Then he was gone. Sauntering like a well-oiled machine down the street away from me even the blades of grass appeared to stand at attention as he passed.
Putting my mind at ease that the situation was in good hands with my father and Rylie. I started at a light jog towards Cole’s suburban digs. I was about halfway there when I saw him in the distance, walking in my direction. Dressed in a pair of dark grey cargo pants and a blank thermal, he was as I had always known him, although over the winter he had neglected to cut his hair. The dirty blonde locks fell just past his chin now, curling slightly at the ends. He appeared to be looking down at his feet, kicking at the cement sidewalk with his steel toed boots as he walked.
Then that stare of his rose from the ground, his lake shade eyes noticing me. The smile started out small, but broke out into a grin that could barely be contained by his face as he picked up the pace down the hill. Hell it was an all-out run past the second house with my legs carrying me just as fast. The chill of the spring breeze licked at my cheeks but I didn’t care, my heart pounded and my lungs burned while my legs carried me to him. The sight of his form blurred as we met in the driveway of a nondescript ranch, wide arms picked me up and twirled me around.
When my feet touched the ground I didn’t get a word out before he kissed me deeply, arching me backward with his hands tangled in my hair. Despite all I had just been through I lost myself in the moment, letting myself be carried away by his scent and the fire of his embrace.
“I don’t ever want to go through another winter without you.” He whispered against my lips.
“I’ve missed you too.” I managed to spit out while he kissed my neck.
Then he stepped back suddenly, eyes wide as he looked at his hands. Red smeared his fingertips.
“Why is your shirt bloody?” He asked, paling.
“I just took out a deadhead in town.”
“WHAT?” He shouted at me, grabbing onto my forearms. “Are you bitten? Where did this happen? Are there more?” I put my hand over his mouth, trying to stem the concerned interrogation stream.
“Shhh...I’m fine. I was armed, took him down no biggie.”
“Took who down?”
“Jeff Arnold.”
“Shiiit, really?”
“Yeah, his whole house was compromised.” I gave him a summed up version of the events, including the current house checks that were in progress. He stepped back from me as the story unfolded, pacing and shaking his head at parts.
“The part that killed me was the elderly couple...I felt so bad for them.”
“Least they went together.”
“I guess.” The Romeo and Juliet thing never really appealed to me. While I shifted my feet he reached out and put a reassuring hand on my shoulder.
“Damn good thing you were close. That could have gotten ugly.”
“Yeah, Rylie says it’s just another example why I should be back on the wall.”
“No offense, but screw what Rylie thinks. You are safe where you are.” My jaw would have hit the floor if this was a cartoon.
“Cole!” I snapped, shrugging his arm off of me.
“Don’t get me wrong, I respect the hell out of Rylie. He’s my bro till death. Sometimes I think he puts his own agenda for the colony against the best interests of individuals.”
“And don’t you put your own agenda for my best interests in front of what I want at times?” I teased him, kind of. There was an undertone of anger in my voice, no matter how light hearted I tried to sound.
He cursed. “Guilty okay? I want you to be safe.”
“What if I wanted to go back to the wall?”
“That would be ridiculous, you’re on the council now.”
“Why is it so ridiculous?” I felt my temper rising as I asked.
Rather than answer me Cole pursed his lips, exhaling sharply through his nose.
“I didn’t want to bicker with you during our first time back together.” He reached over brushing my hair out of my eyes, tucking it gently behind my ear. “I just care is all.”
The pain in his voice was all too real. I know Cole had lost many loved ones due to the dead. Hell, he’d almost lost me on more than one occasion. I had to remind myself to be patient, not everyone was out to undermine me in this world. Cole just genuinely did not want to see me hurt.
“I know hun, I know.”
“So then...” He wrapped his arms around me, the corner of his mouth kicking up into a smirk that was all male. “Will you let me greet you properly then?”
Letting out a quick light hearted laugh, I chided him.
“Oh I did not know that your previous kiss did not count.”
“Not in the slightest.” The words came out in a growl as he leaned into me again. In an instant the fire of my temper morphed into one of a different breed altogether. In a quick sweep, he scooped up both my legs and carried me to the side of the ranch, behind a thick evergreen that blocked the view of the street.
With my back up against that cold stone he covered me with his body, arms wrapped around my back. His head dipped into mine, soft lips pressed against my own. Breathing in the fresh scent of him, my hands found his hair. Fingers tangled in his dirty blonde locks I pushed us together, desperately missing him. Cole let out a moan, his tongue licking at my open mouth. Testing, teasing. A heavy hand in a fingerless glove traveled up my spine under my shirt. His obvious arousal pressing into my stomach through his cargo pants.
I wanted those pants off. Now.
Biting his lip, my hands traveled down his chest towards his belt buckle. Fumbling with the metal in the cold. With a grunt he told me to be patient, throwing my arms back around his back he kissed me again, deeper.
My eyes welled with tears, cold wet droplets running down my cheeks. Not from joy, from missing him, nor any of the other reasons you would expect a girl to lose it in my current situation. Instead my blurred vision and shaking arms were driven by fear. All encompassing, surrounding terror that enveloped every pour of my skin. The tangible cold numbed my finger tips and forced my breath into ragged bursts.
Dimitri...
I closed my eyes and tried to picture him, tried to focus down through the pain to whatever truth it masked.
“Are you alright?” Cole’s voice snapped me back.
My eyes flipped open to his warm concerned stare, knuckles stroking my cheek brushing the tears away.
“Yeah I’m sorry...it’s just”, my bonded vampire link letting me know he’s in pain, probably being tortured as we speak, “I’m a…little messed up…from the thing…with Jeff.”
“Hey hey...quit that. You of all people should come through this like a fricken champ.”
“I know...sorry.” I ran my hands through my hair with a curse. “I really should be getting to the council building.”
“Stop saying that.”
“Cole...”
“No. There is nothing to be sorry for.” Cole stepped back, reaching his hand out towards me palm out he bent slightly at the waist, “may I walk you to work?”
The gentlemanly gesture brought a smile to my face. True a piece of his chivalry was misogynistic, elements that put me into a fit of rage from which I may never return. Then there was this, the caring genuine elements that melted my heart. Not every man will wipe blood off your cheek and still tell you you’re beautiful.
Putting my hand into his large palm I accepted his offer. Cole pulled me to him, giving me a quick hug before leading us back to the sidewalk.
“So tell me, I want to know all about your long harsh winter.”
“I think I patched things up with Candice.” I told him about my sewing efforts as we walked hand in hand down the street. Our step fell in at the same pace despite my legs being a bit shorter. The more I rambled on I realized how much I truly had missed his company. Our conversation was as it had been for years, effortless. A natural babbling brook between two like beings. He got my jokes, I caught all of his pointed looks. We were...close.
“That’s good. A really sweet thing of you to do.”
“Yeah, I’ve really missed her and Zoe to an extent over the winter. That female bond and conversation thing.”
“Mom really liked you by the way. I know...you lost yours and stuff. But if you ever want to talk I’m sure she would love to talk about those things with you.”
Frowning, I spoke slowly. “I’m not sure I’d be comfortable...”
“Was just saying, in a way we’re all family anymore.” I leaned my head on his arm, in many ways he was right.
By the time I had said my lengthy goodbyes and wandered into my office my mood had much improved. I was a focused apocalyptic executive, my mind on the task at hand rather than the situations I still had to sort out. The captive vampire, spring ball fix up and questionable career choice vacationing on a small warm sunny island far in the back of my brain. Spending the next few hours eyeball deep in crop forecasts, planting schedules and seed reports was actually refreshing even though the workload was staggering. I had no idea Richard had done so much on his own for years.
“Knock knock.” A female voice called from my door. I flipped my eyes up to find Sammie’s tall slender frame in the doorway, her strawberry blonde hair flowing over her shoulders as she swayed into the room.
“Sammie, hi.” I shot her by best smile, secretly feeling a fresh wave of awful now that we were face to face. While I had done my best to right the ship with Candice over her boyfriend choice, I had completely dodged that conversation with his true girlfriend. I wondered if she had come to chew me out.
“Hey Liv.” Her tone was friendly, if she had any anger towards me I wasn’t picking it up at all. Coming into view of the candlelight I caught sight of a stack of manila folders in her arms.
“What’s that?”
“Medical Supply and Health reports. Dr. Tommen used to have me drop them off on his desk after the nurses had tallied the week’s injuries and medicine use. Guess my feet just came here on habit.” Sammie paused and looked around. “I figured it would creep me out to be in this room again.”
“I’m sorry.” About more than just the room. I thought.
“Don’t be. It doesn’t.”
I chewed on my lip as she stood in my doorway, the awkward silence that filled the room was so thick you could almost taste it.
She held up the files with a half-smile. “I don’t know what to do with these now.”
“Well I’m not Albert but I’m sure I can take them off your hands. Do you want to sit?” I made such a poor host.
“Sure.” Sam’s long legs crossed the small office space in the blink of an eye. She flipped her long strawberry blond curls over her shoulder as she spoke. “I heard about Jeff’s house. That sucks. Big time.”
“Yeah, it does.”
“I haven’t seen any other like wounds on anyone who’s come in. I will keep an extra eye out. Here.” She pushed the files across the desk to me, I spun the files around so that the little tab was on the right and perfectly aligned with my desk. Honestly I was killing time while I tried to figure out how to best form an apology.
“Thanks. Sammie I-”
“I’m not mad at you by the way.” “What?” I murmured, eyes wide.
“About Ben,” she replied with a shrug, “I’m not. Really. I mean like, I understand you not wanting to get in the middle of it. Ben has always been the way he is, Candice isn’t the first pretty thing to grab his eye since I’ve known him.” I found myself deflating as she talked, how could she be so nonchalant about this whole thing?
“Well I’m still sorry, I was a horrible friend to both of you.”
“Nah...Don’t worry about it.”
“Why do you stay with him then?” I blurted out before I could think about it. To me he was an utter relationship scumbag. Don’t get me wrong, I respected the hell out of him in a fight, just would never date him. Ever. I couldn’t wrap my mind around why a pretty girl-and she really was, all those freckles and high cheekbones made her look like a model from the nineteen nineties for some sort of mineral makeup-like Samantha would put up with his womanizing.
“I guess our world creates new standards for the perfect guy. I remember I used to be all about who had the best clothes or coolest attitude. Whoever could quote Niche or speak French, some sign of enlightenment.” Her face fell. “Now I just want someone who can keep me alive.” Tucking her wavy hair behind her ears she continued.
“Ben’s that kind of guy. The one who pummels everything in his wake. He’s big, loud and usually crude but I feel safe when he’s there. He’s always been good to me when we’re together.”
“Surely there are other guys who would treat you better, Sammie you’re awesome and to put up with him is-” She shook her head, cutting me off.
“I prefer to deal with the devil I know rather than the unknown. Ben may have a wandering eye but he’s still a good person overall. Not everyone came through the outbreak intact. I’d rather have him flee and return to me than end up with someone who screams at night or won't let me in emotionally for fear of death, mine or his. Worse yet, one who crumbles in the face of fear. I don’t want to be Lanni.”
“That’s only happened once.” Almost nine years ago, I wanted to tack on. Lanni Williams was murdered by her boyfriend when I was fifteen. The story was he had a meltdown and bashed her head in thinking she was a deadhead, he had still been waving a hammer around and rambling nonsense when the other house members found him. Rather than relinquish the weapon, he struck his own head until he had been unable to lift the hammer. Died from the injuries not long after. Despite the fact that he had murdered her, they had been buried together. A tragedy of few resources for corpse cleanup and no surviving family members to complain about it.
“Well we only die once don’t we?” She frowned, realizing the falsity of her statement.
“For good...I mean.”
“You can’t let your own fear of what might happen cause you to live a life that is less than what you deserve. The only person who should be protecting you is you.”
“Liv I’m a nurse, not a fighter. I heal, I help, I don’t hurt.” I frowned.
“Really, we’re fine. Can we move on now?”
“Sure.” I guess there was no point trying to help someone who didn’t want to help themselves. She stood as though to leave, then paused.
“Liv...those files. We need a real doctor. Bad. I’m doing the best I can, so is Rebecca, it’s just we’re nurses. Nurses with limited supplies at that. If we have to remove a spleen or do a C-section...” Sammie trailed off with a frown. “Tommen didn’t teach us everything we need to know.”
“Where are we going to get a doctor?” She threw her hands up in frustration.
“Hey, that’s why you’re on the council not me. I don’t have to think about it.” I knew she was trying to make light of a potentially fatal situation. Without proper medical staff our little colony of five hundred might quickly dwindle down to twenty five trying to keep their sanity.
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to be an ass. Just thinking out loud.”
“Are you going to the spring festival?”
“Course.”
“With Cole or?” She trailed off in that prompting way I remembered from high school.
“What do you mean or?”
“Well...” She slowly turned around, her eyes carrying that glow of fresh gossip. “I had lunch with Ben today and he said he ran into Rylie who mentioned he was going this year because you told him to so I was kind of thinking maybe sort of you liked him or whatever? Did Cole do something wrong? I mean, I think Rylie is cute too but in like a dark and dangerous kind of way, that seems more your type anyway.”
Opening and closing my mouth like a fish I tried to come up with a way to reply to that. On one hand I was shocked it got around town that quickly, on the other I was shocked she managed to spit all that out in one breath. Either way I guess I was just plain shocked.
“I’m going wi
th Cole. Rylie is...” I frowned, not wanting to give away my plan. “I just asked if he was...”
“Hey! I don’t judge you. Believe me, I’m the last person to do that.” She laughed. “See you at the party next week!”
With that she was gone, leaving me thoroughly addled.
If she had heard, which meant Ben had probably gum flapped to most of his crew, which meant the wall teams were yakking it up. Which meant...Cole would have heard this. Oh man he was going to be pissed off.
I groaned, dropping my head to my desk I banged it on the stack of files in front of me. Why can’t anything ever be simple? Why does everyone in a small town act like a bunch of old ladies at bridge?
Stupid me, no wonder he looked at me like that when I grabbed his arm. I guess I did come off as...forward. Taking a deep breath I tried to control my stress, one emergency at a time. That was what I needed to focus on. When Cole came my way snorting and stomping like a raging bull I would grab him by the horns. Until then, I needed to focus on crops.
No, not crops. I spread the files out on the desk in front of me, lining up straight angles of the manila folders like they were ancient alien relics of untold power. Files did in many ways seem foreign to me, especially in the candlelight. Seemed like they should be replaced with parchment, ball point pen swapped out for an ink quill and blotter.
Opening the center one labeled inventory I read down the lines of medical items with fancy names I didn’t know. Very few of them had double digit quantities. Last year we’d get medical supplies from Lake City in exchange for crops, but after the attack on the fall caravan a spring trade run was not expected. We were, in a sense, on our own.
Then it hit me.
A reason. A simple yet absolute reason that I had been searching out for months. Something even Caius couldn’t counter. Something absolute. A way to get close enough to Lake City to find out what was really happening to Dimitri.
When the sun fell, and with Yu’s blessing, I was standing in the living room of the large farmhouse I both loved and hated looking across the crisp white couches at the blood sucking once man who had made me his meal of choice for the last few months. Curiously, he spoke nothing of those visits-or abductions I suppose-at all during our greeting. Caius merely descended the stair in his graceful king like fashion dressed in a pressed white button down shirt-half unbuttoned which gave me a peek at what appeared to be a tattoo on his chest-dark grey slacks and black dress shoes that looked simple but probably cost a fortune. With his long fingered hand, he gestured towards the living room, dark locks cascading over his white shirt at the slight tip of his head. The ancient vampire led me into the sofa filled room without a word, my nose assaulted by his thick cool water cologne from his proximity.
The Blood Bargain (Book 2): Breach Page 14
