by M. J. Haag
Tor nodded. I smiled and leaned in to give him a quick hug. He twitched the moment my arms wrapped around his waist, which only drove me to give him the hug he deserved. Resting my head against his torso, I gave him a squeeze.
His large hand tentatively patted my back, and I laughed.
“It’s a hug, Tor, not an attack.”
“You like touching.”
“I guess I do. It’s another way to show appreciation and affection. Sometimes, even annoyance.”
He grunted and gently wrapped his arms around me.
“This is appreciation and affection,” he said. “I’m not annoyed with you.”
I chuckled.
“I’m not annoyed with you, either. Want to pick out our movie selection for today?”
Chapter Seven
“It’s time, June,” Adam said when I walked into the bedroom with his breakfast two days later.
“Time for what?” I asked, feigning ignorance.
Thanks to Cassie and Tor’s support, we’d managed to keep Adam in bed where he belonged. That didn’t mean he’d stopped pestering me about moving to Tolerance.
I made myself comfortable on the bed beside him and handed him his plate.
“FYI, Tor is not a fan of mushrooms. But he swallowed them down like a champ because they were in the meal I cooked.”
Adam glanced at his scrambled eggs and sighed.
“Distracting me with a topic change isn’t going to work. Did Tor tell you that I walked to the bathroom this morning?”
“He did. He also said it looked very painful.”
“Of course it’s painful. It’s going to be painful for weeks if not months. That’s why it’s time. When I almost collapsed and Tor caught me, it didn’t hurt more than my damn leg. He can carry me now.”
“Why are you so stuck on this?” I asked without rancor. “Tor and Brog are here day and night. No one has tried anything. We’re fine.”
“Brog told me someone spit on him on his way in last night. One of the guards on the wall. Do you know what Brog did? He apologized to the woman and offered her a bag of chips. We’re not being fair to Tor and Brog, June. It’s time to go. I’ll be fine.”
Guilt hit me hard. Brog was so quiet and sweet. That anyone would want to spit at him angered me.
“Fine. I’ll talk to Tor.”
Adam gave me a tight, sad smile and picked up his fork as I left the room. Downstairs, both Tor and Brog warily watched my approach.
“Why didn’t you tell me that people were being rude?”
“They are always rude, June,” Tor said.
He was right. I’d seen and heard enough since coming here to understand the spitting last night wasn’t a one-time only or new incident. It’d been happening since long before the fey helped create this town for these people. And the people here didn’t like that two fey were staying in their no-fey-allowed town.
“Is Adam right?” I asked. “Is it time to move him? He has maybe three more days of Oxy left before he runs out. Maybe it is better to move him while he still has something to help with the pain for a few days afterward. What do you think?”
Tor considered me for a long moment.
“He will rest more comfortably when he knows you are truly safe.”
“Will there be a place for us to stay?”
“You will live with me. Mya approved it.”
“All right then. I’ll pack up. You two should see if there’s a way to carry him so his leg isn’t jostled.”
It took a bit of time and some consulting with Matt to come up with a stretcher for Adam. Adam didn’t care how he was carried. He just wanted to get to Tolerance as soon as possible. However, he adamantly voiced his dislike that I was being left behind with the supplies while Tor and Brog transported him first.
“I’ll be fine. The supplies and I will be with Matt.”
“Yeah, he did a great job protecting you the first time. You were held down against your will and gagged to keep you silent while they forced you to listen to my beating.” His gaze shifted to Tor. “Does that sound like protection to you?”
Tor’s gaze swung to Matt. After the last few days we’d spent together, I knew him well enough to see the new tension in his shoulders.
“Adam, that’s the medicine talking. Tor, I’m not the least bit worried. The people here are cowards. They’re afraid of the infected, and they’re afraid of the fey. They would never dream of doing anything in daylight that would result in being kicked out of here. Or worse, give the fey a real reason to come after them. Trust me. Please.”
“I do trust you. I don’t trust the people here.” His gaze stayed locked with Matt’s in heavy implication.
“Give me a chance to start earning your trust back,” Matt said. “I’ll keep her safe until you return.”
Tor grunted and bent to pick up the stretcher from the bed.
“We will return soon.”
I followed them from the room and watched how they carefully maneuvered the stretcher down the stairs. Matt saw my concern as I shut the front door behind them.
“Cassie will be waiting on the other side. She’ll make sure he’s comfortable.” He exhaled heavily, and I could see the weary set to his shoulders. “I truly am sorry for what happened to you both. If there’s anything you can do to help convince the fey of that, you need to try. The relationship between our two communities is rocky enough.”
I moved to the island and sat on one of the stools.
“What I say isn’t going to matter much, Matt. There’s a bigger problem here. You’re trying to save people, but some people don’t want to be saved. They just want to hate until everyone is as angry and as hateful as they are. If you really want the communities to survive and mend the relationship between the two, everyone here needs to focus on the real enemy. The infected and the hellhounds, not the fey.”
“Mya and I are trying to make that happen. Pushing these people to fend for themselves isn’t doing any good. They’re only growing more resentful of the abundance over in Tolerance. Emily’s coming up with some great ideas to create small bridges between the two communities but is struggling to get people to participate. Like you said, there’s a lot of hate.”
“Then you need to weed out the haters before they destroy more than Adam’s leg.”
“And how do you propose to do that? We’d lose more than half our people if I kicked out everyone here with a fey-grudge.”
“I’m not saying you kick out everyone. We both know that half the people here don’t truly hate the fey. They’re afraid of them. And some have biases because of the fey’s past actions. Fear and bias can be overcome. But the people who hate solely for the sake of hating? They need to go, Matt. And you’re smart enough to know who they are.”
He gave a harsh laugh.
“I have hundreds of people here and am happy when I can remember all their names. On top of that, I need to show the fey that same respect. That’s a lot of people to know.
“I know you’re angry and want to hold someone responsible for what happened, but it’s not me, June. I’m doing my best to lead because no one else wanted the position. If you think you can do better, say the word, and Tenacity with all of its hate and problems is yours to fix however you see fit.”
He ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
“When I took over, we still had some military left. Most of those men and women died defending the fences during the last Whiteman breach. The few who didn’t die helped build this place, exhausting themselves during countless guard rotations no one else wanted. Meanwhile, the majority of people here don’t lift a finger to help themselves. If I push, they’d push back twice as hard. I warned Adam not to push. I barely have any control here. What do you think will happen if I try sussing out the bad apples?”
I sighed and nodded. “Anarchy and chaos would ensue.”
“Exactly.”
He sat beside me, and I let the silence grow as I considered his situation. I wouldn’
t want to be in charge of this place and did give him credit for trying. It was unreasonable to expect that he knew everyone. But I had a feeling he also knew more than he was letting on. More than likely, he could name at least one troublemaker. Removing one without visible cause, though, would likely incite more anger from the rest. This place needed a clean sweep, and it needed to be done on a subtle level.
“You’re right. It’s not fair to expect one person to have all the answers and make all the decisions. I’ll talk to Tor and try to get him to see it’s not your fault.”
“Thank you.”
We sat in silence until the door opened a while later. Tor strode in first, his gaze sweeping the space until landing on me. I could see the relief in his eyes and smiled reassuringly as I stood and put on my boots and jacket.
“Is Adam all right?” I asked.
“Adam is fine. We were very careful.”
Tor motioned Brog to the box of supplies and came to me.
“May I carry you, June?”
“Always,” I said.
A startled squeak ripped from me when he picked me up faster than I could blink.
“I hope things go better for you, June,” Matt said. “You’re welcome back here any time.”
I nodded and looped my arm around Tor’s neck as he started for the door.
This wasn’t my first fey ride, but it was by far the longest. My hands got cold before Tor cleared the wall, and I tucked them into his jacket along with my face.
“We are almost there, June. You will be warm soon,” Tor said.
“It’s okay,” I mumbled into his chest. The guy was a complete furnace. Tucked in like this, most of me was fine. The exception was my butt and the backs of my thighs.
My stomach dipped a few minutes later when he cleared another wall and landed with a soft bounce. He slowed to a walk but didn’t put me down. I lifted my head to see why.
A street lined with houses lay before us, and a few fey walked along the sidewalks. Somewhere nearby, kids squealed and laughed. There was distant mooing, too.
The immediate difference between Tolerance and Tenacity was evident in seconds. This place was peaceful and relaxed. So I wasn’t quite sure why Tor was still carrying me.
I glanced up at him. His gaze shifted around the area, scanning just like he would have been doing if we were outside the wall.
“Is it safe in here?”
He glanced down at me, putting our faces uncomfortably close together.
“Yes.”
“You can put me down then.”
He frowned slightly, and I could see it in his eyes that he was going to refuse.
“Please.”
He grunted, and I found myself on my feet. Smiling, I tried to rub some feeling back into my butt. It didn’t work.
“Which house is yours?” I asked.
He led the way, setting a moderate pace that I could comfortably keep up with. A few fey stopped to stare at me as we passed. I said a friendly hello to each one, which Tor immediately followed up with, “She belongs to the human, Adam.”
“They aren’t hitting on me, Tor. I’m a new face, and they’re just curious.”
He glanced at me, surprise lighting his features.
“None of my brothers would ever hit you.”
“To hit on someone doesn’t mean actually hitting. It’s a phrase that means a person is flirting with another person in an attempt to establish a romantic relationship.”
Tor grunted.
“Then they might hit on you. You are too beautiful, June. And the jacket does not hide the bumps of your breasts. You need a better jacket.”
I laughed so hard I had to stop walking.
Tor patiently waited for my fit to subside before leading me the rest of the way to his house where a promising curl of smoke drifted from the chimney. He opened the door for me, giving me the first view of the inside of our new home. There were so many windows at the back, and the curtains were all wide open to let in the light. And the heat hit me in the face with all the welcome of a grandma’s embrace.
“Your home is wonderful, Tor,” I said, removing my jacket as I took in the comfortably furnished living room and neat kitchen and dining room. The couch, positioned to face the fireplace, called to me. It looked so comfy.
Tor hung my jacket and pointed to a hall under a set of stairs to the left.
“Adam is down there.”
I nodded and followed the hall to a small bedroom with a twin-sized bed. Adam lay on it, eyes closed, as Cassie gently felt along his leg. She looked up as I entered.
“The swelling has gone down nicely. Keep using the ice packs and the meds.”
“Do you know what’s wrong and how long it will take to heal?”
“I don’t,” she said honestly. “If the world were still up and running, a general practitioner would have likely done some x-rays to make sure it’s not a break and then refer him to a specialist. I don’t even have a best guess to give you. This is outside of anything I’ve had to deal with yet. But, Adam mentioned having an ACL injury before and that it felt similar. Maybe that’s it and, if it’s not serious, will heal on its own. I really hate that I don’t have a better answer.”
“I understand. I was just hoping.”
She nodded and gave my arm a sympathetic squeeze.
“I gave him another oxy when he got here. He’ll be pretty comfortable for a while.”
“Thank you.”
After a last look at Adam, I followed her out of the room, partially closing Adam’s door so we could hear him if he needed something. I thanked Cassie again and said a quiet goodbye.
Tor stood in the kitchen, doing nothing but watching me. Considering all our past interactions, I was betting that he had no idea what to do with me.
“Want to give me a tour of your home?” I asked.
“It’s your home now, too, June.”
I smiled and followed him through the house. It wasn’t huge, but had a lovely open concept living area with a full guest bathroom across from Adam’s room and a separate mudroom with a washer and dryer coming from the garage. Upstairs, there were two guest bedrooms, another bathroom, and a master suite. Only one of the bedrooms had a bed in it, though.
“What happened to all of the beds?” I asked.
“Some were dirty from clearing the houses.”
“You mean bloody?”
He grunted. “Anything with infected blood on it was removed. Everything here is safe for you. I moved the extra bed downstairs so Adam won’t need to be carried as far if he wants to watch a movie with us.”
“That’s very considerate of you. Thank you.”
“It was Adam’s idea. You can sleep here,” he said, gesturing to the neatly made bed.
“Where are you going to sleep?”
“With Adam.”
I did my best not to smirk. Although Tor didn’t mean it the way it sounded, I was going to repeat his preference to Adam. He’d find it funny, too.
“We’ll worry about sleeping arrangements later,” I said. “Where did you put the backpack?”
“Adam told me to unpack it. Your clothes are over here.” He strode toward the dresser and tapped a drawer. “Adam’s clothes are in his room. There are towels in the bathroom closet, along with soaps and shampoos. Anything I have is yours.”
He was so incredibly sweet and earnest. I could see in his expression that sharing his things wasn’t putting him out in the least. He was genuinely excited to have us stay with him.
“Let’s go look at the kitchen and see what I can make us for lunch.”
He followed me downstairs and stood back while I explored his supplies. Cupboard after cupboard was crammed full of foodstuffs. Canned goods. Boxed items. Jars. Even spices. When he led me to a stocked chest freezer in his garage, I was shocked speechless for a moment. If anyone in Tenacity had an inkling of how much food was here, Matt’s worst nightmare would become a reality.
“Do the fey share with each other
here, or is this all yours?” I asked finally.
Tor’s face took on an uncomfortable expression.
“If any of my brothers are hungry, I would share with them. But they know I hope to win a female soon. I collected this for her.”
“Oh, Tor. I’m so sorry. Adam and I can stay somewhere else.”
“No. I want you here.”
Before I could blink, he wrapped me in a firm hug.
“Adam is my friend. Please stay. I can learn things from him.”
I snaked my arms around Tor’s waist and leaned into his hug.
“I won’t take Adam away from you. We’ll stay as long as you want us. But I’ll make sure we help you restock before we go so your lucky lady will have plenty to eat.”
He grunted and eased away from me.
“Adam shouldn’t allow hugs of affection. I’ll talk to him. I could feel your breasts.”
“Well, that’s not acceptable. Rather than bothering Adam with this, I’ll talk to my boobs and let them know that they need to keep to themselves.”
Tor gave a partial, and very confused, grunt. Trying not to grin, I grabbed a wrapped roast from the freezer to thaw for dinner and headed inside. While I warmed a can of soup, he sat at the counter and watched me work.
“How have you been trying to meet females if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I help Emily when she goes to Tenacity to recruit volunteers for the dinner dates. The females tend not to look at me, though, and don’t like when I look at them. Am I ugly to you?”
“Aw, Tor.” The hesitancy in that question almost earned him another boob hug, which I knew he wouldn’t appreciate. So I held myself back and relied on my words instead.
“No, you’re not ugly. You are different. But if they stop focusing on the differences, they would see the kindness in your eyes, your beautiful, wide smile that makes everyone want to smile back, the dimple in your cheek, those pretty flecks of orange in your eyes near the center—”
He grinned widely, and just as I’d said, I had a hard time not returning it.
“You’re very handsome, Tor. And strong. Women like muscles. A lot.”
