Breeder: An Arrow's Flight Novel

by Casey Hays

  He smiles a crooked, half teasing smile and spins us in a full circle.

  “Aren’t you glad to see me, Kate? I told you I’d come back.” He kisses me, sweet and quick. “I missed you,” he whispers. “Come on.”

  Letting go he grabs for my hand and tugs me toward the trees.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Back to Eden. And this time, I won’t take no for an answer. You’re coming with me.”

  “No, Ian. Stop.” I wrench away from him.

  “What?”

  “I’ve already told you I can’t go. I’m needed here.”

  “Kate . . . .” He reaches for me again, but I pull back. He puts his hands on his hips and eyes me with an exasperated expression. “Will you please be reasonable? Why would you want to stay here when you can come with me?”

  I pause. I never expected to see Ian again, so I never planned how I would tell him. But here he is, ready to sweep me away, and with him so close—so present—I’m leaning toward a strong desire not to fight him on the matter. So I must tell him before my heart jumps ahead of me again, and I say the words quickly.

  “There is no one else to take Mona’s place as leader. It has been decided. The duty will fall to me one day.”

  As much as I don’t want to admit it, Mona is right. And with Ian here before me, forcing me to weigh the possibility of leaving or staying once again, it becomes unquestionably clear. I am the only one. I resign to this now. No one else cares enough about change to make the right choices for our village. It has to be me.

  Ian stares at me a few seconds. He sighs and rubs his temple with his fingertips. He looks at me, shaking his head.

  “You are so stubborn.” He looks away, and I can tell he thinks I’m making excuses.

  “And yet, it is the truth, Ian. I have been chosen to lead after Mona steps down.”

  He shakes his head again. “Okay. All right. But I came all this way to see you. Come into the trees to talk to me.” His eyes roam the area. “I’m feeling kind of exposed out here.”

  I glance over my shoulder. The Village sleeps, but he has a point. We’re out in the open. He takes my hand before I can answer and pulls me under the trees. His hand is big and warm, and I let that sensation sink into my skin. The feeling is so much better than in my dreams.

  Several yards in, he stops, shrugs out of the pack on his back and opens it. He fans a blanket across the ground, sets his light up so that it casts a glow over the area, and pulls me down next to him. Without wasting a second, he leans in and kisses me again.

  “Kate,” he runs a hand across my cheek while I shiver. “I’ve missed you so much. I didn’t realize how much until just now. I got back to Eden and things, well, they just weren’t the same. I couldn’t stop thinking about you, and I couldn’t tell anyone about you, either. I had to make up some big story about getting lost. My parents were crazy worried.” The back of his fingers linger against my skin. “I’m sorry it took me so long to come back. I had to come up with a plan.”

  “A plan?”

  I don’t like the sound of this.

  “Yeah. My parents have been really protective since I got back. Overly protective. They won’t let me out of their sight! So I had to find a way for them to let me go for a few days without worrying that I’d get lost again.”

  “You shouldn’t have come. You were safe.”

  “Yeah, but you weren’t. I couldn’t stand that. The last picture I had in my head was you tied to that tree. ”

  “But I’m fine, Ian. My life is . . . back to normal. Mona rarely bothers me anymore. I hardly see her.” I look him straight in the eye, still not fully believing that he holds me in his arms as we speak. “You being here? It could put both of us in danger again.”

  He tilts his head, and a piece of his light hair falls over his eye. “Didn’t you miss me at all, Kate?”

  I bite my lip. I want to scream “YES!” with all of myself. I want to wrap my arms around him and never let go. But I need him to leave—for his safety, and for mine. So I lie.

  “No. I haven’t missed you at all.” I pull away a little for emphasis, but I’m not convincing, especially after leaping into his arms so hastily. “We—we hardly know each other.”

  Ian drops his arms from around my waist, but his eyes twinkle with mischief.

  “So that’s how it is? I guess this was a mistake, then.”

  Here’s the Ian I remember. The sarcastic one.

  “I—I guess it was.”

  I jut my chin out stubbornly while he breaks into a smile. He sees straight through me. I study my hands.

  “I thought about you every day.” He lifts my chin. “Wondering if you were okay. I was afraid Mona might have hurt you when she didn’t find me. I watched you from those woods for three days before I left.”

  “You did?” I can’t keep the surprise out of my voice. “How did they not find you?”

  “I’m a hunter, Kate. I know how to hide.”

  “Mona caught you once before.”

  “Okay. You’re right. I was caught off guard. And I will let her catch me again if it means saving you.” I stare at him. “You’ll save both of us the trouble if you’ll just come with me now,” he adds.

  I’m about to argue against his crazy logic when a branch snaps. Ian flashes his light deeper into the woods. The beam falls on three figures standing in the shadows. I freeze.

  “Hey, guys. Come on out.”

  “Who are they?” I say, voice quavering.

  “They’re part of the plan,” he winks. “A camping trip—just me and the boys.”

  Ian stands as the three boys approach. I rise to my feet, my eyes shooting toward him.

  “Kate, this is my best friend, Justin. I think I mentioned him once.” Ian points the light at a tall, muscular boy who is about his age. He has nearly jet-black hair, and his eyes are dark orbs in the light. He wears the same kind of clothes as Ian, a blue denim material for pants and a white short-sleeved shirt. His arms are crossed. He nods with a half smile and gentle eyes.

  “And this is Jesse. And Max.” He indicates the other two boys with a wave of the light. They are tall as well, with big muscles. Jesse has blond curls under a red cap. And Max is dark, his skin charcoal black, like Madam Belle’s.

  We stare at each other—the three of them against me.

  A panic like I’ve never felt before seizes me, and all my defenses trigger the need to escape. I turn wide eyes on Ian, watch the confusion cross his face, before I turn swiftly and bolt through the trees toward the Village. Get away! I have to get away! I can think of nothing else.

  “Kate? Kate!”

  I hear Ian’s feet thundering after me, closing in. I try to run faster, but he grabs my arm and spins me around to face him.

  “Listen to me for a minute!”

  “What have you done?” Tears spring to my eyes as I beat my fists hard against his chest. They seem to bounce off without penetrating. I stand back stunned.

  “Kate, just listen. I’ll explain wh—“

  “I begged you not to tell anyone about this village! And what do you do instead? You bring people here? How could you?”

  The hot tears sting my eyes, and I raise my hand to hit him again, but he catches me by the wrist. I yank my arm, trying to free myself from his grasp. He holds tight.

  “Listen to me! I told no one. Only Justin. We came back only for you. That’s it. We hoped we could sneak in, grab you, and get out of here. But you’re making it a little bit difficult.”

  “Only Justin? Then who are these others?”

  “Max and Jesse don’t know what this place is. They only know that I met a girl here, and I want to bring her home with me. That’s all. Only Justin knows the whole truth. And I trust him. I’ve known him my whole life. He just—” He shakes his head. “He thought we should bring reinforcements—just in case.”

  “In case of what?”

  “In case, you know, there was a fight, or something.”

>   “Ian, do you know what Mona will do to you? To all of you? She has no compassion. You will all be seriously hurt or killed. Those boys don’t stand a chance against her. She’s too clever.” I push against him, and it’s like pushing against a pile of solid rock. “Go home. I cannot stand the idea of what might happen to you if you don’t.”

  Or what might happen to my village if things get out of hand.

  Ian only smiles.

  “So you do care, then. All that stuff about not missing me? A lie, wasn’t it?”

  I’m exasperated with his inopportune attempt at humor. “Please. Go home.”

  “No,” he says. I purse my lips. “I won’t leave you. This place is crazy. You deserve better. You aren’t one of them, and until you promise to come with me, I’ll stay put.”

  I clench my fists and open my mouth to protest the insanity he’s suggesting, but Ian places a finger over my lips.

  “Kate, listen. This may sound ridiculous to you, but . . . I love you.”

  I freeze, my eyes transfixed on his face. He brushes his thumb across my chin, up my jaw line, and back again. He’s done this before, but the impact of his words turns it into the most tender gesture I’ve ever felt. For a moment, I can’t breathe.

  “I can’t go home and forget I ever met you,” he whispers. “I tried that already. Didn’t work. So you’re going to have to figure out a way to fit me into your plans because I can’t change how I feel.”

  My heart is melting. I lock onto his eyes and incredibly, I feel his words. They soar into me and settle at my core as if they’re the very foundation of my heart. The intensity of it scares me.

  “Why did you have to come back?” I whisper, shaking my head. My eyes never leave his face. “You were meant to be my mate, and you got away. That alone should have made you glad to be rid of me.”

  “No,” Ian moves in closer and wraps his arms around me, pulling me in when I try to struggle. “I admit I was mad, at first. But you were never going to be a breeder. You made that clear from the beginning. And every minute we spent together made me realize what a strong, brave, smart person you are. I want you in my life. I can’t leave you behind again.”

  “Ian— ”

  But he stops me, pressing his warm lips against mine, meshing us together until I can do nothing but give in to the pressure. I shiver and part my lips slightly. My heartbeat is fast against his chest. Ian pulls away.

  “Don’t say anything. Just think about it, okay? I’m offering you freedom. That’s what you’ve always wanted, right?”

  He backs away. I can see the shadows of the other boys standing beneath the trees.

  “I’ll be waiting,” he says. He joins the shadows, and they disappear together, leaving me standing to shiver in the wet mists. I touch my lips, still swollen with his kiss. My mind is a jumbled mess of reason pitted against a strong instinctive desire to run after him, tell him I’ll follow him to the ends of the earth and back.

  But reason wins, at least for tonight. And I slowly turn back toward the Village and away from the woods.

  Chapter 25

  “You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes.” Song of Solomon 4:9

  In the morning light, I dress quickly. Sleep had eluded me once again, and Worry takes its place. And why shouldn’t it? Ian has come. He’s chosen to put himself in danger’s path for my sake when I didn’t need his interference, and all the fear that I felt for him floods in and threatens to drown me for good this time. His rashness irritates me. Returning when he’d cleanly escaped was foolish. And after pondering his actions all night, I plan to tell him so when I see him.

  And I will see him again. My heart won’t have it any other way.

  Six days have passed since my last visit to the Pit, and so I must go to prevent the jailers from reporting my absence to Mona. I am certain these are her orders. Since her last threat, she scrutinizes me more closely than ever. And with Ian’s unexpected appearance, I certainly don’t need the jailers’ suspicion.

  I slip from my hogan and take the path. John will be grateful to see me after so many days, but my mind is not on him. Not completely. I’m lost in another place . . . with Ian. I’m very aware of him today, aware that he’s out there skulking in the trees somewhere, waiting for me to make a decision I can’t make.

  I fear he sees where I’m going, and this twists at my nerves. After what he said to me last night, I hate to think what it might do to him to know I go to the Pit—and not for him.

  He asked me once if Mona would find a new mate for me after he was gone. Today, if he’s watching, he’ll know the answer. I scan the tree line, but I see nothing. My heartbeat quickens.

  All night, my heart has been playing tricks on me, fueling my desire to cling to Ian and never let go. If I did run away with him, there would be a price to pay. But who would pay it? Him? Me? The Village? All of us tangled into one massive lump with Mona standing triumphantly on top of it?

  No. Running away is not the answer. It will change nothing, and change is what I seek. Running will only set me free. I’ve set my standard much higher.

  John stands up with a smile when I enter the cell.

  “Hi.” The cell door clangs shut. “I brought you something.”

  I pull a red, sweet apple from the pouch tied to my waist and place it into his eager hand. He stares at it as if I’ve given him the greatest treasure of his life.

  “It’s an apple.”

  Apples are rare in the Village, but the gardeners managed to get one tree to survive this year, and each woman in the Village was given one apple. It will be the only one I receive. John wastes no time biting into the crunchy fruit, and soon the juice is dripping down his chin. I laugh.

  “Slow down, before you choke.”

  John holds the apple out, willing to share. I shake my head, pushing it back at him, and he takes another bite so big that half the apple is gone. His eyes brighten, and he squeezes my hand as a thank you.

  I sit on his mat and kick my feet out in front of me, leaning back against the wall. I’m so tired.

  “So, what do you want to talk about today?”

  John motions with his hands, and when I don’t understand, he bends and brushes away the pictures on the floor until the dirt is smooth. He draws a rough sketch of the Village, and points.

  “Oh. You want to know what’s happening at the Village?”

  He nods.

  “Nothing much,” I shrug. “We do our chores, eat, sleep.”

  John furrows his brow and writes again. B-O-Y-S.

  “Boys? No. I don’t ever see any boys. They are kept away from us on the other side of the Village. Behind the big stone wall of the nursery, remember?”

  John wipes away at the dirt again and writes a name. K-Y-L-E. I shake my head again.

  “I don’t know Kyle. Did you know him once?”

  John nods, and writes the number sixteen in the dirt next to Kyle’s name. I look at him.

  John raises his eyes to meet mine. They’re sad. I touch his shoulder.

  “I’m sorry,” I whisper. He only shrugs and takes another bite of the apple. I’m still for a moment, thinking.

  “Do you want me to find him? I could try. I’m sure he’s somewhere in the Pit.”

  John’s eyes glow with excitement, and he vigorously nods his head.

  “Okay. I will try.”

  I don’t tell John that Ian is here. I’m not sure why, except that I’m afraid he may fear I will go with Ian and leave him here to face his fate alone. I would never do such a thing, and since I don’t plan to leave with Ian in the first place, John is in no danger of my desertion, and there is no point in dwelling on it.

  Perhaps after Ian is gone, I will tell John everything.

  I lean back and close my eyes. I’m too tired for much conversation anyway, and finally, inside the dark comfort of John’s cave, sleep catches up with me. I slide down onto the mat, and it doesn’t take long fo
r me to begin drifting. John sits next to me, tenderly brushing back the hair from my forehead. My eyes open lazily, and I adjust my head against his leg before closing them again. I’ll rest for just a while.

  And on the edge of sleep, just before dreaming, the stock invades my thoughts. John is proof that the men in the Village are not monsters. John proves his compassion even today. He is no warrior, as Mona has so diligently tried to brand into the minds of all of us concerning men. And there must be others like him.

  If anything, John does not deserve to be subjected to the life of a caged animal. And as sleep finally consumes me, I make yet another promise to myself. One day, I will make sure he never sees the inside of another cage.

  >--->

  I sleep much longer than I planned—unbelievably long, and the moment I wake, I leap to my feet. My heart thuds hard against my chest. I’m on edge. I shouldn’t have stayed so long.

  Every time, it is the same. I come to John, and for the time I’m here, I’m sheltered from the demands of the Village. I’m free to relax and to let my mind be at ease. I can sleep. No thinking, no planning, no . . . Mona. Only me and John and seas of serenity.

  But reality waits just outside the cave. And in that reality, Ian has come back for me.

  The sun is high in the sky when the jailer finally makes her rounds and lets me out. No one else is in the Pit, so I pull the ladder up and throw it to the side. I dust my hands on my skirt, and scurry toward the path. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch movement. I quicken my pace, my defenses rising.

  But then I see him; Ian stands not ten yards from me, just at the edge of the trees. His arms are crossed over his chest, and his tall frame swells up to a larger size than I remember. I scan the area before I swallow and walk toward him.

  “You can’t be out here like this. Someone might see you!”

  I push him back toward the trees, but he stands firm. In fact, he doesn’t budge. I stare up at him, realizing what I hadn’t recognized last night in the dark. He’s bigger—massively so. I step back, astonished by his size.

  “Did you have fun?” he sneers.