, she launches herself at me, strangling me with a hug.
“I’m okay,” I tell her gently, looking for Wolfe.
When I spot him, I crawl toward him, Nova still clinging to my neck. I press myself against his chest and hold tight. He wraps his arms around both of us and squeezes.
Self-recriminations fly through my head. Wolfe could have died, and it would have been my fault. When the doctor was taken, I didn’t think twice. I went running after her, determined to rescue her. Now here we are, no doctor, and I nearly lost the one person I can’t live without. I want to cry, but I have to hold it in. Warlords don’t cry in front of their people.
Sensing my distress, Wolfe tips my head back and kisses me. “Not your fault.”
“I’m the Warlord. I shouldn’t have brought us here. It was stupid. We live in a dangerous world. We should be safe in our Sanctuary.”
He shakes his head. “Sanctuary will only be safe if the world around us is safe. By going to find the doctor, we gained a great deal of information that will help keep us safe.”
“We don’t have her, though,” I say, my voice cracking as I fight the tears.
“No,” he says. “We have someone else.”
I twist my head to look into Nova’s serious blue eyes. I take a deep breath and my chest relaxes. I smile tremulously at her.
Wolfe pulls me tight against his chest and then wraps his huge hand over Nova’s head and holds her as well.
“We’re okay,” he murmurs against my forehead, and I relax, finally believing it.
As we sit on the riverbank, catching our breath and recovering, Wolfe gazes across the river mournfully. “Goddamn, I loved that car.”
I laugh and hug him and Nova harder.
Thirty-Seven
We don’t go far, deciding to spend the night in Harrisburg. Wolfe and I transfer our belongings to the two remaining vehicles and we drive until we find what looks like a relatively safe place to stay until morning.
We’re all tired and shaken up from nearly losing Wolfe. We lost the best vehicle we had, putting us at a disadvantage.
“There,” Wolfe points.
Kingston stops the car in front of a church and we climb out.
The building isn’t significant other than it’s mostly intact, which is why we often use churches. Of all the places looted and destroyed after the Great Fall, churches were the one building that most people were hesitant to desecrate.
Wolfe sets one man to guard the remaining cars while everyone else carries what we need inside.
I shiver as I look up at a wall of stained glass. Its beauty is cold and unwelcoming and I want nothing more than to sleep in my own bed in my own Sanctuary.
I find a spot near the back of the church, clear it of debris and set out our bedding. I set enough for the three of us. Nova against the wall and Wolfe on the outside with me in the middle.
Catching Nova’s eye, I sit down and pat the blanket. “Come sit with me.”
She sinks onto the blanket beside me.
“Will you let me look at your neck, sweetheart?” I ask gently.
She brings a hand protectively up to her neck and scoots back, her eyes wide and fearful.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” I say gently, pulling back the collar of my leather jacket. “See, I have a mark too.”
I lean over so she can see the bite mark clearly, then I feel her cool fingers trace the ridges of the teeth indentations in my flesh. When I turn my head to look at her, she’s tugging at her shirt.
I help her, brushing her fingers aside and running my hand around the collar of her dirty T-shirt until I find what I’m looking for. A large bite encompassing her neck from front-to-back mars her skin.
I swallow back the tears that jump to the surface. How had she survived such a wound? It looks like a full-grown Primitive tried to tear out her throat.
Children rarely survive the trauma of the turn. They’re too fragile, so the Primitives eat them instead. It isn’t until the child is around fifteen or sixteen, approaching fully grown, that they’re able to survive the attack and Turn.
“You’re very brave,” I murmur, hugging Nova. “One day you’ll have to tell me how you survived all on your own.”
We eat a meal of jerky, dried fruit and canned tomatoes before laying down to sleep. I pull my knife and gun from my belt and set them next to my head. Wolfe has taken first watch outside, so it will be up to me to protect us until he returns.
I fall asleep with Nova snuggled against my back.
I dream of the river, churning and angry. One at a time it kills all of my people as we try to rescue Nova, who is trapped in the car and is slowly drowning. I reach for her, but the car sinks below the surface and disappears into the darkness. I force my way back to the surface and frantically search the water for Wolfe. He’s gone, and the river is sucking me back down. Eventually I give up and let it take me. It doesn’t matter. My family is gone and dead. There’s nothing for me now.
I wake to a gentle shaking of my shoulder. My eyes fly open and I try to shout, but a hand covers my mouth. I splutter and shove at whoever is holding me. Then I realize it’s Wolfe. His scarred, one-eyed visage is enough to scare anyone who was already having a nightmare, but I immediately calm.
“I’m sorry, did I wake you up?” I whisper.
He shakes his head. “Just got back from watch.”
I pat the blankets next to me. “You should get some sleep.”
He shakes his head and untangles my legs from the blankets while being careful not to jostle Nova.
“Come with me,” he says.
I nod and let him help me to my feet.
Wolfe takes me around to the side of the large room until we reach a set of stairs. Together we climb them to the second floor of the church. The elements haven’t been as kind up here. Debris litters the floor and windows have been smashed. There’s a smell of mildew in the air.
I follow Wolfe as he picks a path through the debris to another door with a sign that reads ‘roof access’.
We climb another set of stairs to a door. Wolfe uses his shoulder to shove it open. Together we step out onto the rooftop. I’ve been on the top of many buildings in my life. It’s something most drifters have in common. Our love of sitting up high and watching the world below. Primitives can climb but they won’t unless assured of a meal, so rooftops can be the best place to sleep.
As we approach the edge of the roof, I see why Wolfe brought me up here. The first rays of dawn are see
ping across the landscape, lighting up the world below in an array of yellows, oranges and reds. The town has probably been abandoned for fifty years, the residents either killed in the first waves of Primitive attacks or fleeing to the nearest large city in hopes of Sanctuary.
Most buildings are covered with vines, bushes and other greenery. Mother nature is taking back what was once hers. The meeting of nature and man is breathtaking. Soon, there will be nothing of the human-made structures left as they turn to dust and are taken back by the Earth.
We are alone, on top of the world as it lights up with nature’s life.
“Marry me,” Wolfe says from beside me.
“You already asked,” I remind him. “And I said yes.”
“Marry me right now.”
I look at him in surprise. “How?”
When I was married to Silas, there was a formal ceremony with witnesses. And though I’m not religious, Silas was. He’d had a priest brought in to perform the ceremony, binding us together.
But Wolfe is different, and so am I. Suddenly, this moment, this rooftop, just me and Wolfe, strikes me as the perfect time to get married.
He turns to me and takes my hand kissing the back before turning it over and kissing the palm. He presses my hand against his chest, over his heart as he speaks.
“I, Wolfe of the Santa Fe Sanctuary, take you, Skye, to be my wife. I will care for you until the day I die.”
His words are simple, and they’re perfect.
I blink back tears as I look up at him. I pull my hand away from his chest and turn his hand in mine. I press it over my heart.
“I, Skye of the Santa Fe Sanctuary, take you, Wolfe, to be my husband. I will care for you until the day I die.”
He gathers me in his arms and kisses me as the sun heats the landscape and sets beautiful fire to our union.
Our kiss turns from loving to passionate, and I suddenly feel the driving need to consummate our marriage right then and there, with only the nature surrounding us acting as witness.
Unlike my first wedding, this is from my heart. I haven’t been coerced, and I know I can survive without Wolfe, if I must. The difference is, I don’t want to. This man is everything to me. He has steadily crept into my heart and taken hold.
Skye's Sanctuary (The Sanctuary Series Book 5) Page 21
