“You haven’t been around animals much, have you?” Seth asked.
“Why do you say that?” she replied, looking up.
“Because you seem to be very awed by an ordinary chicken.”
Rogue stood up, her lips twisting into a half-smile. “I guess you’re right. I’m a city girl. I’ve never had much interaction with animals unless you count rats.”
“I worked in the fields, so I got to see the livestock and such.”
“Really? I didn’t picture you for the farming type,” Rogue said.
“It put food on my plate. That’s all that mattered to me back then,” Seth said.
“And now? What matters now?”
“Now, I want to enjoy my life. I want to live not just exist,” Seth said.
“I can understand that. There’s a lot more to life than Prime,” Rogue said. “When I think of all those poor people, stuck inside while there’s so much more out here…”
“It kills you, doesn’t it?” Seth asked.
“It does.”
“It never bothered me much, but I never had anyone I cared about in there either,” Seth said. “You do, so we’d better impress the council if we want their help.”
“Thanks for sticking around,” Rogue said. “You didn’t have to. You could’ve gone back to your boat.”
“I could’ve, but I’ve found something I want more now,” Seth replied. “Something I can’t leave behind.”
A deep blush stained Rogue’s cheeks, and she looked away. His words roused a mixture of confused emotions in her. Emotions she couldn’t deal with right then. “I think we’re done here.”
“If you say so,” Seth said with a hint of amusement.
While they’d been busy cleaning out the chicken coop, the sun had risen, and people began to go about their business. Rogue spotted a couple at the stables on the far end. They led the horses out of their stalls to a nearby paddock where the freed animals cavorted on the green grass.
A cart filled with brass containers rolled up, ready to collect the day’s bounty. After the cows were milked, they were left to graze in a small pasture with the sheep. A load of vegetable cut-offs arrived from the kitchens for the rabbits, and the eggs were collected.
Rogue and Seth were ignored for the most part, but they got a couple of nods and waves. It appeared not everyone hated the Primes and wanted them gone. This eased some of the tension inside Rogue’s chest, and she was able to focus on the task at hand better.
They moved onto their next chore: cleaning the goose enclosure and pond. This time, the job was not at all fun or therapeutic. While the chickens were docile, the geese were not, and she yelped whenever a beak nipped at her tender flesh.
“Damn these birds. I swear I’m killing the next one that comes at me,” Rogue said, brandishing her shovel at a honking goose.
“Not so cute now, huh?” Seth asked with a smirk.
“Ow! Get away before I chop off your head,” Rogue cried, running for the exit. Half-a-dozen geese chased after her with deadly intent, and she barely made it out alive. Heaving for breath, she eyed the geese. “Stupid birds.”
In response, they attacked the wire with fresh vigor while Seth fell over laughing. The geese didn’t seem to mind his presence at all, while they positively hated her. “Tell you what. Why don’t you fetch clean water for the pond while I finish up in here?”
“Deal,” she said, grabbing two buckets. The well was quite a distance away, and she broke into a jog despite her painful hip. Although the swelling had gone down, the area still hurt when she moved. With a dubious frown, she eyed the pump with its long lever sticking up in the air. “This should be easy enough.”
Only it wasn’t.
It wasn’t easy at all.
The handle was stiff, and Rogue had to use her entire body weight to force it down. Only a thin stream escaped from the spout, and it took several minutes to fill up the buckets. By the time she was done, sweat poured from her skin, and her palms were raw and blistered. She delivered the water on trembling legs, her cheeks flushed from exertion. “Here you go.”
Seth took the buckets and emptied them into the pond. “I need more.”
“More?” Rogue asked, disheartened.
She trudged back to the pump, eyeing the piece of equipment with loathing. After struggling for several minutes to wrestle water into the buckets, she became aware of onlookers.
Rogue looked up through eyes stinging from sweat and spotted Brittany’s friends. Aret and Sandi giggled behind raised palms, while David and Paul watched from the sidelines. Brittany was nowhere to be seen, and she guessed the girl was with her injured mother. “Can I help you with something?”
Aret shook her head, her black curls bouncing over her shoulders. “Nope. It looks like you’ve got it all under control.”
The group broke into peals of laughter, all except David, who remained silent.
Rogue straightened up. “Don’t you lot have anything better to do? Like throw stones at dinosaurs.”
The laughter ceased abruptly, and an undefined emotion rippled through the group. To Rogue, it looked a lot like guilt, and she decided to push harder. Maybe they’ll confess. That will get Seth and me off the hook.
“We don’t know what you’re talking about,” Aret said, folding her arms across her chest.
“Don’t you?” Rogue asked, raising an eyebrow. “Perhaps, I could jog your memory.”
“You don’t know anything,” Sandi said, her cheeks pale.
“As I recall, you disappeared shortly before the first stone was thrown, Sandi,” Rogue mused. “Was it you who did it?”
“You’re talking nonsense,” Aret interrupted, her expression fierce. “Sandi would never do such a thing.”
“Wouldn’t she? Because it sounds like exactly the kind of thing you lot would do,” Rogue said, her hands balling into fists. “Make fun of the two Primes, embarrass them in front of everybody, that sort of thing.”
“We didn’t do it,” Aret said, her voice strained. “You’re responsible for the stampede.”
“So you say,” Rogue said. “But I distinctly remember there being two stones. What happened, Sandi? Did you miss? Is that why you hit the Zuniceratops that gored Jamie, Brittany’s mom?”
“That’s not true,” Sandi cried. She leaned into Paul’s side, and he looped a protective arm around her shoulders.
“I bet Brittany hates your guts now, doesn’t she?” Rogue said, goading the group.
“She said she didn’t do it,” Paul said, his jaw working. “Now, back off.”
“Back off? You’re the ones who came here to gloat,” Rogue said. “Is the truth too hard to bear, Sandi?”
“Just shut up, okay!” Sandi said, burying her face in Paul’s jacket.
“The real truth is you got what you deserved. You both did,” Aret said with a sneer.
“Why? Because we’re Primes?” Rogue asked, aware that Seth had moved up behind her, lending his silent support. “That’s funny because to me, you’re the bad guys in this scenario.”
Aret stamped her foot. “You filthy, Prime spy.”
“What’s going on here?” a voice boomed, cutting her off mid-sentence.
All eyes turned toward the approaching Ric, his strides long and his shoulders broad.
“Er, um,” Aret sputtered, caught off guard. Then she pointed an accusing finger at Rogue and Seth. “They’re harassing us.”
“Are they?” Ric asked, his eyes flicking from one group to the other. “Because I distinctly heard you calling them filthy Prime spies, Aret.”
“It’s true, they were threatening us,” Sandi interrupted, her eyes wide and tearful.
Paul nodded. “They’re pissed because we told on them.”
David said nothing, his dark eyes somber.
Rogue snorted with disgust. “What a bunch of lying—”
“That’s enough,” Ric growled.
Rogue pressed her lips together, seething with helpless rag
e. Seth gripped her elbow, and she focused on his touch. It calmed her, and she was able to concentrate on that instead of her anger.
“I don’t appreciate being lied to, Aret,” Ric said. “I heard enough to know you started this fight, not Rogue and Seth. And that was after I told you to leave them alone. You were not to approach them under any circumstances.”
Rogue sucked in a surprised breath, shocked to the core. He’s backing us?
“As your punishment, you’ll share their sentence starting tomorrow morning,” Ric said. “Maybe, if you all work together, you’ll learn to get along.”
“What? No,” Rogue cried. “I’d rather do this on my own, thanks. I do not want to work with them.”
“Perhaps, but this is a community. None of us stand alone, and we cannot allow division within the ranks. We’ve only survived this long because we stick together,” Ric said.
“This isn’t fair,” Aret said, her cheeks flushed.
“You can’t do this to us,” Sandi protested. “I’ll tell my mother. She’ll never allow this.”
“You are welcome to complain to your parents, but my decision stands,” Ric said. “You will all report to me for duty tomorrow morning at dawn, or else.”
David nodded. “Come on, guys. Let’s go.”
He herded the group away, and Ric turned to Rogue and Seth. “In light of what happened, I’m giving you the rest of the day off.”
“Really?” Rogue asked.
“Pack up and go home,” Ric said.
“What about the animals?” Seth said. “They need water and food.”
“I’ll get someone else to finish the job. Now leave before I change my mind,” Ric said.
“Thanks,” Rogue mumbled, though she wasn’t at all happy at the prospect of working with the enemy. Still, Ric had sided with them for once. Perhaps, he wasn’t such a bad guy after all.
Chapter 12
“Do you feel like taking a walk?” Seth asked once they had packed all the equipment away.
“Sure, why not?” Rogue replied.
“I’d like to see more of this place, and I can’t think of anyone better to keep me company,” he said.
“Well, you’re right about that,” she said with a grin. “I’m a brilliant conversationalist. You won’t find anyone finer on this side of the timeline.”
Seth laughed. “You don’t say?”
“Oh, but I do,” Rogue said, picking up her backpack.
She fell in next to Seth on the cobbled path. They walked in silence while she wracked her brain for something to say. No such luck. She kept hitting a blank, her stomach filled with butterflies. What’s going on with me?
Finally, Seth remarked, “For a brilliant conversationalist, you sure are quiet all of a sudden.”
Rogue laughed, but it was a nervous laugh. “I guess I lied. I’m not so great, after all.”
“I don’t know. To me, you’re pretty much perfect,” Seth said like he was remarking on the weather.
Caught off guard, Rogue’s breath hitched in her throat. She bit her lip, wondering what to say. Did she feel the same? She didn’t know. Her emotions were a mess. With everything that had happened: Olivia, Ric, the hunt, the council… it was all too much for her handle. Or was it?
Rogue came to an abrupt stopped in the middle of the road. “Seth?”
Seth halted, flashing her a questioning look. “What’s wrong?”
“Kiss me.”
“What?”
“Kiss me, you idiot,” she demanded.
When he hesitated, she reached out and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. Standing on tiptoe, she yanked his head down to her level. Her lips hovered below his, almost touching, but not quite. Their eyes met as their breaths intermingled, and her heart skipped a beat.
With a groan, Seth closed the distance. Their mouths crashed together, and his arms wrapped around her waist in a fiery embrace. Heat rose from her stomach to her chest as her feet left the ground. His kiss was neither gentle nor kind. It seared into her soul with a passion she found both shocking and delectable. The world melted away beneath the force of their growing need.
For a brief moment, they broke apart, panting for breath. As one, their eyes flashed to the shed, and Rogue’s lips curled at the corners. “Shall we?”
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Seth growled.
He hauled her toward the shed, fumbling for the keys in his pocket. Once he had it open, he shoved her inside. As his feet crossed the threshold, she was on him, tearing at his shirt with desperate hunger. With a low laugh, he fended her off while closing the door. “Slow down, tiger.”
Rogue ignored him, running her hands across the smooth skin of his back. The moment the lock clicked into place, she was in his arms. Time stopped as their bodies melded together in an explosion of the senses. Whatever it was, whatever it meant, she wanted more. She’d always want more.
***
An hour later, Seth stuck his head out of the shed’s door. “The coast is clear.”
“Are you sure?” Rogue asked, more than a little hesitant to face the outside world.
“I’m sure. You can come out, I promise.”
On tentative feet, Rogue stepped into the bright sunlight. It was hard to believe that only a short time had passed. An hour during which everything had changed.
Seth smiled and reached out to smooth her hair. “You’re beautiful. You know that?”
Suddenly shy, Rogue blushed. Her stomach tingled at his nearness, and her knees grew wobbly. Woah, I’ve got it bad.
Thankfully, he turned away, granting her a moment’s reprieve. She took a deep breath and tugged at her clothes. Everything was in place. Nobody would notice. She hoped.
Seth collected their backpacks from the ground and asked, “Are you hungry?”
“I’m starving,” Rogue replied, tearing into her pack.
“Good. Me too.”
They chose a spot next to the berry bushes to eat their lunch. A tree cast its dappled shadow over their heads, and a soft breeze whisked away the worst of the heat. Olivia had ensured they wouldn’t go hungry, and they each had two sandwiches, an apple, a couple of cookies, and a boiled egg.
Rogue eyed the egg with a frown. “I’m never gonna have a moment’s peace, am I?”
Seth snorted. “I’ll eat it if you won’t.”
Rogue handed him the egg. “Enjoy.”
“Was it that bad?” he asked.
“Was what bad?” she replied.
“The incident with the Quetzalcoatlus.”
“Do you really want to know?”
“Only if you’re ready,” Seth said. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
“That’s okay. Maybe…maybe I’ll feel better if I do,” Rogue replied, staring at the half-eaten sandwich in her hand.
It reminded her of that day, of how hungry she’d been, and the single crust of bread she’d managed to steal. A crust that left her hungering for more. And then there was the egg. That beautiful egg nestled in a basket of feathers. A rarity in Prime. A reminder of her youth and a time before the shift.
Her voice was low when she began to speak, telling Seth of the incident. She wove together the memories until she was transported back to the market.
***
Rogue was running. Running from the owner of the stall and the Watch, the precious egg tucked into her pocket. Her heart galloped like a frightened horse, but she was confident she could escape. Until she heard it.
A terrifying screech that rent the air and sawed into her eardrums. Rogue stumbled, casting a horrified look over her shoulder. A gigantic shadow swooped over her head, followed by another screech. It was a sound that awoke an ancient fear within anyone who heard it. A call as old and primal as the earth itself. The triumphant cry of a predator that had found its prey. Pterosaur!
As soon as the knowledge registered, the gigantic beast plunged toward the market, its taloned claws ripping apart the sheet metal and canv
as covering the square. The noise caused by her chase must have lured the beast in, rendering their flimsy camouflage useless. Screams rose as people surged to get out of the way, a tidal wave of panicking humanity trampling each other in a bid to escape.
Rogue fell to the ground and crawled between their legs and feet until she found shelter beneath a small table. Two sets of terrified eyes met hers, street urchins hiding from the chaos. Same as her.
The monstrous flyer plunged into the hole it had created. Its great beak snapped at the people running away from it in panicked terror. Rogue watched in horror as its great crested head dipped in and out of the crowd. A veritable smorgasbord of meat was at its disposal.
“Oh, my God,” Rogue whispered. “It’s a Quetzalcoatlus.”
The very name of the flighted dinosaur inspired mind-numbing fear. It was the largest of the pterosaurs, a carrion eater, and an opportunist. Its wingspan alone numbered thirty-odd feet, and its serpentine head flashed yellow and red as it plucked the limbs from a man like he was no more than an ant.
Crimson blood sprayed into the air, and agonized cries cut through the noise. Rogue crouched in her spot, frozen by the knowledge that she’d caused this. Guilt coursed through her veins like acid.
She jerked upright when the alarms sounded. Horns blown by sentries stationed in guard towers across the city. Their deep, mournful wails shivered down her spine and vibrated through the stones beneath her feet. They signaled the call to battle, drawing out every man of the Watch. It meant one thing to all of them.
The city was under siege.
Rogue curled up into a little ball, a sob of despair leaving her lips. There would be no escape for her today. Not after the mess she’d created with her thoughtless actions. Once they’d dealt with the dinosaur, the Watch would tear the city apart looking for her. Stone by stone. They’d find her. There was nowhere to hide—no one to turn to. Not even Moran can help me now.
Rough commands rang out as soldiers stormed into the marketplace, their heavy armor gleaming in the sun. Bows were raised, and arrows sang in flight as the soldiers aimed the Quetzalcoatlus.
Many glanced harmlessly off its thick hide, but a few found tender spots and buried steel heads into soft flesh. The pterosaur screeched, its massive wings battering those on the ground as it sought to take flight.
The Extinction Series | Book 2 | Primordial Earth Page 7
