by Aurelia Skye
That was an unfounded fear, because he returned a few moments later, and this time I could feel his bare skin against mine. He resumed strumming me as Finn pulled away, and I deduced he was just leaving long enough to undress. His return a few moments later confirmed my supposition.
Blindly, I reached out for their shafts, but Chris intercepted me to squirt some of the massage oil on my left hand, followed by my right a few seconds later. Then he nudged my hands to the right positions so I could grasp my other lovers and stroke their erections. The fingers inside my slit grew more frantic, and I was soon trembling under the force of my first orgasm of the evening. It was certainly not going to be my last, I was sure.
Their hands moved away from me, settling on my hips instead, and I shifted restlessly. I needed something more.
The bed dipped a moment later, and though I was mostly incoherent with passion, I still had enough faculties left to realize it had to be Lian joining us. My heart sang with elation as my lower half contracted with need. I let out a sob of pleasure around Chris’s cock as Lian slid into me. The hands at my hips guided me, pushing me against him as he started thrusting. For a moment, I was so caught up in sensation that I couldn’t do anything but lie there. My hands went slack, as did my mouth, but my lovers patiently waited until I processed the sensory overload and could resume pleasing them.
Lian thrust forcefully into me, the hardness of his erection betraying the level of his arousal. It felt good, but that changed to amazing when a slick finger probed my backside, sliding in gently. I wasn’t positive, but I thought it belonged to Avi, judging from the angle. I couldn’t see to confirm the fact, with Chris blocking my view, but it didn’t really matter.
The finger was slow and gentle, carefully opening me up to accept a second as well. When there were two fingers inside me, Avi moved in direct contrast to Lian’s established rhythm, which introduced an entirely new level of sensation. I was lost to it, so consumed by my own pleasure, that I barely noticed the hot splash of Finn’s release on my hand.
My sheath tightened around Lian as I started to come, just as Avi also climaxed. Chris came a moment later, surging to the back of my throat as he did so, followed by Lian as he spilled inside me. There was so much stimulation that I couldn’t process it all and shut down for a moment. I went rigid before trembling and finally relaxing, almost melting against the mattress.
The four of them gently disengaged, and it wasn’t long before a warm cloth appeared between my thighs to clean me. Another was on my stomach and breasts, wiping off the last of the massage oil, and yet another worked on my hands, first the left, and then the right. I was too insensate to really open my eyes, but I was still aware enough to realize all four of them remained as they settled on the bed. Chris’s stomach was my pillow again, while Finn and Avi were at my sides, and Lian laid down by my feet. The soles of my feet pressed against the hard planes of his stomach, and I wiggled my toes in pleasure before surrendering to the need for sleep.
Chapter Eleven
A blaring siren woke us, and I shot upright in bed, temporarily confused. For a moment, I thought I was back in my studio apartment on the top floor, and my first thought was dreading running down nine flights of stairs during a fire.
It took a moment for my thoughts to clear, and when they did, I realized it didn’t sound like a fire alarm. The men around me had already gotten out of bed and were moving quickly, and I struggled to do the same. My brain seemed to be slowed down, and my limbs moved like I was swimming through molasses as I slid out of bed. “What’s happening? Are we under attack?”
“We could be, but I don’t think so. This is the all-hands alert.” Avi shimmied into his pants as he gave the explanation.
“Is it a fire?” My brain kept returning there.
“Maybe. That would definitely warrant an all-hands alert.”
My head was pounding as I went to the dresser and dragged on fresh clothes. “What’s an all-hands alert?”
“It’s a signal that we all need to assemble in the cafeteria. It usually means there’s an emergency of some sort,” said Chris.
“You probably didn’t get orientation, did you?” asked Finn.
I shook my head as I quickly shoved my uncombed hair into a ponytail and secured it messily with an elastic band.
“I imagine it was the circumstances of your arrival. No one thought about it,” said Lian quietly. “We hadn’t had any new people for a while, and it was an oversight.”
I shrugged. “It’s okay. I’ll just follow your lead.”
We were ready less than a minute later, and I waved the keycard to open the door before closing it behind Finn, who was the last one out, and secured it in a Velcro pocket in my pants.
The hallway was filled with people moving toward the cafeteria, and I hadn’t realized just how many were sharing this space until seeing them all together. We were nowhere near overcrowded, but it was reassuring to see that our numbers were definitely close to a hundred.
We waited our turn to enter the cafeteria, going in a single file. In what had to be a record amount of time, which I estimated was less than five minutes, it seemed that Collier was satisfied everyone was present. They had all responded quickly to the first alert of the alarm system.
He raised his voice to be heard, and those around us immediately fell silent in response. “We have a distress call from Camp Utopia. They’ve been attacked, and they need our help. I need volunteers to form a rescue party. Ben sounded like it was bad, so there’s a good possibility we’ll be absorbing Camp Utopia’s people into here. I might need someone else to juggle living quarters.”
I held my breath as I waited to see who would volunteer. The people at Camp Utopia were still like my family, and I was going to be deeply hurt if Collier had to compel people. I immediately stepped forward and wasn’t surprised when my men did the same. I was surprised by how many other people did so, and it warmed my heart to see the number of people who were willing to risk their safety to save my friends.
We moved quickly after that, with Collier issuing assignments, while Avi went to the armory, preparing to hand out weapons as people assembled. I saw Alyssa arguing with Shane and Jamar and eased closer, wanting to see if I could help.
“You can’t go.”
Alyssa didn’t seem to take Shane’s dictate well. “I most certainly can. I’m just as competent as you are.”
“Normally you are, sugar, but with your shoulder hurt, you aren’t going anywhere tonight.” Jamar spoke in a reasonable tone, reminding her of the injury she’d sustained on a run earlier in the day, when a heavy box fell on her.
Alyssa was clearly frustrated and turned her attention to Han, who nodded. That seemed to just make her angrier, so I expected an explosion. Instead, she surprised me by drawing in several deep breaths. “Fine, I’ll stay here and help situate and rearrange quarters.”
Catching sight of Chris and Finn, I hurried back to them. “Are you two okay with giving up your quarters and moving in with me?”
Neither one of them hesitated, which made me grin.
“Of course.” Finn didn’t really need to say the words, because he and Chris were already nodding.
I nodded in return. “I’ll be right back.” I rushed to Alyssa, who hadn’t quite left the cafeteria yet, though she was heading in that direction. I brushed my hand against her shoulder, and she stiffened before turning in my direction. The hint of wariness in her expression faded immediately, and I guessed she had responded that way due to instincts. “Finn and Chris are willing to give up their quarters if you need them to.”
Although Alyssa appeared to still be frustrated and perhaps angry, she gave me a grin. “I wonder where they might be staying?”
I shrugged and tossed her a halfhearted look of confusion. “I’m sure we’ll find a place for them.”
Alyssa laughed as I moved away from her, and I navigated my way back through the crowd that was dispersing to join Chris, Avi, and Finn, who were ha
ving their own mini version of the argument I’d overheard Alyssa sharing with her men.
“You can’t go, Finn. You’re the closest thing we have to a doctor.”
“Which is why I should go, Avi. You might need people treated right away.”
Avi sighed before nodding. “Yeah, that makes sense.”
I spoke up, wanting to protect Finn. “Jamar and I both have some medical training. Finn would be safer here.”
“So would you,” said Finn with a scowl as he crossed his arms over his chest. “No one’s trying to make you stay behind though.”
I bit my lip before nodding. “Yeah, point taken. I just don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Likewise,” he said with a softening of his expression. His arm went around my waist temporarily as we moved through the cafeteria, my gaze seeking out Lian.
He was waiting for us in the hallway, somewhat tucked out of the flow of traffic, and he fell into step in front of me as we moved toward the hangar where they stored the trucks.
The drive to Camp Utopia took almost an hour, despite the convoy driving faster than was probably wise in the dark, even with headlights. I was conscious of every excruciating second, and my brain insisted on supplying a never-ending stream of horrific images as I imagined what might’ve happened to my friends.
It was worse than I’d expected. As our truck drew up where I could see, my mouth fell open. There was still thick smoke in the sky, along with active flames lapping away at the remnants of Camp Utopia. There was nothing left, at least nothing salvageable. All the buildings had burned to the ground, the tents likely making good fodder for the fire. They had probably been stimulated by some type of accelerant as well.
I climbed from the truck, practically hopping over Finn’s lap to do so, and ran to meet Ben and Sofia. I was relieved to see her, and I threw myself into her arms as we hugged each other. We were both sobbing by the time we pulled apart. “What happened?” I asked the question a scant second after Collier, who had come to stand beside me.
Ben was the one who answered, his attention on the leader of the armory. “We had a run-in with some military group a couple of days ago. They didn’t identify themselves, and they started shooting when we were out on a run. We had some casualties, but no one died. I thought we’d given them the slip, but either they followed us, or they just stumbled across the camp. They attacked just after nightfall, and they had way more than our twenty-seven—and that’s counting Maisie’s baby. We were overwhelmed quickly. We have at least five dead, and four missing.”
“Missing?” asked Collier. His tone was neutral, making it difficult to tell how he felt about that.
“Taken,” said Joshua as he limped up to us. He still looked rough, though it had been a while since he’d been held hostage and beaten so severely at Fort Glacier. Or maybe his condition had been exacerbated by the night’s attack.
“Taken?” repeated Collier.
He seemed to be relaying the information to Ben first. “It’s confirmed. Witnesses saw all four of them snatched.”
“Which four?” asked Collier.
“Lori, Grace, Maisie, and baby Lila,” said Ben, his expression grim.
Collier swore. “They took the women?”
“Lori’s hardly a woman,” said Sofia. “She’s only seventeen, and Lila’s a baby. I can only guess they took her because she was with Maisie. Grace only allowed her to take Lila out of the incubator and away from the infirmary a few days ago.”
Collier’s expression was one of cold anger. “They just took Maisie and the others?” His jaw was tight. “Do we have any idea where they are?”
Ben shook his head. “They went off toward the west, but I don’t know where. I didn’t have enough people to risk sending a recon team.”
Collier turned away from him, calling several names. My heart stuttered when Avi’s was among them, and I clung to his hand subconsciously until he gently disengaged. I wanted to keep him with me, but knew I couldn’t.
He moved over to Collier’s side, and I couldn’t make out the words they spoke. All I knew was one moment, they were standing around Collier, and the next, three groups of two had broken off and disappeared into the darkness. I could hear trucks rumbling a few moments later.
Collier turned back to Ben. “I’ve sent out scouts to find them, and we’ll get the women back as soon as we can. In the meantime, pack up your people, salvage what you can, and we’ll head back to the armory.”
“You don’t mind us staying with you for a bit?” Ben seemed hesitant.
Collier shrugged. “You have nowhere else to go, and we have space and resources. Just so we’re clear though—I’m in charge. You oversee your people, but I have final say. If you can live by those terms, you’re certainly welcome at the armory.”
My respect for Ben increased even more when he didn’t hesitate. “I can certainly live with that if it means keeping my friends safe.” It was obvious the welfare of those around him meant more than some macho power play and display of territorialism.
“Jamar, Finn, and Natalie, get in there and see if you can help with the wounded.” Collier turned back to Ben. “It’s going to seem indelicate, but I suggest you burn your dead while there’s still a fire going. We don’t have enough space to transport them back, and it’s the closest thing to a decent burial we can give them.”
Ben seemed startled by the suggestion, and Sofia and Joshua were obviously distraught by the idea, but Ben nodded a moment later. “I know you’re right. It just sounds awful.”
Collier clapped him on the shoulder. “I understand. If you choose, we can try to bury them before we leave, but it’s that much longer we’re out in the open and vulnerable. We don’t know their numbers, or if they might return. For all we know, they’re observing the area and know exactly how many people are here now. Without knowing their strength, we have no way to be sure we can defend ourselves if they send in an overwhelming number.”
Ben nodded, and I saw Sofia and Joshua sigh together as the words sank in. They still appeared upset by the idea, but I guessed they had reached acceptance as well.
I took a medical kit Finn held out to me, moving closer to the charred remains of the camp I had called home for more than a year. It was like alien terrain now, and nothing felt familiar. The armory had already started to feel like home, but it was more than that. This place was desecrated and completely destroyed. There was nothing left, and I hated the New Order Militia at that moment. I had already hated them for nearly killing Avi and shooting people I cared about, but it was a blinding rage for a moment. I didn’t have any doubt at all that they were the ones behind the destruction of Camp Utopia.
I was able to help patch up a couple of people. Jerry had a huge laceration across his forehead, but thankfully it wasn’t actually deep. Head wounds bled profusely, and after cleaning and stitching him, I was confident he’d be all right. He seemed a little dazed, and I wasn’t certain if it was from a concussion or simply the events he’d survived. Either way, I warned him to sit quietly as I walked him back to the truck, where he took a seat in the back on one of the benches.
There were several other people already there, and I saw Joel sobbing into his hands. I climbed up the steps into the back of the truck and sat beside him, taking his hand. “Where’s Betsy?”
He shook his head, unable to speak for a moment. “Dead. One of the soldiers asked her if she’d been through menopause. When she said yes, he shot her.”
I shuddered at what his words revealed, along with imagining Betsy’s last few terror-filled moments. “I’m so sorry.” I sat with him for another few moments, but he seemed unaware of my presence, and there were others who might benefit from my help. I climbed out of the truck again and went in search.
I found little Grayson hiding in the woods, and he came when he recognized me. He was only three, and both of his parents had died at some point during the HLV outbreak. He’d stumbled into camp alone, dazed, and dirty. He looked
in much the same shape now, and it broke my heart.
I picked him up and cuddled him against me as we walked through the smoldering remnants back to the truck. He wouldn’t let go of me when I climbed the steps and tried to set him on the bench, so I sat down as well, holding him against me. When Finn came in a few moments later, helping a heavily bandaged Trenton into the truck before instructing him to lie down on a makeshift gurney on the floor of the truck, his eyes widened at the sight of the little boy in my arms.
I shrugged. “I think I’m done triaging. I’m needed more here.”
He nodded and returned to the Utopia refugees.
For the next hour, a steady procession of people boarded the trucks, some injured and some not. Everyone seemed dazed, and I could relate. I hadn’t lived through it, but seeing the aftermath was enough to leave me disconsolate. I imagined they were all trying to reconcile the change in circumstances. Since HLV, we’d already all had to make so many changes that it was unfair for them to go through this.
Finally, everyone was aboard, and the trucks started up, leaving what had once been Camp Utopia in an orderly convoy. I didn’t have a window to look out, and I didn’t want to look back anyway. I’d seen enough of what had once been my home and was now reduced to smoke and ashes. I’d gotten separated from my men, and they were in other trucks. Tears seeped from my eyes, and I surrendered to the need for a quiet cry, burying my face against Grayson’s shoulder, allowing my tears to disappear into the shirt of the sleeping child.
***
Alyssa had been busy while we were gone, and she had everything neatly in hand as people disembarked the truck. She had set up a second room for medical overflow, and she had rooms available for everyone who needed them. I moved closer to her as Sofia approached. Grayson was heavy in my arms, but I was reluctant to give him up. I stood beside her as she and Sofia exchanged introductions. “How many in your quarters?”
