by Susan Illene
On the porch, Miles and Danae had stood up and began talking in hushed voices. They probably didn’t realize I could hear them if I concentrated.
“I can’t leave without burying him,” Miles whispered, shooting an anxious glance at the open doorway to the house.
She put a hand on his arm. “Then we’ll bury him.”
“It’s going to get dark soon.” He gestured at the sky. “I don’t want to hold our group up over something like this.”
Danae shook her head. “Don’t be silly. If we work together, we could do it fast.”
His expression wavered, and I recognized that look. It was the soldier in him not wanting to be the weak link. He needed to bury his father, but not at the cost of the mission.
“We’ve got a couple of shovels in the trucks,” I said, walking up to the porch and stopping at the steps. There wasn’t much point in acting like I hadn’t overheard them. “You aren’t slowing us down, so don’t worry about it.”
Conrad and Phoebe joined us from where they’d been standing by the RV hauler.
“We’ll help, too,” Aidan’s sister said, determination in her gaze. “It’s important to mourn the ones we love.”
“Is there someplace in particular you’d like to bury him?” Conrad asked. “We can do this—no problem.”
Relief and gratitude filled Miles’ gaze. He pointed at a tree. “Right there would be good. We used to have a swing there where my parents would sit together when the weather was nice.”
I looked at the spot, trying to picture what it would have been like in the summer. Right now, the tree was bare of leaves and looked forlorn standing in the yard by itself. It had plenty of branches, though, so maybe it provided plenty of shade when it was full.
“Okay,” I said, returning my attention to Miles. “How about you guys grab the shovels from the truck and us girls will get your father ready?”
He drew in a deep breath. “Yeah, alright.”
I hadn’t been certain if he’d let us handle his father’s body, but he hurried off like he was happy to leave that duty to us. Conrad followed him, talking to Miles the whole way to the truck. He preferred to fill awkward silences rather than let them stand.
Danae, Phoebe, and I entered the house. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust, but my nose picked up the smells in the still air quicker. The scent of death came from down the hall. I followed it with the other women behind me, Phoebe pinching her nose since it had to be even worse for her. Danae showed no signs of the odor affecting her at all, but I didn’t know how strong it would be for someone with normal senses.
We found Miles’ father in the back bedroom lying on his bed. His body had long since started the decomposition process, and I had to grip my stomach when I caught my first glimpse of him. I couldn’t determine the cause of death, but there was an empty bottle of whiskey on the nightstand that spoke volumes about the man’s state when he’d passed. The rest of the room was trashed. Miles had punched holes in the walls, thrown pictures and clothes around, and knocked a dresser on its side. We stepped over the debris and gathered around the bed.
“Let’s get the blanket wrapped tight around him,” I suggested.
Danae nodded. “Good idea.”
Phoebe stood at the foot of the bed. “I’ll wait until you’re ready to carry him. If I handle this cloth for too long, I’ll burn it.”
Danae and I worked quietly, getting the stained sheets wrapped around the body first. Then we pulled a thick, blue comforter from the floor and started to roll the body onto it. My nose burned from the stench, but I did my best to ignore it. This was once a person, and no matter how gross it seemed, he deserved some respect.
“Do you have any idea what caused the rift between Miles and his dad?” I asked Danae.
She shook her head. “No. He refuses to talk about it.”
“Maybe with time he’ll open up.”
She sighed. “Yeah, maybe.”
We finished wrapping up the body. It was completely covered from head to toe so Miles wouldn’t have to look at his father again if he didn’t want to. Phoebe took the feet while Danae and I each took a side. Stepping carefully, we made our way out of the room and through the house. We didn’t stop until we’d made it off the porch. Then we set the body down on the ground about twenty feet from where the hole was being dug.
Miles and Conrad had already started, but I caught Aidan leaning against the tree saying he’d help once one of them got tired. They’d only dug about a foot deep so far. I decided to humor them for a few minutes longer before taking over. With my slayer strength and speed, I could get it done a lot quicker. Kade came from the truck and brought canteens of water. While Miles and Conrad drank, I grabbed one of the shovels and dug into the ground. It was hard, packed earth and there were some roots to fight through, but I muscled my way deeper.
Aidan took one of the other shovels, and I paused to glower at him. “You’re not helping.”
“Yes, I am.” He gave me a stubborn look.
Before I could argue, he started digging on the other end of the grave. I thought about tossing him back in the truck, but he would only get out again. It was better to just keep going. We both pushed ourselves to the max so that we made it to six feet within fifteen minutes. Everyone stood back and eyed the wide hole for a moment.
“Are you ready?” Danae asked Miles.
“Yeah, let’s get him in there,” he said in a gruff voice.
He and Conrad took hold of the body and moved it over, lowering it as much as they could before dropping it into the hole. Everyone looked around expectantly. Should we say or do something special at this point?
Without a word, Miles grabbed a shovel and started tossing the dirt back inside. A tear slipped down his cheek as he worked. I wasn’t very close to him, but in that moment I wished I could do something to ease his pain. We’d lost too many people since D-day already, and it didn’t seem like it would ever end. Most likely, his father would still be alive if not for the dragons invading. Maybe Miles would have even come home for the summer and visited. There were so many “what ifs” but it was futile to entertain them. We just had to quietly bury our dead one after the other while wondering if we’d be next.
Aidan picked up a shovel and started helping Miles. He was looking more worn out by the second, but he didn’t let it stop him from helping a human in need. I had to admire that. There was very little about Aidan that I didn’t like, which made it that much harder to keep my distance from him. Having a reminder that either of us could die at any moment didn’t help.
They finished filling the grave. Miles sucked in a deep breath and ran his gaze over all of us. “Thank you for your help. If you could give me a moment alone, I’d appreciate it.”
We all mumbled our sympathies, gave him hugs or pats on the back, and walked away. Danae took over the driver’s seat of Miles’ truck. I was glad she thought of it because he wasn’t in any shape to be behind the wheel for the last leg of today’s journey. After packing away the shovels, I climbed into my vehicle. Kade and Aidan had already settled inside. I noticed my filthy hands right before I put them on the steering wheel. Taking some moist tissues from the glove box, I cleaned my fingers and nails of dirt as best I could. Removing the grime also gave me a moment to concentrate on a simple task. Burying a friend’s father really bothered me, and I wanted to get my mind off of it. Once finished, I handed the packet of tissues to Aidan so he could wash up as well. He took it gratefully. Shifters liked to be clean almost more than humans from what I’d seen.
“He will survive this,” Kade said, breaking the silence inside the vehicle.
I looked at Miles where he stood over his father’s grave. There was a wealth of pain, sadness, and regret in his eyes. This wasn’t something he’d get over in a day or two. In fact, he might have to live with the pain for the rest of his life.
“How can you be sure?” I asked, turning to Aidan’s uncle.
“Because he has no choice.�
��
Sadly, he was probably right.
Chapter 15
Bailey
It was almost full dark by the time we reached Robbers Cave State Park. My truck’s headlights were throwing off my night vision, but I could just make out the rugged countryside with its rolling hills and thick forests of trees. We’d left the remnants of civilization behind. I had to trust Miles and Danae to find us somewhere to stop for the evening. All I could think about was eating something, washing the rest of the dirt off my body, and getting some sleep.
Aidan let out a low growl from the backseat. “I can feel it.”
“As can I,” Kade said, his lips thinning.
“Feel what?” I asked.
Aidan leaned forward, poking his head between the front seats. “The orb. It is not far from here.”
“What does it feel like?”
Kade grunted. “It is dark. The magic raises the hairs on the back of my neck.”
I’d been getting that sensation for the past few miles, but I’d chalked it up to night falling and being in unfamiliar territory. I glanced at Aidan’s uncle. “Then I’m feeling it, too. Think it does that to everyone or just those susceptible to it?”
“Most likely, anyone who can be controlled by it.”
Up ahead, Danae pulled the RV hauler off the highway and turned into a visitor parking lot for Lake Carlton—a part of the state park. There were no other vehicles around, which was good. I’d been afraid some people might have decided this was a nice place to hide in the post-apocalyptic aftermath. We parked the vehicles and everyone got out, stretching their legs.
“Something happened here,” Miles said, frowning as he looked around the area, lit up by the bright moonlight.
He would know better than anyone else what the place was supposed to look like. At first glance, I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. There were a few park structures of varying size, a playground, picnic tables, and a lake farther out. It was the kind of place families visited to enjoy the outdoors.
“What do you mean?” Danae asked.
Miles pointed to the area just past the parking lot. “There used to be a big building there, some picnic tables beside it, and a lot of trees. I know they were there when I came here a couple of summers ago.”
Had that been the last time he saw his father? A touch of sadness lurked in his eyes, but he seemed to have buried most of his feelings during the drive. We walked onto the bare stretch of land, and I ran the edge of my boot across the ground. The dirt was mixed with a tiny bit of black dust. Dragon flames didn’t leave ashes, and it couldn’t burn dirt, but it could scorch the top layer of it. Anytime they destroyed a place, they left a layer of black particles behind. After a few rainstorms, the dark dust mixed with whatever was underneath or washed away almost completely. Whatever happened here, it had mixed well enough that the attack must have happened a while ago.
“The building here was made of stone,” Miles continued, pacing around. It was almost like he was latching onto this problem to distract himself from his grief over his father. “I don’t see any sign of it now.”
“There were likely some people hiding up here when the Bogaran ruled this area,” Aidan said.
I lifted my brows. “The Bogaran? You haven’t mentioned them before.”
“We pushed them into Arkansas months ago. They held this territory before the Taugud took over.”
“I’m surprised they didn’t destroy that place, too.” Danae pointed at a dark brown building across the parking lot. I’d noticed a sign that said it was a community center when I’d drove by it.
Aidan studied the structure. “Perhaps they weren’t using it for shelter so the Bogaran left it alone.”
Conrad came dashing out of the place—I hadn’t even noticed he was missing. “Hey, guys,” he yelled, stopping at the edge of the parking lot. “There’s a bunch of food and bottled water up in here. You gotta check it out!”
Miles rubbed his face. “Well, that explains it. They were living in one building and using the other for storage. Most likely they tried to keep the dragons away from their supplies when they were attacked.”
Except that meant if all the food was still here and the people weren’t, they hadn’t survived. No one pointed that out, though. It was enough that we were all thinking it. You could send yourself into a deep, dark pit of despair pondering over something like that for long. We’d already faced enough death and loss for one day.
Without a word, we grabbed flashlights from the trucks and followed Conrad inside. I gaped in amazement at the crates of food and other things packed into the building. He was right that there were plenty of supplies. In fact, we could take some of the goods with us if we divided it between the trucks. The rest we’d have to leave for other travelers who might come through later.
Everyone spent the next half hour digging through the food, checking that it was safe, and eating what they wanted. We hadn’t stopped for a meal since leaving Norman, and we were starving. Afterward, we grabbed the sleeping bags and supplies we’d need for the night from the trucks and made space for everyone to lay out.
“We will wait until late in the morning to see about the orb,” Kade announced once we finally took a moment to make plans. “There will be tests and everyone must be rested.”
“Do we all have to take these tests?” Conrad asked, grimacing like Aidan’s uncle had just asked him to walk the plank and jump into shark-infested waters.
“Everyone who is selected.”
He shuddered. “Then I don’t want to be chosen.”
“Everyone on this journey must be prepared.” Kade ran his gaze over us. “The only thing I can guarantee is at least one of each race will be selected. Perhaps more, but that was not clear.”
“Well, that means Danae and I are already on the chosen squad,” I said brightly. It didn’t come as news to me, so I decided to accept my fate gracefully. I could always complain later if the tests didn’t go well.
“Is there any way to study for this?” Conrad asked. “Exams and me don’t get along too good.”
Kade gave him a patient smile. “No, there isn’t. The tests are meant to prove you are worthy of this quest. Either you are…or you aren’t.”
“I’m going to go check out the lake and see if it’s clean enough to wash up,” I announced. There was no point in hearing any more of what Kade had to say since it didn’t seem to be very helpful.
Taking my pack that I’d grabbed from the truck, I headed outside. The sky was hazy with a few clouds, but there weren’t so many that the moonlight couldn’t bathe the land in its soft glow. I flipped off my flashlight and let my eyes adjust. It still amazed me how well I could see since becoming a slayer. While I could recognize it was dark, things still appeared crystal clear.
I walked around the building and passed by a playground with swings and a slide. Beyond that, there was a building with paddle boats. I headed toward it, figuring I could dip into the water there and use the place as cover in case anyone else came outside. It had been a long time since I’d stepped foot in a lake—or immersed myself in water for that matter. Since the apocalypse, we were all about using as little as possible. Sponge baths were about as good as it got unless you made a trip to a pond or lake. This place looked clean and inviting enough I wasn’t worried about taking the plunge.
After one last look around to be sure I was alone, I stripped my clothes off and set them on the dock. Then I grabbed a bar of soap from my pack and jumped into the water. It wasn’t very deep this close to the shore, making it perfect for washing my uniform before the rest of me. I pulled one garment at a time into the water, scrubbing the dirt and grime from each. It was a good thing camrium cloth wasn’t a dry clean only sort of material. I scrubbed my boots too before leaving everything on the dock to air out. Due to the magical properties infused into my uniform, it wouldn’t take long for all the pieces to dry.
After a glance around to be sure I was still alone, I walked deep
er into the lake until I was able to immerse myself up to my chest. Most people would have found it too cold, but I found it invigorating. I ducked my head under water and scrubbed at my scalp. It felt ridiculously good. Over the next few minutes, I scrubbed every inch of my body with soap and reveled in the feeling of being clean. I’d had no idea how much I’d taken that luxury for granted until showers and baths became a thing of the past.
As I was rinsing the last of the soap away, a loud splash sent me spinning around. Other than ripples in the water, I couldn’t spot what had done it, but the noise had been too loud for it to be a frog or something. “Who’s there?”
A dark shape rose up, and I almost screamed. My heart started racing a mile a minute as I remembered Miles telling us that black bears inhabited this side of the state. Did they come this far into water, though? Why didn’t I bring my sword with me just in case? Being a slayer didn’t mean I wanted to fight a bear while naked in neck-deep water. I could drown just as easy as a normal person.
Then the shape took on a more distinct form, and I relaxed—Aidan. As he rose a little higher, being over half a foot taller than me, the water ran down his head and across his bare chest. His toned body called to me, and it was all I could do to maintain the ten feet separating us. My eyes were glued to all that naked, wet skin.
“I knew you weren’t that immune to me,” he said.
“You shouldn’t be here,” I replied, inching backward.
He waded closer. “Tell me to leave.”
I swallowed. “Go.”
“That wasn’t very convincing.”
There was something about seeing him in the moonlight, out in the middle of a lake, that made him that much more irresistible. Though we’d each fought our attraction at different times, both of us were drawn to each other like something out of the movies.
“Aidan,” I gasped as he closed the distance between us. “We can’t do this.”
His face hovered inches from mine. “Did you not tell me just a couple of months ago that we should take whatever chances we can get, for however long we have together?”
