And God, she made him laugh. Caleb had never thought he had a sense of humor before, but Aurora made him laugh so hard he cried. The woman was a gift.
The puzzle of his redemption was finally coming together. Caleb would do everything he could not only to guarantee Aurora’s safety, but to protect the rights of other people that could be hunted by the Stork Company in the future.
Caleb sipped on his coffee as he sat on the front deck of Aurora’s cabin and waited her return. She’d taken Belle and Beast to the lake on a fishing run, insisting he stay behind in case the sled was too rough for his still-healing wound.
Content that he hadn’t seen any drones overhead in the past couple of weeks, Caleb believed they were safe. For now. When the time was right, he’d communicate to the Stork Company that the bounty hunter was dead. A murder would be something they wouldn’t want on their radar, so he knew the death would go unnoticed. Until he was ready to blow the company wide open. But first, he had to ensure the safety of his sister.
Aurora and the dogs came bounding into view, and Caleb smiled as if it was second nature. His heart swelled, butterflies taking to his stomach like they usually did when she was near. Every time he laid eyes on Aurora felt like the first time.
Caleb met the sled and pulled her into his arms. “You’re just in time, I just brewed a fresh pot of coffee.”
He kissed her in welcome, taking his time to explore her mouth. Every kiss he stole with Aurora, he treated like it would be the last time. Every moment with her was precious.
* * * *
Aurora tasted the smoky roast of her coffee on Caleb’s tongue, and it was pure bliss—her two addictions in one. She’d fallen hard for Caleb. The past two weeks she’d learned everything about him, and now they would begin a path that would change both of their lives forever.
When the kiss ended, she smiled, staying in his arms. “We missed you.”
Caleb raised a brow. “I’m still not sure how Belle and Beast feel about me being here.”
Beast barked as if to chime in on the matter.
“Oh, they’ll love you soon enough. They just have to be sure you’re not leaving before they get too attached.” Aurora had felt the same way the first week during Caleb’s recovery. But now she’d let her heart have free rein to fall for Caleb since there were no secrets between them. “Do you hear that?”
“They’re early.” Caleb took Aurora’s hand.
The mighty roar of an aircraft propeller made Aurora’s pulse quicken with anticipation. The final puzzle piece was falling into place. “It won’t take them long to get here, let’s get the dogs fed.”
“Hey.” Caleb pulled her back. “Don’t be nervous. Everything is going to be okay.”
Aurora nodded, but she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.
Caleb helped her unleash the dogs and get them fed and kenneled. In the days prior, both cabins had been prepped for their guest. When the dogs barked, signaling an arrival, Caleb took Aurora’s hand. She had never been one to be afraid before, even living alone out in the Alaskan bush, but having Caleb by her side made her feel invincible.
“I’m a little nervous, but I’m excited,” she said.
“Good.” Caleb kissed her, and Aurora’s body instantly heated in his embrace.
When they stepped outside to greet their arrival, Aurora was taken aback. Kallum was unrecognizable. He’d shaved and Aurora realized she’d never seen him without facial hair. He looked…handsome, with a strong jaw and…pink cheeks. Aurora noticed why. The woman walking by his side was strikingly beautiful, with long, dark hair and tanned skin and dark eyes that matched Caleb’s. Of course his younger sister would be breathtaking. And Kallum obviously was smitten.
Upon seeing Caleb, the woman ran into his arms. “Caleb!”
He clutched her tightly before releasing her. “Catrina, I want you to meet—”
Aurora stumbled when Catrina launched into her arms. “The woman that saved my brother’s life.”
“Actually, he—” she started to correct his sister.
“I’ve heard all about you, Aurora. I feel like we’re already friends.” The young woman’s blinding smile put Aurora at ease. “I never thought my brother would find love.” She pulled Aurora into another hug. “I’ve wanted a sister for so long.”
“Catrina.” Caleb laughed. “Maybe come inside for coffee before you start planning the wedding.”
Aurora couldn’t help but grin, infected by the girl’s affection. Just like Catrina said, she imagined they would be quick friends. Who couldn’t love this enthusiastic, beautiful woman? She was so glad they’d decided to bring Catrina to Alaska until they figured out how to deal with the Stork Company. Catrina obviously had an adventurous spirit, because she hadn’t hesitated when Caleb had told her what happened. Aurora had been nervous at first that his sister would resent her for throwing a kink in her contract.
“You’ve set my brother free, Aurora. And for that, I love you.”
This time it was Aurora’s turn to pull Catrina into an embrace. With her arms around the woman, she noted Kallum standing there a bit sheepishly, a red tint to his cheeks that she knew wasn’t from the cold. She released Catrina.
“Kallum, do you want to help Catrina get settled into my parents’ cabin? I figured since it’s two bedrooms, we’d stay there. Caleb and I have already moved some of my stuff there. We’ll be right behind you.”
“Yeah, of course.” Kallum smiled, obviously grateful for a duty that would allow him to be in Catrina’s presence a little bit longer.
“Hey, man.” Caleb reached out to shake his hand. “Thanks for getting my sister here safe.”
“Happy to help. She’s pretty special.”
Before Caleb could play the part of a protective older brother, Aurora wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in for a kiss. As Kallum led Catrina along the path toward the other cabin, Aurora smiled up at Caleb. “I like your sister.”
“She likes you. I knew she would.”
Caleb gazed down at Aurora, and it filled her with warmth. Although he hadn’t said the words, she felt the love he had for her; it drew them together like a magnet.
“You’re amazing, Aurora. I haven’t said anything because I wanted to give it time. I wanted to make sure that when I finally said it, I deserved to. But I’m not sure if I’ll ever feel like I deserve you, so I might as well just be honest. When I came to Alaska, I didn’t know what to expect beyond the cold and snow. But I love this beautiful place. And more than that, I love you.”
Aurora smiled at the easy way the words made her body feel light with contentment. “I love you too, Caleb. Welcome home.”
About Jaye Shields
When Jaye Shields isn’t writing, she’s either flying around at thirty thousand feet as a flight attendant, or hanging out on her boat, enjoying an ocean breeze. Either way, her feet are rarely on the ground and her head is usually in the clouds, dreaming up her next story.
Jaye’s Website:
www.JayeShieldsAuthor.com
Reader eMail
[email protected]
Heaven for Us
by Beth D. Carter
Jo was one of the lucky ones. She survived the virus that decimated eighty-five percent of the world’s population and now searches for a sanctuary in a ruined world. She trusts no one, keeping to herself, until she meets Luke and his daughter, Casey.
Suddenly she’s involved, and emotions she thought she had iced over long ago invade her self-imposed isolation. The more time she spends with Luke, the more she wants him, leaving her conflicted. Does she stay with him? Or will she continue her trek to find a heaven among the apocalypse?
Dedication
Many thanks to CR Moss for being an awesome friend.
Acknowledgements
I am honored to be part of this anthology among this group of authors. Thank you for including me.
Prologue
Jo honked her horn once more, although she knew
it was a useless gesture. Stuck in the middle of three lanes that were going nowhere fast, all she could do was pray that something happened soon to open up a way for her to get to work. Road construction complicated the commute, forcing the multilane freeway down into two. Her cellphone rang, and the caller ID showed it was her boss, Heather.
“Hello,” she answered, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice, but she knew she failed. “I’m stuck in traffic. I swear it.”
“Are you on the Twenty?”
“Yeah.”
“The Center for Disease Control has that shut down. They’ve got tents and people in biological hazard suits swarming all over the place.”
Jo’s brows drew together. “Well, that’s not good. You think anthrax?”
“I don’t know what to think,” her boss said. “Be careful, but get here as soon as you can.”
Jo hung up and pursed her lips. The first break in the traffic line came about an hour later when the cars began moving, and she discovered the Jersey walls had been moved. Cops directed vehicles to turn around and head westbound, taking her away from her work, but that was better than being stuck in traffic.
She finally walked into the hospital, several hours late, and made her way to the triage station in ER.
“Thank God you’re here,” Heather said. “We’ve got some type of viral epidemic going on, six cases right now, but it’s bad.”
Jo frowned. “Bad how?”
Heather gave her a chart. “Blood pouring out of ears, noses, and in some cases, vaginal and anal discharge. The swabs we’re collecting aren’t showing the typical known viruses.”
Jo looked over the notes. “Flu?”
Heather shook her head. “None that we know. The pathologist is calling it a lentivirus, something only found in primates, but so far we’ve gotten zilch from the CDC. I find it highly suspicious that there’s one hell of an accident they’re involved in, and we’re seeing some type of unknown disease we don’t know how to treat.”
“What the hell?”
Jo didn’t have much time to ponder the unusual symptoms when three more cases were brought in via ambulance. She’d never seen such a troubling sight of people losing blood when no wounds were present on the body. Soon, beds were saturated and housecleaning was having a difficult time keeping up with disinfecting the hallways and rooms as more and more people came into the emergency room.
She worked tirelessly, pushing through a double shift, running around and helping people where she could. Doctors were equally baffled but just as concerned as ten people turned into twenty and then spiraled out of control. She was covered in blood, and the hospital soon ran out of replacement scrubs. All she could do was wash her hands over and over, until they dried out and her cuticles began to crack.
“Jo!” Heather motioned her over from a doorway. “Come here and listen to this!”
Pulling off her disposable apron, she joined Heather in the breakroom where the news was on the small television.
“Doctor Amanda Tasker died today in an accident which caused the Twenty Freeway to be shut down for the past twenty-four hours. Authorities have no idea when the freeway will reopen, and side streets are being flooded as people seek alternative routes…”
Jo shrugged. “Now they talk about alternative routes. I’ve learned my lesson.”
“No, not that,” Heather said. “My friend works at the CDC, and she told me that Amanda Tasker was part of the department testing new biological containments. She was the one responsible for overseeing biological warfare against the human race.”
Jo frowned. “You think what we’re seeing here is a result of her crash? That something…escaped?”
Heather shrugged. “I don’t know. But one person has died after being admitted twenty-four hours ago.”
Something red caught Jo’s attention, and she reached up to turn Heather’s head. A streak of blood rolled out of her friend’s ear.
“Oh shit,” Jo muttered. “It’s blood.”
Heather reached up to feel it, her eyes going wide with horror as her fingers came back stained red. Fear blanketed her face.
“Oh my God. No.”
“Come on, let’s get you to a room.”
“Jo, does this mean—”
“Stop it,” Jo said firmly. “It’s going to be fine. We’ve just got to run some tests. Why don’t you get me the phone number of your friend so I can find out what the fuck is going on.”
Chapter 1
Jo held out her arm at the border gate and waited for the sentry to check her blood. When it registered negative, he flipped the lock to allow her through the first heavily fenced portal. She waved her thanks as she proceeded to the next checkpoint, where she waited patiently. Another guard flashed a bright light into the eyes of the people wanting entrance to the haven point, which was nothing more than a glorified trading post where prices were inflated. This setup had resurrected the lost art of haggling.
Once it was her turn, she braced herself for the effects of the blinding test, which proved she had no ruptured blood vessels. As she blinked rapidly to stem tears the light had caused, the last gate opened, allowing her and the others entry into the hustle and bustle of the vendors and shoppers.
Jo hefted her backpack higher on her shoulder, holding tight to the strap to make sure none of the little pickpockets darting between tables tried running off with her stash. She’d gone through a lot to find some worthy stuff to trade, and she’d be damned if the cretins took off with her goods.
Pulling the brim of her cap low, she traversed the stalls, doing her best to hide the fact that she was female. There weren’t many of her sex, and the few women she saw seemed to hover around big, burly men, as if needing them for protection. Jo wasn’t sure what to think about that kind of trade, because the thought of prostituting for survival left a bitter taste in her mouth and hit a little too close to home.
Over the next hour she made the few purchases she wanted, namely a flint stone, a knife, and rope, but she separated the trades far enough apart as to not bring attention to herself. Finally, done for the day, she purchased an evening meal and sat down at the market tables to enjoy her soup and hard-tack bread. The thick, cracker-like square was hard enough to break teeth, and the only way to eat it was to use the soup to soften it up, but it came in handy because it didn’t spoil like regular bread.
“Any females inside these walls are ripe for the picking.”
The low-pitched statement from the table behind her caught her attention. Jo kept her head down, but it made her pause, and she strained to hear anything more, hoping the man wasn’t talking about her.
“Why only one?” another man asked. “Why can’t we take two? Or three? There’s four of us—”
“Shh!” the first man said. “Keep your voice down. This is a covert operation.”
“Yeah,” said one of the other men. “Covert. Meaning shut your damn mouth.”
Jo turned her head slightly, trying to get a glimpse of the men out of the corner of her eye, but she couldn’t make any of them out.
“We take one for now,” the first man, who was obviously the leader, stated firmly. “When enough time has passed, we can come back and get another female. We can’t take too many at one time or they’ll be noticed.”
“But who gets her? I mean, one of us gets to breed with her while the others get blue balls? That’s not fair.”
Jo gritted her teeth. Just like a man to think with his dick!
“Don’t worry, we’ll all get a turn with her,” the leader assured Dumb Man Number Two. “I don’t care much about the baby part, but I do care about the blue balls part. Hell, we can bring any kid back here and give it in trade.”
“Yeah, yeah,” said one man. “I bet we can fetch a good trade price for a kid. Or hell, have a harem of kids and rent them out. You know more men will pay big bucks at a whorehouse.”
The absolute disgusting nature of the conversation convinced Jo these men were the scum of the
earth. There wasn’t one single redeeming quality amongst any of them, and she’d be damned if she would sit back and watch them take a young, unsuspecting girl, subjugate her to being little more than a brood mare for the four assholes, and then sell her baby in trade.
The end of the world sure had brought out all the crazies.
It was hard to believe that life had been normal just a year ago, going to work, paying taxes, trying hard not to gain pre-menopausal weight. The gym had been her favorite way to blow off stress and help fight middle-age belly bulge. Then people started dying from a virus, and the mass panic of not knowing how it started or who was next convinced her it was time to leave Georgia and head toward a less populated area.
“There!” the asshole sitting behind her said excitedly.
When the other men half-turned to see who their leader pointed at, Jo followed their line of sight and saw a young girl with long, blonde hair tied up in a ponytail. She couldn’t have been any more than fifteen or sixteen, wholesome and beautiful. Jo wanted to march up to her and smack her for making herself so obvious. No wonder the four bastards had zeroed in on her, because most people were trying to get a second and third look. Females were rare, and pretty ones were almost non-existent, and if she was behind the trading walls, that meant she was disease-free.
Her appetite disappeared, so Jo took the dirty dishes and loaded them onto a rack. The four men rose to follow the girl, and this was the first time she got a glimpse of them. Now that they were far north, flannel was the cloth of choice, so all the men looked like unwashed lumberjacks, average looking, with the typical shaggy hair from the lack of barber shops nowadays.
They took off, predators on the hunt, and Jo trailed them. More than likely, they probably wouldn’t make a move until the girl wandered off the main path. Several times Jo asked herself what the hell she was doing, with the mental fight of pros and cons each holding traction. Preventing a young female from being raped and impregnated against her will was the biggest nod toward helping, but she ran the risk of her own gender being identified. Self-preservation reared its head, yet still, she kept trailing after the men who were trailing after the girl.
Love at the End of the World Page 7
