Apocalyptic Beginnings Box Set

by M. D. Massey

Henry still glared at Nick.

  “I’m not going to sit here and be the recipient of his anger.” Nick stood and stalked off into the family room.

  “Nick. Nick! Come back.” Claire got up to chase after him, but before she made it to the doorway, she pointed at me. “You need to control your man!”

  “Control my man?! Do you see marionette strings anywhere?!” I was absolutely floored she would even say something like that.

  “He needs to learn to respect others and their opinions! He can’t be Mr. Ego all the goddamn time!” Claire stormed off after Nick.

  “You know, she’s right, Henry. You need to control yourself.” Sophie was trying to be the voice of reason.

  “Oh, shut the fuck up, Sophie. You get all pissy, too.” I got up and ran upstairs before anyone could see the tears running down my face. I didn’t understand how Henry’s outburst was my fault.

  “Elaina, wait,” I heard Henry say. “Jesus Christ, this is all I fucking need right now!”

  “Henry, sit your arse down. Leave her alone. You need to wait until you’ve had your fix.”

  Henry ignored Sophie’s demand, following me up the stairs. “Elaina!”

  I made it to my room, slammed the door shut, and leaned up against it, trying to suck back my emotions.

  He knocked softly. “Elaina, can I come in?” I didn’t move. “Elaina… Come on. Open the door.” I heard a light thud against the solid wood. I had a feeling it was his forehead. “Elaina… I’m sorry. Please, let me in.” I couldn’t be mad at him. It wasn’t his fault.

  I whipped open the door and yanked him inside. After slamming the door again, I forcefully pushed him up against it.

  “Love, I’m sorry. I know I need to control myself better. It’s just—”

  “Shut up,” I rasped, losing all control of myself. My beautiful man, or whatever the fuck he was, stood before me, looking sad and guilty.

  I felt my core stir, aching for him to pound himself into my deepest depths, releasing the tension in my body. I grabbed him and kissed him on his lips, then his neck. I rubbed my hands all over his cool, trimmed body. I wasn’t going to waste a moment.

  “Elaina, stop…” Henry tried to push me away, but I knew, from the obvious visual signs, he wanted me as badly as I did him. “Elaina…please…” I pulled off his shirt, then worked my way down to his navel, nipping his taut skin. He shuddered and his breathing deepened. “Elaina, please. You said we can’t. Don’t do this to me. It’s not right.”

  I stood and put my finger on his lips. “Shhh,” I growled. I unbuckled his belt and reached for what I desired. He moaned loudly and his head thudded against the door as I took him in my hand. “Shhh, I said!” I growled at him again. Damn it. He was going to follow my orders for a change whether he wanted to or not.

  “Yes, ma’am.” He undid the button on my jeans as I stroked him. He kissed me with a ferocious appetite, grabbing me and pushing me up against the wall. He pulled off my jeans and lacy panties, then yanked off my shirt and bra in record time.

  Everything drifted away. I didn’t care what had happened, I didn’t care if anyone heard, and I didn’t care about anything except the man who could make my body pulsate in a fury of passion. I wanted to be one with him.

  He roughly grabbed my face, his tongue invading my mouth, then he ran his teeth over my jawline. I got an unexpected thrill from the danger of it. One nip too hard and I would be like him.

  His cool breath tickled my ear. Slowly, he sunk to his knees, touching and kissing every square inch of my body. When he dipped his fingers into my wet heat, I let out a quiet moan. I wanted more. I wanted all of him.

  “More, Henry…” His tongue worked me over to the point of near ecstasy. I pulled on his hair. “Henry…please. I need you.” My body ached to release with him inside my begging core.

  He stood, lifting me up against the wall. I wrapped my legs around his waist. He slowly slid me down and entered me. His groan was deep and throaty. It was a delicious sound that I relished. I loved knowing I felt so good to him.

  “Oh, fuuuuck, love,” he moaned. “It’s been too long.”

  “Henry…,” I gasped as he pushed me to my limit.

  He grabbed onto my ass and thrust himself into me over and over again, rough and desperate. He buried his face into my chest, and his cool, throaty breath tickled my skin. I wrapped my arms around him as I began to rise. I bit my lip and threw my head back.

  My delicious moment came quickly over the intense passion. After I spilled myself and melted into him, he carried me to the bed. He positioned himself behind me and took me again.

  Again, his thrusts were hard and deep. His uncontrolled breathing wild and intoxicating. Henry was coming apart at the seams. I made him stop so I could roll over. I wanted to see him come. He thrust himself back in and pounded into me.

  “Oh god, love. I’m going to… Fuuuuck,” he growled. I held his head in my hands and watched my beautiful man explode above me. His eyes rolled, his jaw relaxed, and he groaned deeply as he filled my core. He pumped his hips into me a few more times before he lost his ability to hold himself up.

  He collapsed on the bed next to me, unable to breathe. I was still stuck in the euphoria of it all. Then he curled up next to me and his familiar, sweaty, cool body brought me back to reality.

  A crying jag hit once again. I tried to hide it, but there was no hope. I really hated that weak side of myself. Henry pulled me close into his chest and stroked my hair, whispering, “I’m sorry, love.” I looked into his graying eyes. “I’m so sorry about everything. I love you so much.”

  “I don’t want to do this anymore,” I whispered.

  He wore a guilty expression on his face, his eyes watering, too. “I know. Neither do I.”

  “I just want everything back to normal, where I worried about where I left my cell phone, or if I remembered to set my DVR for a Real Housewives marathon.” I nestled my head into Henry’s chest.

  He didn’t say anything. I could feel his sadness. I knew he thought the whole situation was his fault, but it wasn’t my intention to make him feel that way. He stroked my hair and ran his fingers down my back.

  “Elaina, I wish I could change what happened so you and I could try to live a somewhat normal life, but let’s face facts here, love. If it weren’t for all this madness, we probably would have never met.” He was right.

  When his stomach growled loudly and interrupted our emotional moment, we both laughed.

  “Come on. Let’s go eat and get you a fix. Also, you need to behave yourself, Henry. Stop with your attitude. I don’t want the fighting anymore.” I gave him my best stern look. I stood, grabbed our clothes, and tossed his at him.

  “Yes, ma’am.” He smirked at me as we dressed, then he pulled me into a quick embrace. “By the way, that was fucking brilliant. I love angry, spontaneous sex with you.” He gave me a kiss and opened the door.

  When we got back downstairs, Nick and Claire were at the table. Sophie had divided up the bag Thomas gave, and both she and Nick were sipping on it. Henry walked straight to Nick. I hoped he was going to stay in control.

  “Nick, may I speak with you in the other room?”

  Nick looked around at everyone. “Yeah, I guess.” He sounded worried. I couldn’t say as I blamed him. Nick got up and walked into the family room, Henry on his heels. I stood in the kitchen doorway, just out of earshot, but I could still see the interaction. I was ready to pounce if a brawl broke out.

  “I would like to apologize for my behavior,” Henry said. “You’re correct. I need to listen to everyone else’s opinions. It was completely out of line. I know you’re still angry with me about the whole…well, you know. So, please, I beg you to accept my apology.” Henry held out his hand. Staring down at it, Nick looked amazed.

  “Wow… That must have been some talking to from Elaina.” Nick took Henry’s hand and shook it.

  Henry smirked. “You have no idea, mate. She was bloody brutal.” Henry ran
his hand through his hair. “Let’s go back in there and make plans. I would like to leave soon so we can beat the weather.”

  When Henry and Nick made it back to the dining room, I had already eaten a half jar of tomatoes while watching them. Henry sat and downed his cup of blood, like he usually did. He folded his arms on the table and rested his head on them.

  I grabbed my glass of whisky and drank a few sips. After a minute or so, Henry picked up his head, his eyes sparkling with a brilliance I hadn’t seen in a while. They even looked a bit happy. He smiled at me and stood, then dug through the boxes and bags.

  “What are you looking for?” Sophie asked.

  “I was wondering if you grabbed all the maps that were—” He stopped. Holding up what looked like a notebook or a journal, he whipped his head around to Sophie. Lips pursed, her face was full of fear and sadness.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you brought these?!” Sophie looked at him, speechless. “Did you read any of these?” Still no response. “I asked you a fucking question!” He dug down into the box and found a stack of similar notebooks. “Answer me, damn it!” He was furious, and I had no idea why.

  “Henry, just calm down. I’m sure Sophie or somebody…” I looked at Claire, “will explain.” I stood and walked over to him. I reached my hand out to take one. He took a step back, pulling the notebooks into his chest. “What are they?”

  “His journals.” Sophie’s voice was soft and melancholy.

  “Aww, cute!” I said excitedly, ignoring Sophie’s tone. “Can I see them? What kind of juicy details from your past do they hold?” I reached out for them again. Henry pulled away with haste and dropped a couple by my feet. Before he could grab them, I bent and picked one up. He tried to snatch it out of my hands, but I had a death grip on it. I started reading as he hung his head.

  * * *

  “August 4th, 2014

  * * *

  Dear Mum,

  * * *

  I was nearly caught yesterday. Gunther showed up at a bar I was at with Elaina and her friend, Claire. He told me that Roger said I needed to get back to work, but I refused. Then we got into a physical altercation. I am so lucky the ladies didn’t hear what he said to me. He told me that if I didn’t inject someone soon, Roger would drag me back to the complex for punishment. I didn’t care. I want nothing to do with the program anymore. I’m worried he will bring harm to Elaina, though. When I arrived back at my flat today, Gunther had broken in and stolen the virus. I’m really worried. Our wedding isn’t that far away. I have to protect her. I need advice…I’m lost. I wish you were here to help me.

  * * *

  I love you.

  Luke”

  * * *

  I looked up at Henry. Blind with rage, but my voice was calm and quiet. “You knew?”

  “Elaina, please, let me explain.” The fear on his face was evident.

  “There’s nothing to explain. It says it all right here, Henry! You were supposed to inject the virus into someone!”

  Sophie sat with her head in her hands.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you grabbed these?!” Henry screamed at Sophie.

  “I forgot,” she cried. “I’m sorry.”

  “You forgot?! You’re sorry?!” Henry laughed with a frightening aggression. Stunned, I read revealing entry after revealing entry. “I can’t believe this. Well, it’s all out there now, isn’t it, Sophie? Thank you for not allowing me to tell her in my own time.”

  “Don’t you dare put any blame on Sophie!” Claire stood. “She thought she was doing something good by bringing you your journals.”

  “So you knew, too?!” I bit out. “What the fuck?!” I didn’t know what to think. My best friend didn’t tell me about them, Sophie was crying, and Henry was scared, but raging.

  “Tell her, Henry.” Claire crossed her arms. “Tell Elaina about your initial mission.”

  Henry spilled his guts, finally telling me every last gory detail. I couldn’t believe what I heard. “Elaina, I tried to fight him off. He stalked me for months. There were so many times I unraveled over his presence. I didn’t want to do it. Yes, I originally intended to use you, but I fell in love with you from the moment our eyes locked that night. Look… Look here.” He opened his journal to October 24, 2012. I read his entry and fell apart. I didn’t know if I should be pissed or happy.

  “I’m so confused right now.” Henry tried to embrace me, but I pushed him away. “Don’t touch me!”

  “Elaina, it’s right here. Look!” He was desperate to show me, to prove he threw it all away just for me, instead of using me. “Look, please. I didn’t want this to happen. I went rogue. I didn’t want to inject anyone. I knew it was wrong.” His voice cracked. “I thought that by holding the injection hostage, I could prevent this, but I failed at that, as well. I’m such a screw up.” My heart ached. I was hurt, but I could see how broken Henry was. I wanted to take him away from all of it.

  “So when you actually met me, instead of continuing to stalk me, you decided you couldn’t go through with the program anymore?”

  “Precisely. I didn’t want to do it anymore. I love you so much.” Hand reaching out, he was looking for permission to get close to me. I wiped my tears on my sleeve. “Elaina, you mean everything to me. You’re the only person who has kept me sane in this entirely mental, fucked-up life of mine. Please…” His words caught in his throat.

  “I need to say a few things.” Henry nodded. “I’m so angry and hurt right now. I always knew you were hiding stuff from me. I mean, why would you never let me in to your apartment? I only ever knew a part of you. I’m…”

  Desperate, he was going to fight for me tooth and nail. “Love, please. I love you so much. I was just protecting you by not letting you completely into my life and home. I would die for you. I would fight to the very end for you. Haven’t I proven that?” I nodded. “I know I should have told you all of this, but I was afraid you would leave me. I was so scared that I would lose you. But you have every right to leave me. If you want me to, I will leave right now. I’ll pack a small bag and leave you with the truck, along with a majority of the weapons. I will walk out that door if that’s what you want, but you have to understand. I will fight until the very end to have you in my life. You’re the only thing that makes it tolerable. I beg you not to walk away from us.”

  I couldn’t take it anymore. I grabbed him and latched on. “Stay. I can’t live without you. I can’t.” I didn’t think I had ever held Henry that tight before. I needed to hold him together. I didn’t want him to shatter all over again.

  He kept whispering apology after apology. He was broken because he had been through so much abuse. His entire body trembled with fear. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sophie approach us.

  “Henry…I want to apologize.” He looked at Sophie, who was shattering, as well. “I realize how much I’ve hurt you. Please forgive me.” I was hesitant and afraid of how Henry would react.

  He glared at her for a moment, then embraced her. “Thank you.”

  “Thank you?” she questioned as she pulled away. He wrapped his hands around the nape of her neck and held her face in his hands.

  “Yes. Thank you for helping me get it all out there. I was just kidding myself. I would never have been able to build up enough courage to tell her. I’m glad she knows, and I no longer have to live with the burden and fear.”

  Sophie didn’t know what to say, her lips trembling. She broke their embrace, turned around, and ran up the stairs.

  An uncomfortable silence filled the house. Henry finally sat back down at the table. It was Nick’s turn to glare. He stood and pointed in Henry’s face. “Just because my sister forgives you, doesn’t mean I do.”

  Claire grabbed Nick’s arm. “You have to forgive him. If Elaina wants us to continue to accept Henry, that’s what we have to do. We cannot be divided. It will only cause us to fall.” She turned to me. “Elaina, please accept my apology. I shouldn’t have gotten angry with you earlier.
”

  “I accept,” I quietly said.

  “Okay. Well, let’s make some plans,” Claire said with a genuine smile. I think she realized how broken Henry was. She had witnessed so many of his outbursts of self-loathing misery as of late.

  “Shouldn’t Sophie be involved?” I asked.

  Henry cleared his throat. “I think she needs time.” He poured us all more drinks, then unfolded the maps, pointing out the different routes we could travel. Between Henry, Nick, Claire, and I, we ended up finishing that bottle of whisky, then we killed one more.

  Chapter 30

  I woke up with a groan, feeling the sun coming through the window, creeping up on my body. There was no way I was getting up. I heard Henry yawn. I tried opening my eyes, but they were not cooperating.

  “Morning, my sexy love.” His voice had that rasp that I loved so much. I felt his naked body against mine, which made me realize that I was naked, as well. He was aroused, as usual.

  I was hung over, and I think I did things with Henry the night before that I wouldn’t normally do. My entire nether region was a little achy. I got up the courage to open my eyes as I rolled over to face him.

  “Is the wild beast tamed within you?” I squinted at him. “If it isn’t, maybe I can try to tame it again?” He had an evil grin plastered on his face, and he started to kiss my neck.

  “You are so not funny right now, Henry Daniels.”

  He laughed. “No? I kind of like that untamed beast that lives deep down inside of you. Quite frankly, it’s fucking sexy as hell.” He stretched in a very cocky manner. I continued to squint. “What do they say? ‘In wine, there is truth’? Maybe, in this case, in whisky, there is revelation. It surprised me. We discovered new things that you fucking loved.” He grinned with pride.

  “Oh, my god, Henry.” I smacked his chest. He laughed again. “We should get up and get going.” I tried sitting up, but my head wanted to split open. “How can you drink so much all the time? You rarely seem to get a hangover.”