by M. J. Haag
Drav lifted his arms, and they all went quiet.
“Welcome, my brothers. Your eyes will adjust to the light. Until they do, there are dark glasses you can wear. What news do you have of Uan?”
“I am here,” a low voice called, stepping from the masses. The large fey had no hair whatsoever. None on his head. No eyebrows. And I would be willing to bet no eyelashes.
Drav strode forward.
“It is good to see you well, my brother.”
“Uan? Uan!” The shrill voice rang out, and the crowd parted, revealing a middle-aged woman furiously pushing at the wheels of her chair to propel herself forward. As soon as she saw the bald fey, she started crying.
He rushed to her, fell to his knees, and embraced her tightly.
“That is Nancy,” Tor said softly. “Uan’s female.”
I glanced back at Tor.
“Do you see Adam?”
Drav heard me. “Where is Adam? Was he reborn?”
Uan whispered something to Nancy and pulled away from her.
“He chose to remain as he was and not risk the pools. We stayed in the caves only long enough to gather our brothers. The crystals had already started to make Adam’s head ache as we made our way to the surface. But he recovered quickly.” His gaze moved from Drav to me. “We were many and attracted much attention from infected and hellhounds. We kept Adam safe. But during one attack, he disappeared. We searched for him, but he was gone.”
I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. Tor tugged me close to his side and stroked a hand over my back. His worry helped ground me in the moment.
“I understand,” I said to Uan. “Thank you for trying to keep him safe. He knew the risks he would be taking going with you.”
“I am sorry, June.”
I nodded and managed a weak smile of reassurance.
“We killed twelve hellhounds and many infected,” Uan said, talking to the crowd now. “But we saw no sign of Molev.”
“Rest,” Drav said. “Spend time with your family.” His gaze locked with mine. “Mya would like to speak with you.”
Swallowing down the dull ache of my grief, I nodded and made to follow him. Tor allowed me one step before picking me up and hugging me tightly to his chest. I buried my face against his shirt and shed a few more tears for Adam. It didn’t seem real that he was gone. But mostly, it didn’t make sense to go all that way and change his mind at the end. He’d risked his life for nothing.
By the time we reached Drav’s house, I’d managed to dry my tears. There would be time later to grieve for Adam. Mya needed to know how things went clearing the haters from Tenacity.
“June is here,” Drav said, the moment he opened the door.
“Good,” Mya called from the kitchen. “Get in here and try one of these cookies, June. Did you find out what all the yelling was about, Drav?”
Drav glanced at me. Though his expression didn’t give anything away, I knew he wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t know. Any of it.
I patted Tor so he’d put me down and walked into the kitchen. Mya took one look at my face and her cheer fled.
“Uan and his group have returned. Uan’s safe and healthy. Adam disappeared on the way back. There’s an irony in that. He chose not to die in the caves and died anyway.”
“June, I’m so sorry,” she said, hurrying to hug me.
There was nothing to say, so I hugged her in return to reassure her the best I could that I didn’t hold anyone to blame for it. No one had forced Adam to go.
“I’ll take a cookie if you’re still offering,” I said, “and tell you about our success in Tenacity.”
Mya released me, gave me a searching look, then fetched a cookie. They were lemon.
I took a seat. Tor stood behind me and gently played with my hair as I spoke for us. Mya listened to the recap and admitted she’d heard a bit from one of the fey who’d run back with the news once the group of men was booted. I told her about our plans to move into the Tenacity house on a more permanent basis to help support Matt’s message that things were going to change.
“The timing couldn’t be more perfect,” I said. “It looks like you have a lot of new fey to house. Matt has humans cohabitating about ten to twelve to a place. I know fey are bigger, but you should be able to fit that many in Tor’s house.”
Drav shook his head.
“My brothers know it is difficult to find a female and even more so when there are many of us together. It is better they have their own homes. We may need to start another community.”
“After Matt announced his intent to rearrange the living assignments, a woman asked if she could live with Tor and me. She was clear that it wasn’t to freeload. She wants to live with a fey and a human couple to get a feel for what it would be like. It doesn’t free up houses necessarily, but it might reshuffle the numbers enough here that a place could open up.”
“I like that idea,” Mya said. “I know Cassie and Kerr wouldn’t mind a helping hand. Nancy and Uan probably wouldn’t be a good fit since they’re focusing on Tasha. But maybe Thallirin and Brenna?” She looked at Drav.
“I will speak to Thallirin and the others. Many will defer to their women.”
“Perfect. I know I can talk Angel and Eden into it. It’s like an exchange program for potential brides,” she said with a grin. “But you’re right, Drav. We should still look into starting another community. Is there anything within the same distance as Tenacity?”
A heavy knock on the door interrupted the conversation. Drav went to answer it.
“The infected have returned,” the fey said.
Since coming to Tenacity and Tolerance, I hadn’t seen or heard an infected nearby. We saw plenty of them when we went out for supply runs, but never any nearby the settlements.
“What does he mean?” I asked Mya.
“We used to see infected outside the walls all the time. The lights drew them in,” she said, standing and talking as she moved.
I followed her to the door.
“A few weeks before you arrived, they used ladders and breached the walls. That was before Tenacity was finished,” she continued as she shrugged into the jacket Drav handed her. “We were overcrowded, and it was complete chaos. We lost a lot of people that day. But after that, the infected just disappeared from around here.”
“So why are they back?” I asked.
“Exactly.”
We must have been walking too slowly because Drav and Tor scooped us up at the same time and took off at a run for the wall. They didn’t need a ladder to jump to the top.
Just below us, a line of fey waited. Beyond them, a line of infected stood, some swaying slightly, side to side, in a creepy predatorial way. At their center stood a familiar decaying man in a blue jacket.
“I’ve seen him before,” I said. “He was at the bunker. He’s the one who seemed to coordinate everything. The hellhound, the horses, killing the cows. Adam said that everything that thing did reminded him of when he and his father used to hunt. Baiting the prey.”
“Well, that just gave me future nightmares,” Mya said under her breath.
“Sorry.”
“No. It’s okay. That's exactly what this feels like.” She glanced at Drav. “We need to watch everywhere, not just here.”
“We are,” the fey who’d knocked said. “As soon as we spotted them, we doubled the watch and sent a group to Tenacity.”
I only half-listened while I watched the blue coat man. There were only eight infected with him. Why so few?
“I’m not the only one imagining a pack of hellhounds hiding in the trees behind them, am I?” I asked, glancing at the sky. It was almost at its zenith.
“It’s the wrong time of day for that,” Mya said. But I could hear the doubt in her voice.
It wasn’t hellhounds that emerged from the trees, but Adam, led by another infected. His mouth was gagged, and his hands were tied behind his back.
A choked sound escaped me.
“W
hat are they doing?” I asked.
Tor didn’t wait to find out. He leapt from the wall, running impossibly fast. The other fey from below joined the charge. The blue-coat man let out an unholy bellow but didn’t flee like he had last time. His eyes flashed red, and he charged at the oncoming fey.
“What the fuck?” Mya breathed, seeing the same thing I was seeing.
The infected behind Adam let out an answering call. Adam tried to run. I could see in his eyes that he knew what was coming for him as the infected behind him lurched forward. They went down in a heap, and Adam used his legs, the only thing that was free, in an attempt to kick the infected away.
Tor leapt over the leader, leaving him for the others as he raced to reach Adam. Adam rolled and kicked and did his best to avoid the snapping teeth. I lost sight of him behind Tor.
The blue-coat man let out one final call before his head was ripped clean off his shoulders by one of the fey. The field went silent.
Tor tossed a head and bent to pick up Adam.
Tears streamed down my face as he raced back to me. The hope and joy I felt faded when I saw Tor’s devastated expression a moment before he leapt onto the wall and landed in front of me.
“He was bitten, my June.”
“No,” I gasped in denial.
Tor set Adam down and carefully removed the gag. Drav nudged Mya and me back a step.
Adam’s face was pale as he looked up.
“Listen to me, June. There’s not much time. They followed us from the bunker. They watched this place. They waited for us to leave and followed us to the caves. They’re watching, June. They’re smart. And they’re changing.” He looked at Tor. “I was with them when your brothers were looking for me. I watched the fey kill a group of them. They’re not all dying when you take off their heads.”
Adam made a pained sound, like someone was torturing his insides.
“You need to figure out what’s happening, and you need to stop it. We won’t survive if we can’t kill them.” His gaze swept over everyone but me. “Let me become one of them. Study me.”
Now it felt like my insides were being tortured. A sob escaped me, and his gaze found and held mine.
“I have no regrets, June, except for hurting you. I’m sorry. Please be happy. Live. Love. Have a huge family like you always wanted.” He grabbed Tor’s hand and gripped it tight. “Figure this out, Tor. Keep your promise. Keep June safe.”
Adam threw up all over himself, and Tor looked up at me then at Drav.
“Go, Tor. We will care for Adam.”
Tor stood, and another fey picked me up.
“Wait,” I said, struggling from his arms. I fell to my knees beside Adam and gripped his hand.
“I will always love you. Thank you for saving me.”
He smiled at me.
“I love you too. Go.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
A shaky exhale escaped me, and I unfolded the blanket only to refold it a different way.
Tor’s hand settled on my head, the heat warming my hair and seeping into my skin. I closed my eyes and absorbed the comfort of that simple touch.
“I’m sorry I failed you, June,” he said. “I ran as fast as I could.”
I twisted away from the tote I was packing to look up at him, shock on my face.
“Failed me? You didn’t fail me.” My gaze swept the other fey in our home helping us, and I saw their gazes all reflected the same guilt. “None of you failed me.”
I rose and threw my arms around Tor.
“You tried to help him, Tor. You did everything you could. I know that. I don’t blame you for Adam’s death.”
Tor hugged me close.
“But your heart still hurts.”
I nodded, leaning my forehead against his torso.
“It does. I don’t agree with all the decisions that Adam made, but I know he was trying to take care of me. I think that’s why I hurt. Even though I know he was the only person in control of his decision, a part of me feels like his death was my fault. It’s going to take me some time to accept everything that’s happened.” I lifted my head and looked up at Tor. “I think the best thing I can do right now is focus on moving us to Tenacity. Helping there will be a good distraction from the hurt.”
Tor blinked at me.
“You want distractions?” he asked.
Despite everything, I laughed because I knew right where his thoughts had gone.
“I’m very willing to let you distract me after we’re moved into the new house.”
He looked at his brothers.
“We can carry everything in one trip.”
I rubbed my face against his shirt, drying my tears and hiding my sad smile. I loved Tor so much and knew he would do his best to keep me from dwelling on the past. I also knew he wouldn’t begrudge me the occasional quiet moment so I could reflect.
Tor really was perfect.
He took the face rubbing as the signal I was ready and picked me up. Considering recent events, more fey joined us when they learned we were going to Tenacity. Many of them were from the newly arrived group. They wore sunglasses, no shirts, and leather pants and boots. If not for the ears and grey tint to their skin, any woman with a libido would stop to drool.
They ran with us through the fields and trees, but we didn’t see any other signs of infected.
When we arrived at Tenacity, the soup kitchen line was still going strong, and Matt was nearby to greet us. He encouraged the new fey to stand in line for something to eat then walked with my group as we made our way to the house.
Staying true to how fast news traveled, he’d already heard what happened in Tolerance and extended his condolences.
“Part of me wishes I’d had the chance to tell Adam what we’ve done here,” I said as the fey moved our things in. “He would have been proud, I think.”
“He would have. Then he would have pushed for more,” Matt said.
I smiled slightly. That was exactly Adam. He liked to push for improvement in everything.
“So, what should we do next?” I asked.
During the next several hours, Matt and I worked together at his place. We combed through the list of Tenacity residents and where they were living. He noted the ones who’d gone on supply runs and those he thought had never left the walls. We planned. We brainstormed. We worked together to come up with something that would push Tenacity and its people toward a better future.
Tor and his group were great support, volunteering to help with some of the ideas we wanted to set into motion.
By the time Ryan returned from the bunker, I felt hopeful for the next day.
“The deserters are all settled in,” he reported.
“Were the fish still alive?” I asked.
“A few were. I think they were eating each other. They’ll be fine now, though. The group was pretty excited that they were there. They weren’t happy about the radio going, though. But after seeing the cameras and the power sources they were getting, they didn’t complain too much.”
“They shouldn’t,” I said. “It was a decent place to hole up. However, we should check on them every now and again.”
“I already told them we would, but I also told them not to expect supplies from us. They chose to be on their own.”
While he talked, a fey came in with the radio and the supplies.
“We can probably go back to the base and dismantle one of the towers. We’d get better range than what we’ll have now,” Matt said, removing parts from the bin and setting them up next to his existing radio.
I looked around his house as I leaned into Tor.
“Matt, you need to make some changes, too.”
He glanced up at me in question.
“Well, I’m sending the message that fey are great, and everyone should have one. But I think you need to be the other side of the coin. Did you lose someone in all of this?”
He messed around with some wires and connections for a bit.
“I d
id,” he said finally. “I’m not sure I…there’s a lot going on here. Romantic distractions aren’t something I can afford right now.”
I studied the man as he turned on the radio. The familiar sound sent me back to the bunker for a moment and the loneliness I’d felt there.
“We’ve all lost people, Matt. I’m sure that’s why many of the women aren’t willing to consider a fey. But in order to move forward, we also need to move on.”
He sighed heavily.
“I know you’re right. I’ll talk to Emily.”
“Nope. Emily needs to stay focused on her current projects. You’ll be Tor’s project.”
Tor grunted.
“What type of female do you want? One with big breasts and wide hips? One with a sad smile? I saw one with purple hair. She scowls like you do.”
Matt shot me a worried look, and I smiled.
“You’ll be in good hands. Trust me. Tor knows what he’s doing, and he knows how to be subtle.”
“…comprised. The eastern barrier is gone. There are no lines to hold. Relay on all channels.”
We all turned to look at the radio.
“God help us all,” the voice said. “Is anyone out there?”
Matt got on the radio.
“This is Matt Davis from the Tenacity settlement. Please repeat the message.”
“Holy shit,” the voice said. “I’m glad to hear your voice. The guy that sent the message isn’t on the channel anymore. That was more than a week ago.”
“What’s the message?” Matt asked.
“I wrote it down. Message received on the east coast. The western barrier has been compromised. The eastern barrier is gone. There are no lines to hold. Relay on all channels. God help us all.”
There was a moment of silence.
“Listen, I don’t care if you’re a bunch of supply stealing survivalists. I’m done doing this alone. You can find me at—”
I was across the room and taking control before the man could get more out.
“Wait,” I said. “Just wait. We’re not supply-stealing survivalists. And we don’t want to see you or anyone else killed by any assholes listening. Don’t give us your location. Let’s set a meetup point instead.”
