Fractured Refuge

by Annabelle McInnes

  And right now, the thickheaded jackass was technically missing. He’d been absent all afternoon and evening. A passing remark regarding his need to check for tracks and hide the approach of their visitors had resulted into frustratingly long hours of silence. They’d kept a keen eye on the cameras, but the big man had remained elusive. It was now almost midnight, and their emotional journey from concern to fear to action had been punctured with too many shared glances and heavy sighs to count.

  The apprehension that saturated the room was stifling. Kira’s nervousness and his own unease fuelled a burning anger that was gaining strength with every moment that passed. It was the only way he could ignore the accumulation of potential nightmares that could have befallen their lover that threatened to consume him.

  Euan better be damn well dead, otherwise it would be his wrath the man would have to face.

  They both stood when they heard the rumble of the hatch above grind on its hinges. In the bedroom upstairs it was silent, but below, the clunk and scrape of steal was a noisy announcement that the locking mechanism was being disengaged.

  ‘Thank goodness,’ Kira muttered, and quickly moved on her bare feet to the ladder that led down directly into the main room of the bunker.

  He was going to kill him. Simple. Unless Euan was missing a limb or had decided to witness the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse renege on the bargain they’d made with God and fuck off, he was going to wrap his hands around that thick throat and squeeze …

  Euan’s heavy boots clunked loudly on the metal railing as he traversed down with care. His enormous body rippled with the effort to manoeuvre through the tight manhole. As he was revealed, it became obvious that there was no missing limb, no blood, no scorch marks as proof of his battle with the Seven Seals.

  Euan was whole, hearty and intact.

  And all of Nick’s rage bled from his body until he had to lock his knees to remain upright. When both of Euan’s feet were firmly on the carpet, Nick inhaled a sweet lungful of air.

  Kira jumped into his arms as soon as he turned. Euan’s relief was strikingly evident. His muscles bulged as he gripped their Pixie a bit too tightly. He buried his face into her messy halo of platinum-blonde hair, a task that required him to bend at the waist, and breathed in deeply.

  The urge to do the same was overwhelming. The desire to feel Euan’s tight embrace around him, to yield to that intrinsic dominance was, in that moment, all-consuming. In those arms he was protected, safe, and the fears surrounding the potential responsibilities he would be forced to shoulder should anything happen to Euan dissipated.

  His tone was harsher than he intended when he finally spoke. ‘Glad to see we didn’t hold you up.’

  Tired brown eyes swung his way, and Nick felt a stab of remorse at his spiteful remark. But his anxiety was still gnawing at him, distracting him, playing havoc with his emotions. He tried not to look contrite, but as Euan’s gaze softened, he’d realised he’d failed.

  ‘Come here,’ the big man rumbled, removing one hand from around Kira’s waist to stretch it out towards him.

  It was belligerence that forced Nick to ignore the dirty palm, proof of the effort Euan had expended to hide the evidence of their visitors. It was stubbornness that narrowed his eyes and lifted his chin. He raked the hair from his forehead and crossed his hands across his chest.

  A tiny smirk formed at the corner of Euan’s mouth. The muscles around Nick’s eyes tightened further at its appearance.

  ‘Don’t make me come over there.’

  Those deep dulcet tones shot down Nick’s spine and he might have swayed had not his feet been planted so wide. He hardened his jaw and huffed.

  The smile that split across Euan’s face made Nick blink. Twice. It was stark white against that dark beard. It was beautiful and in that moment, it was also terrible. Nick was too caught up in its rarity to fully comprehend the danger that faced him. An adversary built from hardened muscle and bone, was likely twice his weight, and despite his own above-average height suddenly loomed over him like a fucking behemoth. He was caught before he even realised he was prey.

  ‘You worried about me, Nicky?’

  The belligerent ‘no’ was meant to sound more like a determined man, and less like a mulish boy.

  That smile stretched into a wicked grin. Nick attempted to take a step back, only to find the beefy arms he’d longed for wrap around him and pull him close. Euan’s scent surrounded him. Earth, man and pine. His clothes still held the bite of winter and Nick tried not to make the inhale so obvious.

  Euan bent and into Nick’s ear he whispered, ‘Am I going to have to force you to hug me back?’

  A heartbeat passed before Nick shook his head, unhooked his arms from across his chest and wrapped them up and around the larger man’s shoulders.

  God, he was so fucking big.

  He buried his face into the exposed slither of skin at the crock of Euan’s neck, as the final claws of tension dislodged from his muscles. He relaxed into the all-encompassing embrace. When Kira wormed her way in between them, it was natural to kiss her forehead and press her further into their shared hold.

  ‘I wasn’t worried about you,’ Nick muttered into Euan’s skin. ‘I was just pissed that you made Kira upset.’

  Nick yelped when Kira pinched his arm and the rumble of laughter in Euan’s chest vibrated through the three of them.

  ‘Good then,’ Euan muttered. ‘Because we need to talk about some serious shit.’

  When Euan pulled his body back into the tight clinch, Nick was besieged with the weight of foreboding. The trespassers heralded nothing but mayhem and danger and the big man was shouldering the entire load.

  But not anymore. In Euan’s presence, the surge of vigour reawakened the need to support and aid. To be a partner in their struggles, not just a constant bystander. Between Kira and himself, they were going to force Euan to share his burdens.

  Whether he wanted to or not.

  ‘We were so worried about you,’ Kira whispered, further burrowing herself between their larger bodies. The dichotomy of their sizes was almost comical, but they didn’t see Kira’s physical form. They saw her heart, her spirit, her courage and stamina. It made her appear as though she was a giant in their minds.

  It was just one more reason why they couldn’t get enough of the little fairy.

  Euan tenderly kissed the crown of Kira’s head before he turned that weighted focus to Nick. ‘Where’s the girl?’

  In Euan’s presence, the fear caused by his absence dissipated until only a whisper remained. ‘We put her in the bunk room for the night. Locked her in. But she’s not going anywhere. After a shower and some food, she was asleep on her feet.’

  Euan nodded, those brown eyes were solemn as he silently praised Nick’s actions. ‘Fear will do that to a body.’ He turned to the table, taking in the single bowl and glass of water placed in his seat. ‘You two eaten?’

  Kira nodded as she disengaged from their embrace. ‘We saved some rabbit stew for you. There isn’t much though. The poor thing inhaled most of it.’

  Euan lifted his chin and moved to take his seat. His gait was slow and measured as he walked towards the offered meal. He sat down with a loud sigh, as though the journey from standing to seating sapped the last of his strength. On the smooth surface of the table, his fists clenched, his knuckles popping as he stared at the laden bowl.

  Euan’s internal suspicions were tormenting him. His brow was heavily creased in concentration and when he grasped the spoon, the tremble in his fingers was noticeable.

  Fatigue could drive a man to show visible signs of weakness.

  So could fear.

  Nick caught his Kira’s attention briefly as she positioned herself opposite him; their shared nervousness winked between them.

  ‘You find anything?’ Nick asked cautiously.

  Euan shook his head as he spooned a mouthful of stew into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed with deliberate care before he answered. ‘Not
hing of consequence,’ he murmured, before shovelling in another heavy spoonful.

  They sat in silence as they watched Euan eat, the tension in the room rising. The hardwood at Nick’s back was as inflexible as Euan’s short replies. The ventilation system whirred, Kira’s breath evened, the soft clink of cutlery against porcelain echoed as though it were a freight train. The cool LED overhead lighting cast a weak silver glow over Euan’s clothed muscular arms, the dark thermal sweater clinging to his biceps, the crew-neckline teasing them with a hint of dark chest hair. The faint shine to his shortly cropped hair.

  Euan finally looked up from his bowl, his spoon halfway to his mouth before he paused, and raised his dark eyebrows in question. ‘This a performance I’m not aware of?’

  ‘You said we needed to talk,’ Kira said in way of reply.

  Euan’s dark eyes passed from one to the other before he leaned back into his chair, pushing the half-eaten stew toward the centre of the table in the process. ‘The girl say anything? A name? What happened? How she got here?’

  Nick answered before Kira could. ‘Not a peep. Kira tried to make her write something down, but she just stared at the pencil as if she’d never seen it before.’

  ‘Do you know what happened to her?’ Kira asked cautiously.

  ‘Not enough.’ Euan returned.

  Kira studied his features, her cheekbones sharpening as she bit the inside of her cheek. ‘Are you okay?’

  Euan studied the both of them, the heat of that stare permeating into Nick’s muscles. Euan was as placid as a wide, meandering river. But still waters ran deep, and the thoughts and ideas that were held in that mind were as brilliant as any strategist. He wouldn’t divulge anything that didn’t impact his main objective, but just sometimes, the wiles of a woman could persuade him.

  Utter exhaustion drew Euan’s features down, sucked the essence of his skin and dulled those assessing eyes. He moved forward and clasped his hands on the table. His eyes focused on Kira. ‘I need something from you.’

  Kira briefly glanced at Nick before she nodded fervently. Tension rippled through the room. Its heaviness was a weight that settled on Nick’s shoulders, into his bones.

  Euan held Kira’s gaze. ‘You haven’t had your period since we got here.’

  Both Nick and Kira jerked in their seats, surprise consuming them, shocked into silence. Kira’s mouth opened, closed. Opened again.

  Euan continued, undeterred. ‘We’ve been with you for nearly two months. Nothing. I’m old enough and been around long enough to know that that women keep the shit you need close to hand. Especially if you live alone and don’t have to hide it,’ he leaned forward further, holding Kira’s surprised regard. ‘Been eating that pussy of yours for almost all of that time, sweetheart. I know that most of your body probably better than you right now, so I know you aren’t hiding anything from me. No tells either. What’s going on?’

  Kira’s cheeks had turned a bright shade of pink, but she braved Euan’s stare. ‘It’s not a secret. I have an implant,’ she feathered her fingers over her left forearm. ‘It’s meant to last five years. It’s stops … everything.’

  Euan leaned back, his surprise evident in his raised brows. ‘You’re telling me you’ve had that thing in your arm the whole time?’

  ‘Well, yes. I got it in before the plague.’

  ‘So you got two years left?’

  ‘Give or take.’

  ‘Good,’ he stated, before pulling the stew back towards him to finish it.

  Kira shot Nick a look. But Nick’s focus remained on Euan. He narrowed his eyes.

  Evasive bastard. Trust him to redirect their questions on their safety with something explosive.

  Regardless, he couldn’t believe he’d missed something so intrinsic to the female body. He had three older sisters for Christ’s sake. That stuff was everywhere growing up. Was that the reason Euan had been holding back from taking their relationship to its physical completion? They’d enjoyed either other’s bodies to a point where penetration of anyone’s body with a sexual organ was an aching need. Nick assumed it was because Euan relished the sexual frustration, sadist that he was, but as usual, Euan’s mind worked with the practicalities and consequences of sexual gratification in a world where children were an impossibility.

  The evasion tactic worked. Kira was obviously thinking the same thing. ‘It that why you won’t take me?’ she turned to Nick. ‘Why both of you won’t take me? Like that?’

  Euan words were mumbled around a mouthful of food. ‘This world is no place for a child. And we’re in no position to care for one. Especially in the current circumstances.’

  Kira blinked. ‘Ever?’

  The strange plea, the breathless voice. The wavering entreaty. It was one of those poignant moments in their time together where it was achingly obvious that Kira had no idea of the hell that lay outside her door. Of the torture, the chaos, the mayhem. The horrific realities of what happened to those weaker, smaller. Even adults were not immune to the depravity. A child? Fuck no.

  Euan placed his spoon inside the bowl carefully, the silver against ceramic made a quiet clink in the tension heavy room. Euan stared, his eyes locked with Kira’s, until the answer didn’t need to be spoken. Until Kira nodded and swallowed her emotion despairingly.

  She sagged in her chair, her shoulders slumped. The awkwardness after the silent declaration seemed to draw the last of Kira’s strength.

  Both men moved towards her, offering comfort, but it was Euan who spoke first. ‘Sweetheart …’

  Kira waved a hand in front of her face, trying to displace the emotion that was riddled through her features. ‘I know. You don’t need to tell me. I don’t even know why I’m upset. I understand what’s out there. It’s just another reality. And today has been full of them. I’m just … I’m just... tired.’

  Euan pushed out the chair he was sitting on from under the table. He spread his thighs and patted his knee. ‘Come here. Let me hold you.’

  Nick’s uneasiness at Euan’s avoidance manoeuvres heightened further when the big man’s voice broke on the last word.

  Despite it, or because of it, Kira moved immediately. Her body slotted into Euan’s embrace. Her little ass slid onto his leg, her toned thighs fell between his. Her knee brushed up against Euan’s crutch and he flinched from the contact. It wasn’t from pain.

  He wrapped his beefy arms around their girl, his muscles flexed and rippled under the jumper he wore. His body had almost doubled in size since they’d started having regular hearty meals, and Nick couldn’t help letting his eyes follow those bulging biceps, the delineated triceps and obvious pectoral muscles. Euan had the body of a gladiator, of honed strength, a battle machine made of flesh and bone. Strength was his currency, courage was his asset, fortitude and determination were his pledge to them. He held Kira like the delicate thing that she was, as he encased her in everything that he offered, and through the mire of uncertainty, the sanctuary that Euan provided enabled her to relax.

  Tension bled out of her narrow shoulders and Kira had wrapped her arms around Euan’s neck to bury her nose into his skin. Her inhale was deep. Nick tried to fight it, but he emulated the movement, while the web of security that Euan wove around them settled Nick’s strung nerves. His steadiness was intoxicating. Nick ran his fingers through his hair, and pulled the mass from his face. Euan’s lips twitched, a minute tick that Nick relished because of its infrequency. It softened the big man’s features. Lines disappeared, brown eyes darkened, and Nick’s belly tipped. A quick glance found Euan staring at him intently. Knowingly.

  One large palm moved from where it rested at the tiny dip of Kira’s waist, the flair of her hip, down to cup her behind. A small gasp left Kira’s lips, before she squirmed slightly in Euan’s hold.

  ‘I’m in the mood to watch,’ Euan rumbled into the thick fog of anticipation that began to roll around them.

  Nick licked dry lips, nodded. Kira writhed.

  Nick understood th
is need.

  Voyeurism was Euan’s coping mechanism. The way in which he siphoned through his concerns and fears. The sexual tension sharpened his thoughts, enhanced his senses, pulled forward the alpha beast to prowl a subconscious and eradicate unnecessary information and doubt. Euan’s mind became animal and with it, only the most imperative cognisant requirements remained. He’d smash though the barriers of unease and a solution would present itself with astounding clarity that always amazed Nick.

  Their perverted man was a brilliant tactician after he’d found gratification watching his lovers enjoy themselves.

  Even though the uncertainties were building homes within his chest, Nick pushed aside the nagging hammer and tongs for this, for Euan.

  Euan stood. He palmed both cheeks of Kira’s behind as she wrapped her slender legs around his hips, her face still buried in the crook of Euan’s neck. She rubbed her core against the growing bulge in Euan’s fatigues. The big man grunted, and squeezed the two round cheeks tight enough to elicit a surprised squeak from his captive.

  Nick followed Euan with deliberate slow steps down the hallway. The muscles in the man’s back rippled with his movements. His ass hollowed with every step and the thud of his combat boots was loud in the small space. Now that he’d set aside his worries, Nick’s impatience was becoming tangible. A feather in his chest that tickled under his ribs, promising overindulgence and seduction.

  Euan used his boot to push the door to their bedroom open. Kira reluctantly left his arms to be placed onto the mattress. When he turned, his features threatened Nick with temptation. It was impossible for him not to pant when Euan licked his lips invitingly. ‘I want you both naked by the time I’m back. Gonna do one more sweep of the hatches and check on the girl before I come in, feel me?’

  A huff of laughter escaped. Nick’s fingers gripped his hair. He wasn’t sure if that kind of control came with age, or was just Euan, but the man could compartmentalise without effort. He could consider safety precautions while sporting an erection the size of a small tree. Nick’s brain was mush. Most of his blood, and all his common sense, had shifted towards the organ in his pants. He was blessed that his body still had the cognition to walk, remain upright, or comprehend spoken word. Manoeuvring a complex locking mechanism, dissecting potential strategic weaknesses—blinking. Nick shook his head as a grin stretched across his face.