by Bale, Sarah
I said, “We might as well check it out. Like you said, Lilly isn’t hovering, so we might be able to swipe a few items.”
Grey hid the pistol outside of our bunks in some bushes. We’d both agreed it was too dangerous to keep the stolen goods inside. If someone suspected what we were up to and came in, they wouldn’t find shit.
We made our way to the main house, calling out to the men whose names we’d learned. As much as I hated Lilly, I had to admit that she was running a smooth ship. I said as much to Grey and he agreed.
“She’s slick, I’ll give her that much. I still don’t trust her to keep her word.”
I replied, “Me neither.”
“It’s disturbing how these men follow her like she’s a queen or something.”
I’d thought the same thing. They were loyal to a fault.
We reached the house to find the men who stayed there lounging around. One even ate popcorn. I had no idea where he’d found it, but when he offered, I took a handful and shoved it into my mouth.
“There’s more in the kitchen. Tell Cooper to fix you some.”
“Thanks, man.”
Practically handing us the keys to the mansion.
Grey followed me to the kitchen.
“Cooper? You in here, man?”
No answer.
I said, “Go to the pantry. I’ll keep an eye out.”
Grey didn’t need to be told twice. He grabbed a burlap sack from underneath the sink and went into the storage room. I closed and locked the door leading into the kitchen and then leaned against the counter so I could look out the window.
A flash of movement caught my eye. What was that? A motorcycle? It got closer and I was fucking shocked to see Daisy riding an ATV with Lilly on the back. Both were laughing.
“Grey, you almost done?”
Something hit the floor in the pantry and Grey came out a moment later.
“Done. Is someone coming?”
“Look.” I pointed.
“What the fuck? Is that Daisy?”
I nodded. “We better get out of here before they get back.”
“No shit.”
We slipped out the back door and went around the side of the house. Somehow we managed to get back to the bunks without running into anyone. After Grey hid his goods, we both went inside.
Kat was staring out the window and said, “You’re not going to believe what I just saw.”
“Daisy driving an ATV?”
“Okay, so you might believe what I just saw.” She asked, “How did that happen?”
“I have no idea, but I intend on finding out. Plus, whatever Cooper was cooking smells great.”
Kat said, “Let’s go. I need to grab another burlap sack and then I think we’ll have enough to pack up.”
Grey kissed her on the cheek. “You amaze me.”
She blushed and swatted him away. “Later, you fool.”
I laughed, feeling better than I had in weeks. We had a plan and it was going to work. After Grey and Kat left, Daisy and I would only have to put up with this shithole for a little longer and then we’d be gone, too. I knew Daisy wanted to leave with them, but it was too dangerous to risk.
Kat said, “I think leaving during dinner is our best bet. Everyone will be distracted. We’ll make sure we go through the line first and then get the hell out of here.”
“Do you need anything from us?”
Kat replied, “Just make sure no one notices we’re gone.”
“I’ll do my best.”
We walked into the house and found Daisy and Lilly talking to Rose. They all seemed happy, which was so fucking weird.
“Elijah!”
Daisy crossed the room and jumped into my arms, kissing me. I pulled away, gazing down at her. Her cheek was bruised and there was a cut beneath her eye. Like she’d been hit.
“Lilly showed me around. It was… nice.”
“That’s good.” I glanced around. “Is dinner ready? I’m starved.”
“It is, but I want to show you something.”
She took me by the hand and led me up the stairs. This was the first time I’d been up there. When we reached the second floor, she walked down a long, narrow hallway and went into the first room in the hallway.
She closed the door after me, smile falling from her face.
I touched her cheek. “Daisy, what in the fuck happened today?”
9
“Shh. I don’t want her to hear you.”
She pulled me further into the room and sat on the edge of a twin-size bed.
“Is this your room?”
The walls were painted pink with little white flowers everywhere. A rose covered canopy was hung from the ceiling and draped over the bed. A white dresser sat against a wall. The top was filled with little knickknacks. The room was so childish that I had to smile.
“What? Yeah, it’s my old room. That’s not why I brought you up here, though. Well, it’s kind of why I brought you up here, but-”
“Daisy,” I said gently.
“Right. Sorry.” She inhaled. “We have to get out of here and I don’t know if we can wait much longer.”
“What happened today?”
“She took me to the south pasture where she has about fifty zombie heads on spikes. And she knows every single person up there. That’s what my mom meant about it could have been worse for my Dad.”
I should have been surprised, but I wasn’t.
She went on, “After we left the fence, I asked how she kept the heads alive. Apparently it’s a chore given to anyone who’s pissed her off. She makes them feed them.”
“You’re right, we need to get out of here. Grey and Kat are leaving tonight.”
“We should go with them.”
“No. We need to stick to the plan.”
Daisy shook her head. “No, we need to get out of here.”
“I’m not going to risk your life by rushing this.”
“Elijah-”
“This isn’t up for debate.”
Her eyes narrowed and I felt a spark that had been missing for a while. I walked to the door and pressed the lock, turning to face her.
“Now, that just won’t do.”
“What won’t?” She looked confused.
“That look. Remember what happened the last time you disobeyed me?”
Her cheeks flushed.
“Well?”
“I remember.”
“What?”
“I remember, Sir.”
Just hearing her say it made my cock get hard.
She surprised me by saying, “And I must be crazy because I’m so turned on right now. How in the hell do you do this to me?”
I chuckled. “I’m not doing anything. This is all you.” I paused. “But if you’re not in the mood right now, we don’t have to.”
I was horny, but I wasn’t a dick.
She nibbled on her bottom lip. “Maybe just mess around a little?”
I wiggled my eyebrows. “It feels naughty knowing you’ve never had a man up here before.”
“Technically Theo’s been up here. Several times.”
Not what I wanted to hear.
“Daisy,” I warned.
She gave me a cheeky grin and leapt across the room. She squealed as I caught her. Pulling her against my body, I kissed her.
“For the record, if you had known me back then all you would’ve had to do was climb up the side of the house to get in here.”
I nipped her bottom lip. “Oh yeah? Would you have left the window open for me?”
“For you?” She looked me up and down. “Heck yeah.”
I ran my hands down her stomach and slid them under her shirt, cupping her full breasts. She leaned into my touch.
“Would you have waited naked?”
She giggled. “Probably not, unless you told me to.”
I liked her honest answer.
“I would have enjoyed undressing you.”
I brushed her nipples with my
knuckles. The more I touched them, the harder they got until they were like marbles. I tugged her shirt over her head and freed one of her breasts. We made eye contact right before I latched on to her nipple.
She moaned, “It’s too much, Elijah.”
I pulled back and she caught my mouth in a kiss. We continue to caress and stroke each other. And then she dropped to her knees. It was a sight I would never get tired of.
“Your cock is so beautiful, Elijah. Have I ever told you that?”
She hadn’t, but all words left my lips when she kissed my length. She pumped me a few times until precome coated the head of my cock. She licked it off before wrapping her lips around my dick. Her warm mouth felt like heaven.
Daisy’s head bobbed back and forth and she made a sexy sound of pleasure as she fucked me with her mouth. But it wasn’t enough. I wrapped my fingers through her hair and shoved myself further in. She gagged but didn’t try to stop me.
Instead, her throat contracted as she took me deeper. And then she hummed. It was soft at first, but soon the vibrations were sending bursts of white behind my eyes.
“Fuck yes. Suck me just like that, Daisy.”
She did as she was told, humming the whole fucking time. Air rushed from my lungs and my head tilted back. She was so goddamn amazing. My balls tightened and I knew I was about to come. Daisy made eye contact with me as I exploded in her mouth. She swallowed every last drop. When she pulled her head back and she grinned up at me.
“Holy shit, Daisy.”
She stood, kissing me. I could taste myself on her lips.
“Next time you get to go down on me.”
I laughed. “Deal.”
I wished we had enough time so I could return the favor. But we’d have plenty of opportunities after we left the ranch to fool around.
We cleaned ourselves up. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. It was amazing what an orgasm could do for a person.
“Ready?”
She nodded. We held hands as we walked downstairs. Lilly sat in a chair, reading a book, and looked up. Of course, her guards were sitting nearby.
“Well, look who finally came down. We were starting to wonder.”
Daisy’s face flushed. “I was showing Elijah my old room. You’re right, he thought my old trophies were hilarious.”
Had there been trophies? I honestly couldn’t remember.
Lilly smirked. “I’m sure.” She stood. “Let’s go eat.”
Grey fell in step beside me. “Jeez, man. You were gone for an hour.”
Best fucking hour of my life.
“Sorry. We got distracted. But Daisy was telling me where Lilly took her. There’s a biter shrine at the south fence.”
“Do I want to know?”
“Heads on spikes. Keeps them alive by feeding them.”
He rubbed his beard. “Might work in our favor. I’ll keep that in mind when we leave tonight.”
Someone coughed behind us and we both looked over our shoulders to see who it was. Cooper pushed past us, hands full with plates.
“Think he heard what we were talking about?”
My stomach knotted. “Does it matter if he did?”
“Not one fucking bit.”
Someone called my name, so I went to sit by them. Daisy sat by her cousin, which would be a good decoy. Grey and Kat managed to get seats at the end of the table, by the door. When Cooper served the food, he made no indication if he knew what Grey and I were talking about.
Half way through the meal Kat and Grey left without drawing too much attention. Seeing them leave felt like a weight lifting from my shoulders. The first part of our plan was off to a great start.
10
Daisy
Lilly was so animated while talking that it was hard not to smile. She was reminiscing about one of the adventures we’d taken with Theo in our early teens.
“I still can’t believe you jumped down that creek bank. I just knew you were going to break a leg.”
I laughed. “It was either that or get trampled by a bull.”
Theo interjected, “Not true. You could have taken the path, like we did.”
“Unfortunately I didn’t see that path until I was leaping through the air.”
We all laughed. And it felt like old times.
Lilly took a sip of her water, emptying it. She glanced around.
“Where’s Cooper? He’s been slacking again.”
Theo noticeably tensed. “I’ll go look for him.”
“You’re always chasing after him. Sit your ass down and we’ll see what he has to say when he shows up.”
The joy that had been there a moment ago vanished. Theo looked worried. How many times had Cooper messed up? Was he at risk for ending up on the wall duty?
“You can take my water,” I offered.
She smiled and took my glass, taking a long swig. I pushed my food around on my plate, trying to hide that my appetite wasn’t there. I was too nervous to eat, thinking about all the what ifs.
I glanced at Elijah. He was so sure he was making the right choice by staying, but I thought he was wrong. We should be leaving with Grey and Kat tonight, not waiting!
Lilly said, “You keep giving him doe-eyes. Are y’all talking about getting married?”
Her question surprised me. Did marriage even mean anything in the apocalypse?
“We haven’t really thought about it.”
She said, “Let me know if you do. You might be able to convince me to let you use your mom’s old ring as a wedding band.”
And… the bitch was back.
I forced a smile. “Thanks, Lilly. I’ll keep that in mind.”
If she noticed that my words were strained she didn’t comment. Instead, she talked to Theo about a supply run they were planning. Elijah caught my gaze and gave me a slight smile. I looked at the empty seats at the end of the table. Good! Maybe Grey and Kat had gotten away.
Lilly poked my arm. “I’m going to smoke a joint. Come outside when you’re done.”
Only my cousin would be able to procure weed in the apocalypse. Hell, she was probably growing it somewhere on the property. She got up and was almost to the door when Cooper came rushing in from the kitchen. He said something into her ear and her face turned bright pink.
She was pissed.
I glanced down at my plate. Just because she was angry didn’t mean anything, but I was scared that she knew something about Grey and Kat. What else could Cooper say to make her that mad? I tried to rationalize the situation. There was no way she knew what was happening back in the bunks. No one knew.
Lilly said, “Theo, get your ass over here right now.”
He dropped his fork and was across the room a moment later. She said something to him. He frowned and left the room. My heart was beating now and I forced myself to take a bite of my food.
Lilly came over to the table and sat next to me.
“I hate the full moon,” she said. “The Dead tend to rile easily and the humans are even worse.”
That was… not what I was expecting.
“I hadn’t ever noticed.”
But it actually made sense.
She made a sound and said, “You’d have to be a dumb ass to try to escape here. At night. During a full moon.”
I could see Elijah in my peripheral vision. He was listening and wasn’t trying to hide it. No one was. They all knew Lilly was mad, even though she was trying to play nice.
Elijah asked, “What are you talking about, Lilly? We aren’t trying to escape.”
She nodded. “You’re not. But where are your friends? The rough one and the red head. Where are they?”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Cooper met my gaze across the room. His face paled.
“I’ll be right back. I need to get the water pitcher.”
He practically ran to the other room. I turned my attention back to Lilly, who stared at me.
“So – where are they?”
“Is this a tric
k question? How would I know where they are? I’ve been with you.”
Elijah took another bite and said, “They were here a bit ago. You saw them walk in.”
Lilly ignored him and leaned closer to me. “I heard a little rumor today that they were going to try to run off while everyone was eating dinner.”
I knew without a doubt that Cooper had overheard us talking earlier in the day, though he had made no obvious signs of it.
I replied, “That’s weird.”
I mean, what else could I say? Tell her I knew? Tell her I was planning the same thing in a week? Nope, not going to happen.
Lilly stared at me for a moment longer and stood.
“Fine. We’ll do this the hard way.”
She left the room, almost stomping away. When she was gone Elijah moved to my side. He reached out for a piece of bread and took a bite.
I turned my face toward him and asked, “Think they made it out?”
Under his breath he replied, “They weren’t supposed to go over the fence until dusk.”
We both glanced out the window overlooking the backyard. Where the sun was still out.
“Maybe they’ll make a run for it.”
I replied, “I just hope they make it. I’m worried what she’ll do if she catches them.”
I’d already seen what she could do to her own family and friends. There was no telling what she would do to people she didn’t like.
Elijah said, “Just keep playing it cool. We’ll know soon enough, one way or another.”
“That’s kind of morbid.”
He shrugged. “They knew the risks. Just like we do.”
I nodded, but didn’t reply. He might be right, but I didn’t have to agree with him.
Some of the guys that had gone out of their way to be nice to Elijah came in and called out his name. He went over and sat with them. They were soon laughing and telling jokes. I wanted to join them, but my heart just wasn’t in it.
What if Lilly caught Grey and Kat? What would she do to them? And, as much as I hated to think about it, I was worried what she would do to Elijah and me. She had already established that he was my weakness and I had no doubt that she would use him against me.
I got up from the table and went into the kitchen. Cooper was staring out the window with a frown on his face.
