Friction (The Frenzy Series Book 4)

by Casey L. Bond

  “I did yesterday. He seemed impressed, but one trap won’t be enough.”

  “The extra meat will help. Can you make more? Maybe teach some of your friends to build them, too?”

  “I can.” Not that there were a lot of friends around, but I could find a few to help me. Rats weren’t the tastiest creatures in the world, but they were meat and we needed more than we had now. We’d need a lot more in the coming days, and if what Roman said about the animals being scarce so close to home was true, it may be our only option. Feeling the weight of the moment with unspoken words, I scuffed my boot on the wooden planks, feeling the rubber tread grab hold of the grain.

  “Say it,” Father instructed gently.

  “I’m worried about all of this.”

  “Me too, son.” That said, I sat next to him and silently watched the sky as it began to lighten, waiting for Roman. The night-walker was punctual, I’d give him that, but I still didn’t trust him very far. I wanted to see my sisters with my own eyes. Until I did, I wouldn’t rest at all. Neither would Father.

  I wasn’t privy to the conversation with the council, sitting outside of Town Hall as the men and women spoke. But in the end, Father emerged with a heavy smile and nodded his head once. They would allow the citizens of Mountainside to seek shelter in Blackwater where there was room, or in the city if there wasn’t.

  Life was a constant changing thing, and we just struggled to hold on as best we could lest it sweep us away. The moment Roman stepped out of Town Hall behind Father, I felt my fingers trembling, threatening to give up. But if I ever wanted to be as strong as Porschia, I knew I would have to dig in and man up. So I grabbed the night-walker’s sleeve.

  “Can you take me to my sisters?”

  His face was blank as he considered my question. “What does your father say?”

  “I haven’t asked him.”

  “Well, go ask him. Let him know I’ll take you there myself. Porschia wants to take things in waves; harvesting the plants they have in Mountainside so we can replant them here. Some of the frailest will need to recover for a few days before traveling again, and some of the strongest will have to stay and help work. She also said we’ll need horses and the wagon.”

  “She may have asked for it, but the council won’t give up the wagon.”

  Roman smiled. “She isn’t asking them to give it up, she’s asking to borrow it. And they did consent.”

  “Did you have to work your mind-mojo on them?”

  He smiled and ruffled my hair like I was some kid. “Absolutely.”

  The survivors didn’t fear me, and that bothered me worse than anything. They should never let their guard down. They should never feel that a night-walker, an Infected, or even another human was one-hundred percent good. Evil was evil. It lived and breathed in men and the creatures that used to be men.

  I worked alongside them, digging up the tender crops they’d planted, wrapping the roots gently with torn cloth, and tying them with twine. They were quiet, talking to their neighbors, their children, stealing glances at me occasionally. But I didn’t talk and they didn’t try to converse with me. It was better this way. The distance between us all was comfortable to me.

  Tage kneeled to my left and Saul to my right. Like always, I was stuck in the middle of them, on the rope they pulled between them. And much like a rope, my nerves were fraying by the second. Roman would have already made it to Blackwater by now. He would have seen Father and asked for help. Did the council grant it? Would they provide the shelter that we had already promised? It was midday and there had been no word from Roman for three days. Did he make it at all?

  I sat back on my heels and laid another cabbage plant in a small box we found after rifling around in our hole in the ground. Anything and everything would be used. Pans, bowls, boxes, and pitchers. Everything that would be useful was brought out in preparation for the move – a move I hoped was still taking place.

  “He’ll come,” Tage said quietly. He’d given me much needed space over the past few days. It wasn’t that I needed it from him, I just needed it for me. Maybe it was selfish or mean, and though I didn’t intend for it to be either, it was necessary.

  “I know. I just wonder what’s taking so long.”

  Saul chuckled beneath his breath. “What’s so funny?” I asked.

  “Nothing at all....” he paused. “Patience, grasshopper.”

  “Ha. Ha. Very funny.”

  The simple exchange sparked Tage’s anger and I watched as he stalked away, too aggravated to chase after him. Saul offered the metaphorical olive branch. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” I growled, going back to the task at hand. “It was a simple joke.”

  “Among friends?” he asked hopefully.

  “Exactly.” Saul and I could be friends. We were friends before this whole mess started.

  “Well that’s what’s wrong. Tage doesn’t want you and me to be anything but enemies.”

  “Well, he’ll have to get over it.” I looked over at Saul, mud streaked across his face and caked on the tips of his fingers. “Won’t he?”

  He smiled slightly. “I hope so. I want to be friends again. If you’ll let me in.”

  It was a slippery slope, but one I was willing to slide across. “Friends, then?”

  “Definitely,” he said, unearthing more plants. I couldn’t deny that my heart leaped at the sight of his smile. His fangs were like him, long and lithe and... I stared at the ground. No wonder Tage was angry.

  He could feel everything I did. I didn’t want Saul as a husband or anything else, but I was still attracted to him. I couldn’t imagine how it would be for me to feel Tage have a response to another girl.

  Chat time was over. Time to ignore my friend and work.

  Porschia was going to be the death of me. Saul wanted her back; everyone knew it. But feeling her response, her reciprocal attraction to him? It was going to kill me. I couldn’t watch them get back together. I wouldn’t.

  Maybe it was shallow and maybe it was immature, but I decided to walk away instead of witnessing their heated exchange. When I passed by the gate, I heard a far-off but very welcome sound: the clopping of hoofs and nickering of horses. The cavalry had come. Roman knocked into my shoulder. “Sorry I’m late.”

  “Who is that with you?”

  “Ford Grant.”

  I groaned, throwing my head up at the sky. “Porschia’s going to come undone.”

  “Porschia should put her big girl panties on and deal with it. He wanted to see her. For some reason, he just doesn’t think I’m trustworthy.”

  “Hmm. I wonder why that is,” I deadpanned.

  “Like you’re any better.” He had me there. Roman scanned over the people, his eyes landing on Porschia, who narrowed her eyes at him. “Trouble in paradise?”

  “A thorn in my side,” I answered gruffly.

  He chuckled. “Drain him and get it over with.” I growled, watching Saul reach for Porschia’s hand. She didn’t take it. Good girl. “No one would have to know. You know you want to,” Roman goaded.

  I did want to, and that was the problem. If I drained Saul and ended him altogether, Porschia would hate me. She might even kill me for it.

  “It’s just because she’s working this all out in her head, man. Give it time. She likes you.” Roman was being nice and sincere, and my first thought was that he wanted something. He just hadn’t asked for it yet. I should have counted it down. Three, two, one... “So, can you let Porschia know that her baby brother is here?”

  “I’ll tell her, but you’ll deal with her as soon as I do, so get ready.”

  Walking quickly back to kitten, I crouched low, waiting for her eyes to meet with mine. When they did and the puzzled look scrunched her brows together, I told her, “Roman’s back. And before you smell him, you should know that Ford is with him.”

  Her eyes widened for a second before she was gone.

  I ran to Roman, knocking him to the ground and standing over hi
m as he gasped for breath, clutching his chest. “What the hell? My brother should be safe back at the Colony! Not here in the forest!”

  The pounding of hooves on gravel and movement from behind me caught my attention as Ford guided the horses and hay wagon into the gate. He smiled and waved, but his hand withered downward when he saw the look on my face.

  Roman jumped up, rubbing his pectoral muscle like I’d permanently injured him. “What was that for? I was just helping.”

  “Helping? If this is your version of helping, Roman, I’d hate to see you try to hinder something.”

  Roman’s dark eyes narrowed. “Yes, you would,” he warned. “He wanted to see you and Mercedes, and help the people who are coming. I needed a human to guide the horses. I kept him safe,” he enunciated.

  “And put him at risk in the process,” I countered.

  “Agree to disagree.” He snorted derisively. “He’s not a little boy anymore, Porschia. Look at your brother. If your father would allow it and it was still ongoing, he could enter the rotation. He’s not a child.”

  “He may not be a child, but he is still my baby brother. If anything happens to him, I will hold you personally accountable. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  Roman stared at me in disbelief, but he’d better believe it. If a single hair on Ford’s head was harmed during this escapade, I would scalp Roman for it. And then he ended the stare-off in typical Roman fashion.

  “I’m not sure what you mean by ‘accountable’, Porschia. You helped kill my brother, so what else could you possibly do to me other than kill me?” He fumed, and then composed himself with a smirk. “And for the record, you’re really hot when you’re mad. I can see why Saul and Tage are still fighting over you.”

  I smoothed my dress. “They aren’t fighting.”

  “Not out loud, but they will. This isn’t going to end well. Surely even you can see that coming from a mile away. Can you smell the blood yet? I wonder whose will be spilt over Porschia Grant?”

  “Nobody’s.” I would see to it. If there was friction between the men, they would need to resolve it. I was with Tage. I was friends with Saul. Period.

  “You can’t blame him for being angry.”

  “Tage?”

  He smiled. “Either of them, really. Tage has every right to be angry that you’re forgiving Saul and letting him back in. Saul loves you, so Saul has every right to be angry that Tage made a move when he was off rotting in the city. No surprise that there’s bad blood between them.”

  Roman’s fangs scraped his bottom lip as he looked over my shoulder at the progression of refugees. “Who is that?” I’d forgotten that vampire Roman was horny Roman. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Delilah approaching, wearing a gray tank top and jeans that were a size too large for her small frame. Her flaming hair waved behind her in the wind, a flag of warning and fire.

  “That,” I said, clapping Roman on the shoulder, “is Delilah.”

  “Delilah?” he mused.

  “Yeah. Better keep sharp objects away from her.”

  His lips made a pout. “I don’t think I’m the one she’s interested in.”

  I turned to see Delilah petting the horses and talking with Ford. My hackles, every single hair on the back of my neck and back, stood at attention. A low growl rolled through the hollow of my chest.

  Roman’s arm stopped me from moving.

  “Easy. She’s just saying hi and petting the animals. And why do you care what Ford does?”

  “Because I don’t trust that girl.”

  “Didn’t you find her? Bring her here?” Roman and I watched as she combed her dark hair back from her face, draping it over her right shoulder and chest. On her neck was a tattoo.

  “What is that?” I asked myself.

  “A serpent climbing a tree or... something,” Roman said, squinting. “It’s intricate. The details are surprisingly clear, but she seems awfully young to have gotten a tattoo before all the world went to hell...”

  “You don’t trust her either?” I asked hopefully.

  He shook his head. “I’m not nearly as mistrusting as you, Porschia. I like to see the good in everyone, in every situation: rainbows and hearts and...”

  “Shut up, Roman.”

  He just laughed. Asshole.

  Holy shit. Porschia looked like she was going to kill me, or Roman, or both. She was talking to him and he was rubbing his chest. She probably hit him. Being a night-walker made her mean. Or maybe it was the Infection in her. Something sure did. Porsch wasn’t mean growing up, but she had teeth now. Literally and figuratively.

  A small hand stroked the mane of the stallion I was driving. He was usually a stubborn bastard, but something had him under a spell. My eyes followed the line of the arm to the most beautiful face I’d ever seen, freckled skin and hair as dark as red as a rose. Her eyes were big and brown and her lips were pink and full. “Hey,” I said. It was basic but all I could get to come out.

  She peered up at me from beneath her dark lashes. “Hi.”

  I watched her with the horse. She was comforting him, or he was comforting her. I wasn’t sure which.

  “He’s a beautiful animal.”

  “Thank you. His name is Boots,” I offered, pointing at the stallion’s white feet, a stark contrast against the black that covered the rest of him. I climbed down from the wagon, my eyes flitting between my pissed-off sister and the girl standing in front of me, more often sticking on her. “I’m Ford,” I said, extending a hand. She looked at it for a second and I thought she wasn’t going to shake it, but then she slipped her hand into mine and all the breath in me left, or maybe my lungs forgot to work.

  “My name is Delilah.” Her voice was husky and as warm as her skin.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” I said, finally letting her go.

  “I can take him, if you want,” she offered.

  She brushed her hair from her shoulders. “Yeah. That would be great,” I answered. “He needs water and grass, and a shady place to rest.”

  Unhitching him, I watched her take his reins and lead him away. Lucky horse.

  My sister was beside me in a minute. “What did she want?”

  “To help with the horse.”

  Porschia narrowed her eyes, watching Delilah lead Boots toward the well. “She sure recovered fast,” she muttered.

  “What’s that?”

  “Nothing. Just be careful around her.”

  “She’s human, Porschia.”

  “I know.”

  “Then why should I worry about a tiny girl who’s my age?”

  “She’s manipulative.”

  “And you know this how?” I crossed my arms, waiting for more paranoia to spew from my sister’s mouth.

  “I brought her here with a broken foot. It’s healed nicely in the few days since.”

  “Maybe it wasn’t broken? Maybe it was just sprained.”

  “You and I both know that even a sprain doesn’t heal in a day or two, Ford. Don’t be stupid over a pretty face.”

  I scoffed. “Oh, but it’s okay for you to lead Tage and Saul around like dogs with their tongues hanging out after you?”

  “I don’t,” she growled.

  “You don’t lead? Well, they sure follow. Both are watching and probably listening to my every word,” I said, realizing that the brother card would only take me so far with those two. Saul chewed something as he continued cultivating the plants, but he stared at me angrily. Roman laughed. Tage was around here somewhere. I searched the area. “Where’s Tage, anyway?”

  Porschia swallowed. “I don’t know.”

  Ford and Roman set off that afternoon with a wagon full of people, carrying baskets and containers of harvested plants on their laps. Some strapped containers to their backs as well. Roman would guard from a distance so the horses wouldn’t spook, and before he left I thanked him for watching over my brother. Fortunately we were able to take Lady home. The people of Mountainside hadn’t eaten her as threatened.
/>
  Roman’s eyes became sad. “It’s the least I can do,” he answered. I knew he missed Pierce. There was just nothing I could do or say to take that ache away. When someone you loved died, they took a piece of you with them, a piece you couldn’t get back. But it didn’t matter, because you’d gladly give them any part of you, the best parts, just so they could keep you with them always.

  I’d started to tell him a hundred times, but couldn’t get the words off my tongue… I killed his brother. Eventually he would find out, and when he did, he would kill me or die trying. Roman was loyal to Pierce in a way that I understood all too well.

  Tage had been distant, mostly avoiding me and it was my fault. Part of me ached because he did. I wondered if the bond was mutual now, that maybe I felt his emotions as much as he felt mine.

  Ford would be back tomorrow for more people. We would keep gathering the plants and shuttling people to Blackwater until no one remained. But in the back of my mind, I wondered about Saul. What would happen to him? Would the council reconsider his banishment? Could they show mercy when the wounds were still so tender and swollen?

  If they wouldn’t let him stay, would he live in the forest, always on the outskirts? Would he leave?

  That was probably what I would do. Why stay where you weren’t wanted?

  I walked toward the well. We needed water to keep the roots and soil around the plants moist. “Penny for your thoughts?” Saul said, falling into stride beside me.

  “I was just thinking about how everything is about to change.”

  “It always does. Change is the only thing life guarantees.”

  It was so true. “What about you?” I said, giving voice to my inner fears.

  He rubbed the back of his head. “I guess I’ll make sure everyone gets to Blackwater safely. After that, I might drink some Infected blood and become human again. Funny how that sounds,” he said, nudging my arm. “How simple the solution was.”

  “Yeah, but what then, Saul? What if you can’t live in Blackwater?”