Daisy and the Dead | The Complete Series | Books 1-6

by Bale, Sarah

  “Daisy, I want to fuck you.”

  “Do you?”

  He moved his hands to the buttons of my jeans, but I stopped him by pulling away. His cock was hard and ready to go. My mouth watered just looking at it. But now it was time to teach him a lesson. I picked my clothes up from the floor as Elijah’s forehead crinkled in confusion.

  “Daisy?”

  Pulling my shirt over my head, I said, “Maybe next time you’ll think about me before you run off without back-up.”

  I went to the door, removing his belt. “And maybe next time you’ll talk to me before doing something that affects us all.”

  His mouth hung open as I left the cafeteria.

  I walked as fast as I could back to our room. Knowing him, he would be right on my heels. Grabbing a blanket and pillow, I tossed them onto the floor. I then kicked my boots and pants off got into the bed. He came into the room a moment later, his cock tenting his pants.

  “Want to tell me what in the fuck that was?”

  I replied, “I believe it’s called a cock tease.”

  “What?”

  I smiled sweetly. “It’s where you arouse someone with no intention of following through.”

  “I know what it is, Daisy.” He looked down. “Why is my pillow on the floor?”

  “Your blanket is there, too.”

  “Why?”

  I replied, “Because that’s where you’re sleeping, silly.” I turned the lamp off before pulling the covers up to my chin. Yawning, I said, “Good night.”

  Even though the room was dark, I could see the outline of his body standing by the bed. He cursed and then lay on the floor. I smiled to myself. Maybe I’d get a point through his stubborn head.

  “How long is this punishment going to last?”

  I replied, “Until you see the errors of your way.”

  He muttered something about blue balls, but didn’t say anything else.

  Teasing him had been hard on me, too. I slid my hand between my legs. Air hissed through my lips as I touched myself. I was so wet from our little encounter earlier. Leaning back, I spread my legs and continued to touch myself.

  Elijah let out a groan. “Are you trying to kill me?”

  I increased my pace, flicking my clit. My breaths came out in short pants and I realized his breathing was off, too.

  “Don’t stop,” he pleaded.

  The sounds of him jerking off aroused me even more. Raising my shirt, I tweaked my nipple, which made me moan.

  “How wet are you?”

  I ran a finger through my folds. “So wet.”

  “I can smell your scent. It’s driving me crazy.”

  I licked my finger, tasting myself. I said, “I taste so good.”

  “Daisy.” He let out a long, audible breath.

  Closing my eyes, I touched myself but imagined it was Elijah. My stomach tightened and I knew I was close.

  “I’m about to come.”

  He made a sound in the back of this throat and increased his pace to match mine.

  “Come for me, dirty girl.”

  My body shattered, my pussy pulsing around my fingers. He cried out as he came, too, and I ached for him. But this was a lesson he needed to learn. I laid still until my heartbeat returned to normal.

  “You okay down there?”

  His deep chuckle sent shivers down my spine. “I’m good. You?”

  “Feeling good up here.”

  “You sure know how to punish a man.”

  I grinned and replied, “You didn’t sound like you were in pain to me.”

  “I would have much rather come inside of you.”

  I wanted that, too. Instead, I said, “Maybe you’ll remember that in the future, then.”

  He was silent for a moment. Finally, he said, “I will.”

  “Good night, Elijah. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Daisy.”

  I snuggled deep into the blankets, letting myself give into sleep.

  The next morning I awoke before Elijah. He looked uncomfortable on the floor and I felt bad for a moment. Quietly, I went to the bathroom and dressed. With any luck the well would be finished today and we’d have running water inside. For now, I could only wipe down with a wet rag.

  I slipped from the room and went to the cafeteria. Cooper was serving more apples and waved as I came over.

  I took a scoop and said, “Too bad we don’t have eggs and bacon to go with this.”

  He moaned. “Don’t say the E word to me. I can’t even think about it right now.”

  Grinning, I said, “We’ll find you some eggs eventually.”

  Jo joined us and asked, “Are you almost ready to go?”

  I finished my food and nodded. “Let’s go.”

  We went out the back doors of the hospital. Everything was covered in a hard frost that glistened in the sunlight. Elijah stood next to the old tractor talking to Grey. He gave me a pleading look as I passed, but I simply waved at him. When we’d gotten a safe distance from the building, Coop turned to me.

  “What was that all about?”

  I grinned. “Just teaching him a lesson.”

  Jo said, “You might be my hero.”

  “He just needs to learn that I’m his partner and, even if I don’t like something he’s about to do, he still needs to talk to me about it.”

  Jo nodded. “Norm needs to learn that lesson, too.”

  “Just make him sleep on the floor. Oh, and withhold sex.”

  Coop whistled. “Damn, girl. You are really sticking it to him, aren’t you?”

  We all laughed as we made our way past the fields. It was strange to see them empty, but, after the frost we’d gotten last night, there was no way we could plant wheat. That would sadly have to wait until the spring. Hopefully the tractor would be up and running by then.

  Cooper pointed ahead. “The apples were this way.”

  I said, “Hopefully the berries didn’t freeze.”

  “The thought crossed my mind, but I bet we can save enough to at least make jam.”

  Coop led the way through some trees. I glanced up, hoping we’d luck out and find a pecan tree or two. It was late in the season, but the trees would still have the hulls of the shells hanging from the branches, which would help us find the nuts. I froze.

  “Oh my gosh!”

  Jo pulled out her knife. “What is it?”

  “Look!”

  I pointed to one of the trees where a chicken perched.

  Cooper put his hand to his chest. “Do you think there’s more?”

  “Only one way to find out,” I replied with a grin.

  We made our way toward the tree with the chicken. A stream gurgled nearby. And then I heard the distinct sound of chickens clucking.

  Jo’s eyes widened. “That sounds like a lot of them!”

  We made our way down the ravine and my mouth dropped open. There had to be at least fifty chickens walking around, pecking at insects in the tall grass. And, more importantly, there were roosters, too!

  “Where on earth did they come from?” Jo asked.

  I replied, “We used to have chickens at the hospital. I wonder if some escaped and then reproduced?”

  Coop rubbed his hands together, his eyes glistening. “We’ll have omelets, roasted chicken, scrambled eggs, and so much more. Oh, happy day!”

  “Whoa, dude. You’re getting ahead of yourself. Have you ever tried to catch a chicken?”

  Because I had. My dad loved the taste of free-range chickens, so all of our poultry had wandered around as they pleased. When it came time to catch them, it usually took the entire day. Lilly, Theo, and I would be exhausted when it was all said and done.

  Cooper shook his head. “No, but how hard can it be?”

  “Let’s go back to the hospital and see if there’s anything we can use to cage them.”

  Cooper all but jogged back to the hospital while Jo and I took our time.

  Jo laughed. “That put a giddy-up in his step.”
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  “He’ll get over his excitement when he sees how difficult it is.”

  By the time we got back to the building, Cooper had already told Elijah about the chickens.

  Elijah said, “I think we have an old dog kennel that you can use. Might be able to catch a few and bring them back.” He glanced at the new barn that was being built. “They won’t have a place to roost for a few weeks, though.”

  I knew he was frustrated at the slow pace, but there wasn’t anything that could be done without more help. I was glad the frame was up. With the men working on the well, too, it was a miracle this much was done.

  I said, “What about bringing them inside the hospital? The old physical therapy room would be big enough. And, if we take some of the storage bins from the shelves in the old pharmacy, we can make roosts.”

  Elijah’s eyes brightened. “That’s a damn good idea.”

  “It’ll at least work until we get the barn built.” I looked around. “Don’t suppose you want to come with us?”

  He grinned. “Thought you’d never ask.” To the men standing around him, he said, “Boys, let’s go catch some chickens.”

  By the end of the day we’d managed to catch thirty hens and two roosters. Grey had unwittingly discovered the eggs hidden throughout the grass when he’d stepped on one, so we also had two baskets full of eggs.

  Norm asked, “But how do we know if it’s been fertilized?”

  I replied, “Hold it up to the light. If there’s a chick inside you’ll be able to tell.”

  Coop said, “I can’t even begin to express how happy this makes me.”

  Grinning, I replied, “I’m glad.”

  “Are we still going to gather apples?” Jo asked.

  Elijah glanced up to the sky. “We’re losing sunlight.”

  Cooper said, “It’s not far, I promise.”

  He led the way to the apple trees, where our group went to work collecting the fruit. Thankfully, the frost last night hadn’t damaged them. This would more than likely be our last shot at apples this season, though.

  I called out, “Elijah, weren’t the berry bushes nearby?”

  “Just over that hill.”

  I grabbed a basket. Jo and Coop joined me as we went up the hill. The sky was turning light shades of pinks and purples. When I exhaled, I could see my breath.

  “Feels like it’s getting colder,” Jo said as she shivered.

  I replied, “I’m worried about how bad winter is going to be.”

  Ahead, there were a few berry bushes. We went to work picking them. I popped one in my mouth, letting the juice burst on my tongue. The berry was a little tart, but would make an excellent jam.

  Cooper said, “This reminds me of reading the Little House on the Prairie series as a kid. The Ingalls got sick from berries in one of the books.”

  “I read those books, too. Again, what stood out to me was the terrible winter they had where they had to burn hay to survive.”

  Jo sighed dreamily. “And Almanzo saved the town.”

  We all grinned at each other.

  “We’re a bunch of nerds.” I said.

  Jo replied, “I can live with that.”

  We chatted about other books we’d read growing up until the sun set and it was difficult to see.

  Elijah came over the hill.

  “You about ready to go home?”

  Home. Such a small word, but it held great meaning. And that’s where we were. Home.

  11

  Elijah

  It was amazing how so much could change in such a short amount of time. Finding the chickens had been the start of that change. Then, we’d finished the new well and had running water inside the hospital. The barn was coming along, too. But the biggest change was the people who had come back. Andrews and Nancy were true to their word. They went out each day finding people who used to live under my protection and brought them back. I was surprised at how many people who hadn’t gone with Wyatt. It meant a lot to me.

  As of now, there were about ten families living in the housing addition. Each morning we would all get up and have breakfast together. Cooper was proudly serving eggs most days from the chickens he so proudly tended to. Then we would get to work going through the burned homes to see if anything could be salvaged.

  We’d cleared out all of the lots with burned houses. The families seemed excited about having spaces for their own gardens in the spring. It was simple, but, more importantly, it was something to look forward to.

  Andrews asked, “Are you still going to plant crops behind the hospital?”

  Since the well was finished we’d be able to have clean water to use for irrigation.

  “I am, but not until Spring. It’s important for everyone to learn how to work the fields.” I answered with a smile.

  I was going to do everything in my power to make sure these people could rely on themselves if something were to happen to me.

  Andrews said, “I’d like to help with the fields. I used to work with my grandpa on his farm, so I think I’ll be useful.”

  Nancy added, “Plus, he’ll look so sexy with a farmer’s tan.”

  We all laughed as his cheeks darkened in a blush.

  I said, “I’ll hold you to that.”

  Grey, who sat across from me, asked, “What’s on the agenda today?”

  I said, “Daisy and I talked last night. We’re going to head over to Bobby’s place today and ask one last time if anyone wants to come back.”

  Daisy nodded. “They need to settle in before the weather gets too bad. Plus, we need to know how many mouths we’ll be feeding.”

  Grey darted his glance between Daisy and me. “Who all are you going to talk to over there?”

  Daisy sighed. “I’m not thrilled at the prospect, but if Marianne really wants to come back, then I’m not going to stop her.”

  We’d talked about the situation several times. I respected her opinions and feelings, so we’d come up with a few guidelines to protect us.

  I put my arm around her shoulders. “I’m going to make sure that anyone who wants to live here understands the rules.”

  The rules were simple. Everyone was coming in with a clean slate. But, if they messed up, they were gone. No exceptions. This time I vowed to know my enemies. I would weigh risk against reward. And I would fight for my people. Daisy had liked my new rules that she said she was going to cross-stitch them onto a pillow.

  Grey shook his head. “You’re a brave man, Boss.”

  Kat added, “But we trust you.”

  “Thank you, Kat.”

  She nodded. “No need to thank me. Just make sure they know not to come near my room and we’re good.”

  “If anyone comes back they’ll be staying in the two empty houses until more can be built. For now, the group that came from Texas is the only one who will be staying inside the hospital.”

  That was something else Daisy and I had agreed upon. She gave me a small smile.

  I said, “We should go. I don’t want to waste the day over at Bobby’s place.”

  Grey said, “We’re going to work on the barn today. I think we might finish it, if the wind doesn’t pick up.”

  “That’s damn good news.”

  Hand-in-hand Daisy and I made our way outside, to the van we’d found. I opened Daisy’s door and then went around to the driver’s side.

  As I started the vehicle I asked, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  She shrugged. “I think that anyone who wanted to come back would have done so by now, but there’s no harm in asking one last time.”

  “I was talking more about Marianne.”

  Her mouth curved in a frown. “She’s not my favorite person, as you know, but I’m okay with it if she can follow the rules.”

  I brought her hand to my lips, kissing her knuckles. “Thank you.”

  I drove toward Bobby’s place. The roads were empty, but there were signs that a large horde had been through the area. Stalled cars had scratches
on them and the mirrors were broken. There were also bits of flesh dangling from trees and on the sides of buildings.

  Daisy cringed. “Wonder which way that horde went?”

  We both knew that if they came our way we’d be in trouble. The fences were mostly repaired, but we also needed extra layers of protection, like wooden stakes for the biters to impale themselves on. Plus, we still didn’t have enough ammunition if things went to shit. Grey and a few others had gone on a few runs, but hadn’t found much other than this van.

  I said, “I’m sure they headed toward the river.”

  Biters were drawn to the sound of running water, so it was possible. The look on Daisy’s face let me know that she wasn’t buying what I was selling.

  We turned the corner and Bobby’s home came into view. Nothing looked out of place as we parked. When Daisy and I got out of the van a young kid ran inside the building. A moment later Bobby came hobbling out.

  “Back again?” He glanced at Daisy. “With a woman, I see.”

  He wasn’t pleased that she was here. His tone gave it away as did the frown on his wrinkled face.

  I nodded. “We came to see if anyone had decided to come back.”

  “Reckon they would have showed up at your place if they wanted to be there.”

  A curtain moved in one of the windows on the second floor and I caught a glimpse of a woman. She quickly moved out of view before I could get a good look at her.

  Daisy cleared her throat and said, “We’d like to try one last time to talk to them, if that is okay with you?”

  I didn’t think he was going to answer her, which irritated me.

  Finally, he said, “One last time. Because this is getting tiresome.” He pointed to the gate. “Go to the back and I’ll send them out.”

  He went back inside, closing the door, and we made our way to the gate.

  Daisy glanced over her shoulder and asked in a low tone, “This doesn’t feel right. Why won’t he let us in?”

  “I wondered the same thing. Did you see the woman in the window?”