by Coralee June
“Rules?” I asked. He reached behind his head to tug his grey, cotton shirt off then frantically removed his pants before lying down beside me.
“Rule one.” He wrapped his leg around me before drawing me closer. I could feel his hardness. “You stay by my side at all times. And if you can’t be at my side, then you stick to one of the other guys. I want eyes always on you.” He peered deep into my hooded gaze to punctuate his point, and I saw a hint of fear there. I knew he was pushing his demons away.
“I can do that,” I said before jetting my hips forward and placing one of my legs between his, our bodies like a complex knot.
“Rule two,” he then said before kissing me. This time, his kiss was harsher. We were a mess of colliding intentions, teeth nipping for blood and assurance that everything would be okay. I gasped while pouring my faith into him. He abruptly pulled me away. “You better tell me if you feel scared or uncertain at any time. I need you to be honest with me. I need you to tell me what’s on your mind, even if it means looking weak.”
That would be a hard rule to follow. Last night was evidence of how difficult I found speaking my piece. I couldn’t tell him everything because the truth was that I was scared. Everything about this mission was terrifying. But fear was a healthy emotion. It didn’t help to speak about it or dwell on it.
Instead of answering, I wrapped my hand around his neck and pulled him even closer. I looked him in the eye before kissing him once more. But this time, he didn’t respond. He forced his lips into a firm line, refusing to part at my attempt at distracting him.
I pulled back. “I’m scared, Hux. But it doesn’t do me any good. I was scared when I killed Cavil. I was scared when I left Stonewell Manor. Fear is normal, but I’m scared that if I tell you when I’m feeling it, it’ll just make you spiral.”
He rewarded me with another smoldering kiss. “As long as you’re honest about what’s going on in that beautiful mind of yours, I can keep my demons away. I’d rather know you’re feeling scared than have to worry about you being reckless.”
Huxley then removed his leg from around me and pushed me onto my back. He straddled my hips before grabbing my hands and pressing them into the grass at my head. “What’s the next rule?” I asked as heat flooded me. I could feel wetness painting my inner thighs as he leaned forward to once again nip at my lips.
“The final rule,” Huxley growled over my skin before positioning himself at my entrance. I felt him bump against me, teasing me with that fullness I knew he could deliver, without fully granting me the pleasure I desired. I watched him pause. I knew he was trying to work through the words. Before, everything was hot but playful. Speaking out loud about his fears and desires was never Huxley’s strong suit. I wanted to beg him to fuck me here in the deadlands. I was aching for him. Aching for his body, for his words. But Huxley was the type to get spooked easily. And since Patrick wasn’t here to do the talking for him, I’d have to wait.
I merely stared at him, watching each conflicting feeling cross his features. I watched in patient silence, allowing him to come to terms with his needs in his own time.
Finally, he spoke. “You have to survive, Ash. ’Cause I have lots of plans for us. Lots of time to make up for. I want a lifetime of this,” he said, and I had to stop the moisture gathering in my eyelids from spilling over. I didn’t want him to see me cry.
“I will,” I whispered, for once feeling like the speechless one in the relationship. At my promise, he rocked into me, and we spent the rest of the hour kissing the edge of eternity.
Chapter Seven
“We should probably park outside of the city,” Cyler said. We all had loaded up into our transport at sunset and were headed towards Lythe. A somber mood had taken over us. I quietly watched the sky turn a deep navy blue, and shimmers of the deadlands’ green toxic wave were kissing the air with their bright hue. I was surprised to find that, somehow, the world looked beautiful just then. The swirls of colors, showing our land in a swirl of stillness and color.
I glanced down at my black cargo pants while pinching my thigh. Cyler was sitting beside me, his shoulders tense with authority over what we were about to do. He grabbed my hand to stop me from clenching myself. After offering me a reassuring squeeze, he turned his attention to the conversation going on in the transport.
“Why?” Jules asked.
“Transports are rare right now. It’ll draw too much attention to us,” Maverick explained. He wasn’t wrong. People were hoarding resources and fighting each other for food, which meant that a working transport wouldn’t last five minutes in a populated city, especially unattended. It was why we rarely stopped when we were checking for survivors.
“Remember,” Bowden began. He wore an uneasy expression. Thurst had stayed behind because his fever kept coming back. I made him more tea before we left him to rest in his tent. “The entrance to underground Lythe is at the clinic. Whatever you do, don’t introduce yourself as the Dormas Leadership Council. You’ll be eaten alive. Just say you’re coming to town to shop. They’ll probably pat you down and ask you some questions.”
Kemper bristled. “So I’m guessing I should leave the explosive device I made in the car?”
Bowden rolled his eyes, obviously unamused. “Probably would be a good idea.” His voice was dripping with sarcasm.
“So what if what’s left of Cavil’s guard has taken over?” I asked. “What’s the protocol then?”
Bowden gave me a frown. “If they’ve taken over, then we’ll be captured. End of protocol.”
A heavy silence filled the transport. Jacob’s mindspeak said what we were all thinking. “Well hell. That sounds just fantastic.”
We didn’t really know much about the city, aside from what little Thurst and Bowden could provide us with. We were operating on the hope that it was where Mia and Aarav were taken. I didn’t know if I wanted to find Mistress Stonewell, Payne and Hope. If they were with Cavil’s men, then there was no telling what sort of things they had to endure. I struggled between wanting to find them as quickly as possible and wanting them to be safe. We were going off of hearsay, and once again I found myself feeling frustrated about the lack of information and answers.
“People that live in Lythe are different. They’re survivalists to the core. They rarely leave their underground city and are naturally suspicious of anyone they come into contact with,” Bowden added again while running his fingers over his scalp and biting his lip. I tried to imagine what this underground city looked like. How could people possibly survive there? I spent a lifetime indoors at Stonewell Manor but still went outside weekly to run errands. I thought I would go crazy if I had to spend my entire life without the feel of the sun on my face.
I turned my attention to Kemper. He was staring out the window as Bowden spoke, and I could sense that he didn't like that we didn't have a plan going into this. He was methodical. Systematic. He looked at every single side of a problem and approached it after examining each and every variable. In some ways, Maverick was the same. He liked knowing everything. He prided himself on being the smartest man in the room. I looked at Mav and smiled when I saw him checking and double checking the first aid kit we’d packed a few hours before leaving. I had given him a crash course in herbs, and he seemed eager to learn. It felt terrific to be able to teach him some of what I’d learned in the deadlands.
Kemper groaned. “I don’t like not having a solid plan. Should we send a couple people in to scout first, that way we aren’t risking all of us in one go?” he asked.
Luckily, Jules and I responded at the same time, “No. Absolutely not.”
There was no way in Ethros I was letting us split up again. I wasn’t about to risk letting my men get captured. We were doing this together. Since my night with Cavil, I learned that we didn’t always need a plan. There was something to be said for a person's instincts. I had faith that I could claw myself out of a situation if necessary—or kill my way out of it.
Cyler squeeze
d my hand once more in solidarity. I was worried that he and Maverick were too weak still from the death pill to fight, but we didn't have many options. I knew that I needed him with us. No man left behind. We were stronger together.
We parked in the cover of trees and exited the transport. All of us went quiet as we looked around on high alert. I flashed a glance at Tallis and smiled when I saw his familiar fierce expression. He and Jules had disappeared for a few hours earlier, and he reappeared looking more like his old self. "Lead the way, brother," he said to Bowden before grabbing Jules’ hand and walking south. Cyler wrapped his arm around me like this was a casual date and not a rescue mission.
"You look nice, Babe," he said, bumping his hip against mine flirtatiously. I smiled. He was trying to calm my nerves, and it was working.
"Are we on a date right now? I feel like I should have worn a dress," I joked before patting the pocket where Jules' necklace was sitting. I just hoped that it was enough for access to the underground city. Maybe Kemper should bring the bomb. If they were a group of survivalists, maybe they’d appreciate it more than Jules’ necklace. I'd been checking that it was still there all throughout the drive. It was our ticket to Mia—to Payne.
"Romantic stroll through the woods? Why the hell not? I mean, you get hot romps in the deadlands with Huxley, so it seems only fair," Cyler replied with a smirk. I glanced up at his expression, the moonlight and toxic gas in the air illuminating the woods just enough to see his playful smile. He wasn't jealous, well, not completely jealous. He was teasing me.
I opened my mouth to reply, but Jules interrupted. "We're almost there. Pay attention for fuck's sake."
Bowden pushed aside some thick bushes, revealing the abandoned city of Lythe just a little further up a makeshift path. The state of Lythe didn't surprise me. I wasn't sure if it was because I was desensitized to destruction, or if it was because I’d already seen it a couple of days ago when we passed through. Boards covered every window, and some buildings were burned to the ground. Rotting corpses lined the streets, and I had to put my hand over my nose and mouth to cover the stench. To the untrained eye, this looked like an abandoned city.
It was genius, really, hiding the real civilization beneath the surface.
I looked around at our group. No one seemed too distraught by their surroundings. The road was narrow, so we filed down to two at a time, and a gust of wind billowed up, kicking up the stench of death and sand with it. Jacob gagged at the smell. I just kept going.
Bowden led the way and kept looking over his shoulder at us in a way that was a little too suspicious for my liking. "How much farther?" Cyler asked beside me. I sensed that he was feeling the same unease that I was.
"Not much," Bowden replied, his voice bubbling up with unspoken tension. Huxley surged forward to closer inspect him as I looked at the Scavenger's trembling hands. He then stopped in the middle of the road and turned to face us. I couldn’t tell if the sad expression on his face was because he was nervous about going to the city or if it was something else. I didn't peg Bowden as the type to get anxious. Emotional, maybe. Devoted for sure. But not nervous. My instincts were telling me to run, but my feet remained rooted to the spot. “I’m so sorry, Tallis,” Bowden said while holding his hands up. “I had to.”
Huxley grabbed the back of his neck, causing our group to erupt into chaos. Tallis immediately stalked closer, fists clenched, ready to defend Bowden. That blind devotion was understandable, but the unease in my stomach was making all of this difficult to swallow.
"Get your hands off him, Hux," Jules warned while eying Tallis. "Now isn't the time."
"Not until he tells me why he's sweating so much that his shirt is drenched and his hands are trembling. What do you mean you’re sorry?" Huxley sneered just in time for Tallis' fist to connect with Huxley's jaw. He'd been looking for a way to get out his pent up frustrations over everything, and Huxley gave him the perfect opportunity to feel like he could defend his people.
Cyler let go of my hand to pull Huxley away, and to my surprise, Bowden tackled Tallis, a sob breaking through his pursed lips. "Stop," Bowden growled as Cyler wrapped his arms around Huxley like a bear hug. Jacob, Kemper, Maverick, and Patrick were ready to dive in, all of them standing in front of me with arms flexed. "He's right," Bowden choked out.
All at once, we turned our attention to him. Tallis got out from under him and gave his friend a deep scowl. "What do you mean he's right?"
The moment that question left Tallis' lips, arms circled around me, pinning my arms down and drawing me into a chest and large stomach. "Let go of me!" I screamed just as everyone turned around to see what was happening.
The person holding me smelled like sewage, and I thrashed my body to try and break free of their hold until the barrel of Heat was placed at my temple. "You sure are pretty," a low, raspy voice growled in an accent I knew came from the Southern tip of the empire.
"Let her go," Huxley replied while taking a step closer, holding his hands up like he was approaching a wild infected Walker. I couldn't twist my body enough to see who was behind me, but based on the murderous looks in the guys' eyes, I sensed that this wasn't good. Another voice spoke to my right, and I turned just enough to stare at who it was.
"I wouldn't do anything rash, boys. We've got a deal to complete." I looked at the man approaching. He was wearing all leather and boots with a heel, but it did nothing to help his height. He was probably at my shoulder level. I noticed that he was cradling a blanket in his arms and headed for Bowden. He wore a wide smile, showing off his toothless grin and thin lips. His beard was long, and I noticed a small hand reaching up for the wiry hairs of his beard. "Well done, Scavenger." He handed the bundle to Bowden, and I watched the tall, muscular Scavenger crumble in relief.
Hope. They had Hope. Grateful tears slid down my cheeks, and I nearly sobbed along with him. He looked her over, cupped her cheeks, and I heard the sound of a childish giggle from the blankets. He quickly clutched her to his chest, and with one sad look at me, started running like his life depended on it.
I wasn't even mad. And if in his shoes, I'd give up anyone or anything to get my child back. Tallis and Jules took one second to watch his retreating back before sprinting off after him.
"Jules!" Cyler yelled angrily. He couldn't blame her because she was chasing after her family.
The short man chuckled. "Let them go. I have no need of Scavengers. Got plenty of them in the city." I turned my attention back to the man and nearly fainted when I saw that he was wearing a guard uniform. It had splatters of blood on it, but Cavil’s crest was still proudly on his chest.
"Who are you?" Cyler asked as the man holding me gripped me tighter, squeezing me so hard I knew I'd have bruises in the morning.
"We're no one. A little bit of the Old Guard. Some Elites. A few members of the Resistance. Some would even call us the new empire," the shorter man said. "You can call me Lenny," he then added.
"Lenny, wanna explain to me why you have Heat aimed at my woman?" Cyler asked. I noticed Jacob spinning his mindspeak in his fingers, likely not trusting himself to put it in and give up his thoughts.
"Well. I've heard lots about the Dormas men. I know how strong you are. I’m not a stupid man," he said while holding his hands up. "We just need your cooperation. When we ran into those two Scavengers by the creek, we knew they’d bring you to us."
“What do you need from us?” Kemper asked while taking another step closer.
"Finding the boy that Cavil was searching for. Payne? We captured a few Scavengers that leaked he was last seen with you. We heard he has the cure."
"Why do you want the cure?" Maverick asked. I noticed how he watched the scene before him, gauging everything that was happening before speaking. But I also knew that a person's intentions were important to him—hell, it was important to all of us.
Lenny threw his head back like the question was ludicrous. "Same reason everyone else wants it, you dumb fuck. I want to fucking live."
Maverick pulled a knife from the waistband of his belt, and I swallowed. The man holding me started gripping me tighter. “Let her go, and I’ll make your death quick,” Cyler said with a growl.
“Come with us, and we won’t snap her neck while you watch,” Lenny replied. His tongue jetted out to lick a bead of sweat that had collected there. He looked feral and like he would have zero qualms about ending my life.
I watched the silent communication between my men, and I urged them with my eyes to go with Lenny and his thug. We wanted in the underground city anyways, right? This was a good thing. Hope was safe, and we now had a one-way ticket to where Mia and Aarav were.
Maverick must have realized the same thing because it was he who answered for the group. “Fine. But if anything happens to her, I’ll chop your dick off.”
Every man within a fifty-mile radius cringed at that visual. “Deal,” Lenny grumbled in response before leading our group towards Lythe.
Chapter Eight
The underground city of Lythe smelled like sulfur. Every time I breathed in the scent, my lungs wanted to scream. The moment Lenny and his goon forced us into the elevator, it felt like a sheen of filth coated my skin. We descended what felt like ten stories down below the surface of the city, and when the doors opened, I let out a choking cough. Lenny rolled his eyes at me like he wasn’t amused by my reaction to his prized city.
My first impression was that this underground city wasn’t sanitary. Sewage lined the crowded entrance, and once we were shoved into a great room, I let out a gasp in shock. I’d never seen so many people in one place.
