by Angela White
8
Kyle didn’t want to wake up. He knew he hadn’t died, but the horrible guilt was waiting for him to surface and he tried hard to stay below the murkiness. He didn’t want to face what he’d done.
Kyle.
He turned away from the gentle voice, refusing her comfort.
Kyle.
No, he groaned. No.
Reece!
Kyle’s lids shot open and he found Jennifer’s face inches from his.
“Coward.”
Pain hit him in thick slaps and he shut his lids. “Yes.”
Jennifer’s heart broke for him as she read his thoughts of the accident. He’d gotten distracted and lost three men. His pain was hers and she allowed her tears to flow over his arm. “I’m sorry.”
Kyle didn’t want her comfort or to enjoy her embrace, but it was Jennifer against him and he slowly raised his good arm to tangle it in her long braid.
“Get out of here!” he snarled pathetically.
“Okay,” Jennifer answered, sitting up. “Bet Whitney needs my heat.”
Kyle growled, hand tightening in her hair, and Jennifer let him pull her down.
“That’s better. Keep fighting, Kyle. I can’t handle you being sorry for yourself.”
Kyle winced. “I’m resigning. No Eagle would ever–”
Jennifer pushed her lips against his, unable to listen to him. Later this probably wouldn’t succeed, but for now, the man under her froze, as he always did. Jennifer lingered, making sure she had his attention. Angela had also hinted about how to handle this.
“Kyle?”
“What?” he ground out against her sweet lips. Even in his misery, he wouldn’t pull away.
“Do you love me?”
Kyle groaned. “You know I do!”
“Then don’t do this to me,” Jennifer stated, moving enough to meet his tortured gaze. “I need you.”
Whitney listened with tears burning. Will someone ever love me that way?
Kyle swallowed his thoughts, trying to rise through the guilt, and he nodded stiffly. Jennifer hadn’t asked him for anything. Keeping himself together was the least he could do.
Jennifer kissed him again. This wouldn’t be the end of it, but she had to get him home, where Angela could work on him. People made mistakes and Kyle would have to accept that he was no different from anyone else who’d screwed up on the job.
Kyle knew what she was thinking and he would try because she’d asked him to, but he didn’t expect to forgive himself. He wasn’t even certain he wanted to survive anymore. Their host was right. He was a killer.
9
Dog held still for the woman to strengthen the cast on his leg, but he refused the painkiller by pulling away from her gentle hands each time she tried to stick him with the needle. Having Safe Haven people around had reminded him of the female he was chasing. The coyotes were still in the vicinity and Dog was contemplating leaving with them when Sally released their healing female. He would have to be careful with his paw, but it was time to go.
Dog thought about talking to Jennifer and asking how Marc was. He wanted to let his former master know he was alive, but he also didn’t want to rekindle his affection for humans. He was supposed to be living like an animal.
Sally put an extra layer on the cast, smoothing it down distractedly. She didn’t want those people here. They shouldn’t be here!
Dog caught the thought and agreed. If they didn’t go soon, he would.
Sally entered the house and Dog curled up under the rocker, golden gaze staying on the barn. At some point, one of them would try to talk to him and he had no idea how to tell them he wasn’t coming. They wouldn’t understand the call he was receiving.
As if his thought had conjured it, a pale blue light appeared in the weeds by the shed. It spread over the grass as it came toward him, covering the land in a vivid carpet of color. As it reached the porch, it vanished, unable to coat the fabricated object.
Dog got up and moved to the dirt at the foot of the stairs, eager to feel that refreshing power swarming over him. It was a pulse of life from the earth. Addicting and wild, the energy was sent to replenish lifeforms. Dog had never felt it before, even when he’d been living with the wolves. Nature was trying to heal things and the feel of it was amazing.
“Have to leave. They have to!” Pacing in front of the door, Sally continued to mutter and her gun stayed in her hand.
10
“Here she comes!” Whitney whispered frantically from behind the door.
“I’ve got it,” Jennifer answered, ready. Dusk had come with the feel of death and they’d gathered their weapons and ammo to make a stand.
“Come out of there!” Sally shouted. “I want you gone!”
“He can’t move yet!” Jennifer answered loudly. “One more day.”
“No!” Sally shrieked. “Get out!”
“Okay!” Jennifer thundered over the shriek. “Get out of the way so we can!”
“Get out right now!”
Sally was screaming every word and Jennifer approached the door reluctantly. “I don’t want to do this, lady.”
“My place! Get out!”
“I’m going,” Jennifer replied, at the door now. “Get back.”
Sally had frozen, her anger and mental condition not allowing a rapid thought process and Jennifer kicked the door open.
The door hit Sally in the face and knocked her to the ground, bleeding and nearly unconscious.
Jennifer raised her gun. She’d made her choice and it was Kyle’s life, no matter what she owed this crazy stranger.
A heavy, furry body slammed into Jennifer, stopping her from firing, and she hit the ground hard enough to gasp.
Dog took up a place in front of Sally, growling. Get out!
Stunned by Dog’s action, Jennifer raised her gun again. “He. Is. Not. Moving!”
Jennifer screamed the last word and Dog shrank back. For a brief instant, rage was there and he could have leapt at the girl. But she was still the one who’d rubbed his belly and Dog slowly lowered his head.
Jennifer cautiously retreated toward the barn, kicking the woman’s gun inside. “In one day, we will be gone. If either of you come in the barn, I will kill you.”
Whitney helped her fasten the doors and they each took up a place near a window.
“I can’t believe he did that,” Whitney stated. He’d expected Dog to be on their side.
“He’s gone wild, like her,” Jennifer stated. “We won’t tell Marc that part.”
Whitney agreed. Marc would be happy to know that Dog was alive. They didn’t need to tell him the rest.
“I don’t know what happened,” Whitney said suddenly. “I should have stayed awake. It’s my fault too.”
“You know he doesn’t feel that way,” Jennifer answered, wiping Dog’s saliva from her arm. “And neither do I. Accidents happen. You both have to understand that. No one can be perfect all the time.”
“You descendants seem to be,” he grumbled good-naturedly.
“Not even close,” Jennifer snorted. “Angela loves Kyle too. They have a special bond from the rest stop battle with Cesar. If she had known this was coming, she would have interfered. She missed it.”
“Do you blame her for that?”
“Not at all,” Jennifer answered truthfully. “The power comes in handy, but it’s unpredictable, uncontrollable sometimes. It has a will of its own and we never get to witness everything. It’s actually rather annoying.”
Whitney smiled, thinking Kyle was lucky to have her. “Thank you.”
“My honor,” she said tiredly. “Now, I need to take my own advice.”
Jennifer filled him in on Beth’s suicide and was able to forgive herself for not catching it. They weren’t meant to prevent every death. In time, Kyle would accept that, as well. She would help him.
11
“She got up and went inside,” Whitney called a few minutes later.
“Still talking to hers
elf?” Jennifer asked, busy changing Kyle’s bandage.
“Didn’t look like it. Dog’s in there with her.”
“Hopefully they’ll stay in there. I almost like her, you know?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Whitney understood, as much as he could. Their host wasn’t all there mentally, but she was strong enough to survive on her own, which gave her an advantage over most of the people they’d met.
“How’s he doing?”
“Better than I hoped for. No infection. We might be able to go in the morning if we can give him a gentle ride.”
“I’ll do some scouting in a bit.”
Jennifer finished and then rejoined Whitney near the front doors. The medicine was keeping Kyle asleep and she was glad.
“He’s lucky to have you,” he repeated.
Jennifer discovered Whitney smiling at her and rolled her eyes. “You sure your head’s okay?”
Whitney chuckled. He hadn’t been along for any of Jennifer’s battles, but he’d heard the stories of her being dependable and scoffed. Clearly, it was true. He’d expected a crying teenager to console.
Jennifer snickered at the image. “Thanks.”
“He’s scared of you.”
Jennifer’s amusement faded to concern. “I know. I’m working on it, but I’m scared of him, too.”
“We know. It’s why we wouldn’t let him push you.”
“There’s no need for that anymore,” she stated.
“Yeah, things will change,” Whitney agreed. This accident would bring the couple closer.
“Sooner than that, actually,” Jennifer told him. “We’re not going home yet. I passed a beautiful cabin on the way here and the boss gave permission. We’re taking a few days off.”
“Dropping me off on the way?” he clarified.
“Not unless you want it. Angela said you can be our chaperone.”
“To appease the camp,” Whitney guessed, certain he wouldn’t spend any of his time monitoring their behavior even after Kyle was up on his feet.
“I assume so, yes,” she replied. “But you don’t have to if you’d rather not. We may only be able to get one of the hot tubs going and its mine.”
Whitney enjoyed the teasing, suddenly feeling better than he had in a while. “I’ll take the night patrol so I can view the sun coming up, while in the tub with a cigar and a scotch.”
Jennifer laughed. “Deal.”
Kyle listened to their easy banter with gratitude. Whitney was getting to fathom what Kyle had realized from the beginning–Jennifer was special.
Pain lanced through his side and Kyle swallowed the groan, not wanting to interrupt their moment. Whitney had been on Kevin’s team and done well. He was respected and Kyle hoped he continued to earn it. The man was easy to like.
“Temperature keeps dropping.”
“We’ll bundle up.”
Kyle listened to them cover the basics, wrist throbbing. If they were taking time off, he needed to make a stop along the way. Kyle worked on a mental list as the shadows grew longer and the pain stretched into his guts.
“Will we have trouble leaving?” Whitney asked.
“I hope not,” Jennifer answered, still studying the house where faint lights had come on a short time ago. “I’m getting too tired to be nice.”
12
Whitney eased out of the barn a few hours later to take care of their fallen men and locate new wheels. He returned driving an old station wagon.
It had enough room to slide Kyle inside once they put the seat down. Jennifer rode next to him, fastening belts and covering him, while Whitney tossed their kits in the front and then got them rolling. There was no movement from inside the house, but they could feel attention on them. It wasn’t safe here.
As they pulled out of the yard, Sally and Dog came from the house. When the sound of the engine faded, Sally strode into the barn.
Dog expected her to put her property back the way it had been, but she surprised him by opening the cages of the upset animals that she had been helping. Even those not ready to be on their own yet were opened, freed, and Dog stayed clear as the raccoon and the coyote ran from the barn first.
“Free to be with my boys!” the coyote howled happily. “Farewell, strange wolf.”
Dog waited for the snakes to clear out and then joined the woman in the barn, curious.
Sally was in the corner, pulling tarps away from a vehicle that Dog recognized. It was an ATV and when Sally straddled it and brought the engine to life, Dog understood she was leaving.
Sally drove the Gator outside and got busy filling the fluids. When she finished, she began bringing bags from the house and loading them onto the back and sides. The vehicle also had a small trailer, but Dog wasn’t positive about staying with her. However, his leg was still too injured for traveling on it and he needed to get north.
“I’ve got another place,” Sally muttered. “And once the snow comes, no one will get in there.”
She stormed into the house for more gear and Dog slowly climbed into the trailer and lay down. He hoped she was going in the right direction. If not, he would get out the first time she stopped.
Sally didn’t blink at the sight of the wolf, who had obviously decided to go with her. She was glad of the company, though he would have to make room for her two inside mutts. There hadn’t been any fighting between them so far and Sally didn’t expect there to be any now. Animals made more sense to her than people and she was going where the beasts could barely roam, let alone man.
Dog tolerated the heat of the small animals that the woman thrust into the trailer, ignoring their excited, yapping descriptions of the place they were headed to. Dog didn’t care if there was land to wander or ponds to swim. He was still following the winds in search of his mate and he wouldn’t stay with Sally much longer. As soon as his leg healed a bit more, he would vanish.
Chapter Fourteen
Healing
September 15th
1
“You guys did a good job,” Marc praised, scanning the newly gated stairs leading up to Zone C. With the sun sinking, it was perfect timing for a test of visibility. “Very good.”
They’d been driving up to deliver supplies and test the sullen refugees, but now the Eagles could go up the stairs in protection. The gate was electronic and there were multiple doors for people to go through so they would be separated from anyone else. It wouldn’t stop a bullet, but it would prevent a riot from easily entering Safe Haven. Intruders would have to go over top of the ten-foot, barbed wire that was patrolled day and night. Marc was satisfied that they now had a basic defensive setup in place, but he planned more. The towers were still going up, aided by all the lumber that Shane’s team had collected and Marc planned to put small bunkers in next–stocked with water and weapons.
“When will we tell them?” Zack asked, still studying the Zone C people as they scurried through the open gate and vanished down the hill in the loud gas-guzzlers. They had no schedule for gathering supplies, and people came and went during both gate opening times.
“Soon, I think,” Marc stated. “They should have been gone already, but plans changed.”
Becoming aware that he was discussing a magic issue with someone who wasn’t a descendant, Marc chose not to close off. He dug into Zack’s mind instead, searching for trouble.
“No need for that,” Zack stated, not resisting. “I’m not happy with her. I may never be, but I know she didn’t want Crista to die. I’m trying to accept the rest.”
Marc was relieved to discover that was the truth and he indicated toward the training tent. “Want to go spend a few minutes making the rookies look bad?”
Zack chuckled. The new men and women were easy to rile and slow to think–like most of them had been upon first joining Adrian or the service. “Sure.”
The two men headed for the noisy tent and Angela approved. She was on her way to the mess to have a snack, get updates, and then go to bed. Marc had things covered.
&
nbsp; Angela grabbed a cold coke from the barrel, remembering to fasten the lid to keep it that way, and took a seat at the empty center table.
“Can I get you a tray?”
Angela shook her head at Tara, frowning. “Li brings them out. Thank you.”
Tara shrugged awkwardly. “Sorry. I didn’t know that.”
Angela scanned the woman and then Missy, who was humming happily at a rear table with crayons and a coloring book. “You guys okay?”
Tara took a breath. “As much as we can be. She didn’t need to witness the action today.”
“She said she did,” Angela refuted.
“She’s just a baby!” Tara snapped. “She needs her mother to make those choices.”
“Maybe,” Angela compromised. Li Sing sat a foil-covered tray in front of her, frowning at Tara.
“Are you on duty right now?” Angela asked.
Tara lifted her broom resignedly. “Sweeping, getting trays for the old people, helping with the kiddies.”
Angela recognized the tones, but didn’t comment on the unhappiness. If Tara wanted a different job, she would have to ask for it.
“Let me know if I can get something for you,” Tara offered, returning to her half-hearted sweeping.
“Uh-huh,” Angela murmured. She wanted to take time to talk with Tara, to dig down and figure out what her problem was, but she didn’t have the spare hours.
Greg dropped down across from her and Angela signaled for him to get started.
“Doctor said it is Cholera and he’s requesting permission to stay another 24 hours. He asked that we tell his sons they have a newborn and he’s trying to save it.”
“Fine, but 24 hours is my limit,” she conceded. “He can bring the child here, where we can help.”
“Good. All crews have finished their first missions and have left for the second half. We’re working on the 12-volt setups in the caves now–the LEDS are up and running–and all of the pipes will go in today and overnight. Tell the camp to expect constant noise for the next two days and then we’ll have the kitchen in place. The bathrooms and showers will be last to go in and we’ll need a large amount of water for the first fills and to check for leaks.”
