Calico Descending
Page 26
“Valdys.” The sound of his name on my tongue is a bittersweet song of pain and love, and I realize how the two have become one and the same for me. Everything I’ve loved has been shadowed by pain, as if one can’t possibly exist without the other.
My mind drifts to days past, when I sat in his cell, terrified of him and convinced there was no chance of knowing what it felt like to be in his care. To be protected by him. Tormenting memories of his hands on my body, and the steady beat of his heart against my ear, taunt my already broken heart.
I wish I could rewind to the moments yesterday evening, when he kissed me before leaving. I would’ve told him then to stay with me. I would’ve begged him to leave that illusory paradise, and we might’ve been lying under the stars one more night. But time and love are criminals who spare no one--not even the most desiring. Time is the thief who comes in the night, silently chipping away at the present.
And love is the killer of hearts.
A nudge at my side is Cadmus carrying a narrow piece of metal debris, and I step back to allow him a moment to run his hands over the surface in search of a chink--one small fissure in the door.
“You won’t open it.” The soldier’s voice is somber, still affected by the tears he cried most of the night for his younger brother. “It’s designed not to open. In training, they tell us … if ever there’s a security breach, be grateful you happen to be standing on the other side, because if you’re not, you’re likely already dead.” His voice cracks, and he lowers his head, wiping at his swollen eyes.
“There has to be a way in. There has to be.”
Shaking his head, he sniffs. “Nope. Computer shuts down inside. It’s failsafe.”
“Computers control the doors?”
“Shut down. Like I said.”
“But a computer can be turned back on. I saw it happen the night we escaped. It came back on.”
“Someone has to turn it on. From the inside. Kinda hard to do when there’s no way in.”
Cadmus slams the metal into the door, over and over again, until the scrap is bent and twisted into a shape that’s no longer what it was.
“Doesn’t matter, anyway.” The soldier tosses away a small twig he’s used to draw circles in the ash for the last half-hour. “They’re all dead.”
Pain pushes through the blackness inside me, and I fall to my knees in front of him, gripping his shirt. “They’re not dead! Do you hear me? They’re not dead! I’m going to find a way in! And if you don’t shut your damn mouth, I’ll seal it shut like this goddamn door!”
Eyes wide, he holds his face away from mine, staring back at me as if I’ve lost my mind. Perhaps he thinks I’m nothing but a stupid savage, but I don’t care. Releasing his shirt, I push off him, to my feet, and back away. “I saw Kenny on that truck. If there’s one person in the place who knows the computer system well, it’s him.”
“The rebels are probably long gone by now.”
“Maybe they are. And we’ll search this entire desert, and beyond it, until we find them. However long it takes. I won’t stop until we open these doors.”
“There’s a community on the other side of that wall, Cali. Maybe a chance for you to start over.” Cadmus doesn’t turn to face me, as he tosses the bent and twisted metal to the ground. “You could be chasing after nothing. He might very well be dead by now.”
Through more tears, I shake my head, and it’s only the pain bleeding through Cadmus’s words that keeps me from taking my frustrations out on him.
“I want to see for myself. I promised him I’d never leave him behind, Cadmus. And I won’t.”
A clamor from comes from behind, as Titus tears the head off a Rager stumbling toward us.
Swinging my attention back to Cadmus, I tighten my jaw, resolute with the new plan coming into clear focus. “We find the rebels. We find Kenny. And we kill anyone who tries to get in our way.”
Looking over his shoulder, Cadmus nods. “We’ll find him.”
What little hope is left in me shines bright enough to give me the courage to face whatever possibilities lie ahead. It gives me reason to wake in the morning, when I know reality will only tear me apart.
It gives me direction when the world has spun me out of control.
And I pray, in the end, it’ll give me the strength to endure, if I fail.
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Kings of Carrion, the sequel to Calico Descending, will be available December 3rd, 2019!
In the meantime, keep scrolling to check out my other stories.
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Thank you for reading.
COMING DECEMBER 3RD, 2019
PRE-ORDER BOOK THREE
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NOTE: This title will be available on all platforms only until December 10th.
Be sure to reserve your copy!
Other Books By Keri Lake
VIGILANTES SERIES
RICOCHET
BACKFIRE
INTREPID
BALLISTIC
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JUNIPER UNRAVELING SERIES
JUNIPER UNRAVELING
CALICO DESCENDING
KINGS OF CARRION
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SONS OF WRATH SERIES
SOUL AVENGED
SOUL RESURRECTED
SOUL ENSLAVED
SOUL REDEEMED
THE FALLEN (A SONS OF WRATH SPINOFF)
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THE SANDMAN DUET
NOCTURNES & NIGHTMARES
REQUIEM & REVERIE
* * *
STANDALONES
RIPPLE EFFECT
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About the Author
Keri Lake is a dark romance writer who specializes in demon wrangling, vengeance dealing and wicked twists. Her stories are gritty, with antiheroes that walk the line of good and bad, and feisty heroines who bring them to their knees. When not penning books, she enjoys spending time with her husband, daughters, and their rebellious Labrador (who doesn’t retrieve a damn thing). She runs on strong coffee and alternative music, loves a good red wine, and has a slight addiction to dark chocolate.
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