The Oklahoma Wastelands Series Box Set | Books 1-3

by Mary, Kate L.

  Kellan turned on me. “What?”

  All I could do was nod.

  For a moment, Kellan said nothing as he studied the older man in silence. We were kind of stuck, and he knew it, and it wasn’t like having to marry me was torture or anything. It wouldn’t even be real. Still, it was the principle of the thing. No one wanted to be forced into marriage.

  “And Ava?” Brady said from the doorway.

  Matthew turned and looked down, studying the other man for a moment before saying, “I now believe you are in fact on a mission from God.”

  “Do you?” Brady’s eyebrows jumped.

  “It has all fallen into place.” Matthew waved from Brady to us. “The unlikeliest of men gave Angus James shelter so he could save the world, and once that mission had been fulfilled, God sent the girl. I don’t know what her role in this new world will be, but you are her guardian, and you are clearly meant to watch over her. Their return proves it is so.”

  “Does this mean you’re going to let us go?” I asked.

  “After you marry, I will send you on your way.” Matthew didn’t look at Kellan and me even though he was clearly addressing us because he was still focused on Brady. “It is your responsibility to get the girl safely to Oklahoma so she may fulfill God’s plan.”

  “I’ll die before I let anything happen to her,” the small man said, and his tone made him seem four times bigger than he was.

  “I believe you, but I don’t believe that’s what God has in store for you.”

  “We need supplies,” Kellan said, jumping into the conversation. “We have nothing to help us get back to Oklahoma.”

  Matthew finally turned to face us. “I will provide you not only with supplies, but with a car as well.”

  A car? I wanted to jump up and down and shout for joy.

  “But only after you’ve proven your commitment to fulfilling God’s will.” The smile on Matthew’s face didn’t fade, but it did change slightly, growing darker. “However, if you do not cooperate, you will suffer a heretic’s death.”

  Kellan exhaled, shaking his head, and just loud enough for me to hear, mumbled, “What the hell did we stumble upon?”

  20

  Kellan knelt at my side and I reached for his hand. Being in this position again, with the armed men at my back and Matthew in front of me, should have given me a sense of déjà vu, but it didn’t. Maybe it was the way my heart swelled every time I looked at Kellan, or how familiar his hand felt in mine. Whatever the reason, there wasn’t an ounce of fear inside me, and instead of the dread and nausea I’d felt the last time I was here, all I could feel now was hope.

  “This isn’t exactly how I pictured this happening,” he said, giving me a lopsided grin.

  “Too many strangers?” I asked, trying to cling to the light mood.

  Kellan shot a look behind us at the armed men, and his smile widened. “Something like that.”

  The shuffle of feet at our backs told me everyone in the settlement had arrived and was taking their seats. Everyone except Beth and Logan, who were still in the infirmary. Matthew had taken the ring on her finger as proof that they were already married, and when the man who served as a doctor in the absence of anyone with complete medical training confirmed she was pregnant, the leader of this ridiculous cult proclaimed it was a blessing from God.

  Creepy asshole.

  The ceremony started off the same as it had yesterday, but I paid little attention to the words coming out of Matthew’s mouth until he said, “Now stand and face one another.”

  We got to our feet, our fingers still entwined as we turned to face each other. Standing here was strange, but a lot less terrifying than other positions I’d found myself in over the last few months. Kellan was safe, and we were together, and even if we’d been forced into this position, regretting a single moment spent with him was impossible.

  When prompted by Matthew, Kellan and I repeated the vows, and after a few more proclamations from him—all of which went in one ear and out the other—his chest puffed out and he said in a booming voice, “I pronounce you man and wife. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.” One of those creepy smiles lit up his face as he focused on Kellan. “You may kiss the bride.”

  As if we needed this asshole’s permission to kiss.

  “I was going to,” Kellan said, not even looking at the crazy man.

  His eyes held mine as he pulled me forward, his hands moving to the back of my neck. The feel of his fingers there, the firm way they brought me closer to him, made my stomach turn inside out. My eyes were closed when his mouth covered mine, my own hands holding onto his arms, clutching him like I was afraid he’d be torn away from me at any moment. His other hand moved up my back, pulling me closer until my breasts were pressed against his chest, and his mouth urged mine open. He ran his tongue over mine, tracing it in slow, lazy circles until my knees went weak.

  Unlike weddings I’d seen in movies, no one clapped when we finally broke the kiss. Not even Matthew, who was still staring at us with that wide smile on his face, his eyes looking more manic than ever.

  “Now you must consummate your marriage.”

  I’d missed this part yesterday, and when he waved toward the house at his back, my stomach twisted. It looked normal enough. Small and simple, it didn’t have any windows, and there was a door we could close, but the knowledge that this man would want proof of our union was enough to make me jumpy.

  As if totally unconcerned about our situation, Kellan took my hand and pulled me toward the building, not bothering to acknowledge the crazy man. A slightly unnerving silence had fallen over the stadium, and I ventured a look behind me. The spectators hadn’t moved, and they were utterly silent as they watched us leave, almost like they’d been told to stay that way so they could witness everything that happened. A shudder wracked my body just thinking about it.

  The second we were alone every thought that didn’t revolve around Kellan was pushed from my mind. I’d feared the worst for two days, and now that we were alone, all I wanted to do was hold him so I could reassure myself he was real.

  He seemed to be thinking the same thing, because the second the door was shut, he wrapped me in his arms and just held me. His mouth was pressed against the side of my head, his warm breath brushing over me with every exhale. I clung to him as hard as he clung to me, and neither of us a spoke.

  After several minutes of silence, he let out a deep sigh. “I don’t ever want to let you out of my sight again.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that, because if I have anything to say about it, I’ll be by your side for the rest of my life.”

  He moved then, loosening his grip so he could kiss me. It started soft and tender, with his lips brushing mine in a feather light kiss, but within seconds it had deepened. I’d barely glanced around the room when we stepped in, but I’d seen enough to know he was leading me to the bed when he started walking. His mouth was still on mine, his lips moving as his tongue swept over mine, but his hands were already working on my clothes.

  He pulled my shirt over my head while I worked on my pants. Before they had even hit the ground, his hands were on my breasts, his lips moving over my bare flesh. I worked at his pants while his tongue teased me. We were standing beside the bed, and all I wanted to do was fall onto it, but I wanted him naked so I could feel his body against mine. Wanted him to wrap his heat around me the way his arms had when I threw myself against him in the infirmary.

  Sensing my impatience, Kellan pulled away long enough to rip his shirt over his head. I’d managed to get his pants undone, and he wiggled out of them, kicking them aside even as his mouth once again covered mine.

  We fell to the bed after that. He was on top of me, pushing my legs apart, his hands caressing my curves as he moved against me. We were both still wearing our underwear, but that didn’t stop him from hitting that spot. Didn’t stop my body from jerking in pleasure. Didn’t stop me from pulling him closer, from grinding again
st him.

  “Kellan,” I gasped as my body quaked, and he ground against me harder. “Oh, God.”

  My back arched, and he took advantage of it, closing his mouth over my nipple and teasing it with his teeth. Every touch and caress was glorious in its torment, but it wasn’t enough. I needed him closer. I needed all of him.

  “Now,” I said, tugging on his underwear.

  In seconds we were naked, and when he finally slid inside me, I wanted to sob. Not from the pleasure, but from the realization of how close I’d come to losing him. Not only on the boat, either. First at the hangar with Andrew, then from the fever. So many things had gone wrong over the last few days, and knowing we weren’t out of the woods yet made me cling to him harder as his body rocked against mine.

  “Don’t leave me ever again,” I said, pressing my face against his chest.

  “Never,” he said.

  It wasn’t until we’d finished and I was lying in his arms that I remembered Matthew and his flock. Had they heard all of that? Probably. The walls of this little house were thin—they’d probably been designed that way—and I doubted much happened within this stadium that the cement didn’t magnify. I only hoped it was enough to prove we’d consummated this pretend marriage.

  Thinking about everyone listening should have made me self-conscious, should have embarrassed me, but it didn’t. I couldn’t care about anything other than Kellan right now.

  He took my left hand in his and pressed a gentle kiss against the top. “I’m going to have to get you a ring.”

  “Yeah.” I rolled my eyes and let out a snort. “That will fool him.”

  Kellan pulled back so he could look down at me. “What do you mean?”

  “It isn’t a real marriage, Kellan. Matthew’s a crazy person.”

  “Yeah,” he said, “but it can still be real. I meant everything I said. Didn’t you?”

  “Um, yes. I mean, I did, but I didn’t think it was real.”

  I was suddenly flustered. I’d been so happy to get Kellan back and to get a solution to our problem that didn’t involve me submitting to rape that it had never even crossed my mind that he might take this whole thing seriously. Maybe it should have. Not that long ago, he’d told me he wanted to marry me. It had been the day we’d gone fishing with Blake and Christine, right before that crazy guy attacked him. Still, Kellan was the one who’d said this wasn’t exactly how he’d pictured his wedding day.

  Pulling back a little more, I studied him. “Are you upset?”

  “No.” He shoved his hair out of his face. It was shorter now, but the haircut I’d given had done nothing to make the little wisps more obedient, and they fell back across his forehead. “Not really.”

  “Kellan,” I shifted so I was sitting in front of him, “it’s not like I’m saying I don’t ever want to marry you. It’s just that I’d rather it happen by choice, and not in a crazy cult, and I’d definitely like our friends and family to be there. You know?”

  I gave him a half smile, hoping to ease the hurt.

  “Yeah.” He nodded twice before forcing out a grin. “I get it.”

  “I can’t believe you’d even consider letting this crazy day be our wedding.”

  “Honestly, it doesn’t matter to me how it happens as long as I get to be married to you.” His smile grew wider. “You have to know that.”

  I returned his smile. “Believe me, I want to be married to you, too. But later. After we get home.”

  “Okay, so we aren’t married, but at least we can do one thing right.”

  Kellan sat up and took my hand in his before sliding off the bed. He was kneeling now—on one knee—and staring up at me in a way that made my heart beat faster.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Something I should have done weeks ago.”

  I swallowed, unable to find my voice.

  “Regan, I have loved you for nearly as long as I can remember. Even when we were younger and you’d make me furious, I had to stop myself from kissing you every time you gave me a dirty look. Since the virus, you’ve been my only reason for living. You’re all I’ve ever wanted, and I wasted too many years denying those feelings. I don’t want to waste any more. The second we’re back in the shelter and we can catch our breath, I want you to do me the honor of becoming my wife.” He paused, and when I didn’t speak said, “Will you marry me?”

  My mouth had gone dry, making it impossible to do anything but nod. Somehow, against all odds, I managed to swallow, but by then tears had filled my eyes, and I couldn’t talk over the sobs.

  I was still nodding when I slipped to the floor next to Kellan. He was smiling and telling me he loved me, his hands on my face, his thumbs wiping the tears away as he kissed me.

  “I wish I had a ring,” he said between kisses.

  “I don’t need a ring,” I somehow managed to get out. “All I need is you. It’s all I’ll ever need for the rest of my life.”

  His smile grew wider. “I hope that’s true.”

  “It is,” I said.

  I wasn’t sure what to expect when we came out of the house, but the fact that only Matthew stood waiting for us was more than a relief. As usual, he was smiling. The guy was as creepy as the Joker.

  “May God’s will be fulfilled, and may your union bring about a child,” he proclaimed, lifting his arms as he spoke.

  Yeah, this dude was super unsettling.

  Kellan stepped in front of me. “We’ve followed through with our end of the deal, now it’s time to follow through with yours.”

  The older man lowered his arms, nodding once. “Very well. I’ll make sure my men have a vehicle waiting for you in the morning. The tank will be full, and you’ll be given enough supplies to get you home safely.”

  “All of us?” I asked, just to be sure.

  “As I said, it is imperative that Brady get the girl to safety,” Matthew replied. “I only have one condition.”

  I stiffened, and Kellan took a step toward Matthew.

  “We already agreed to everything,” he said, his voice low and ominous.

  Matthew raised his hand, signaling for Kellan to be silent. “After much prayer, God has revealed the future to me. Gideon and Ava will not marry now, but he will go with you, and in time the two will find happiness together and have many children. Those children are the reason Brady was brought into the girl’s life. They are the future.”

  Was this guy serious?

  “Does Gideon want to leave?” I asked.

  The kid seemed weird, but taking him wasn’t an issue as long as it wasn’t against his will. Honestly, I would have been happy to smuggle anyone out of here, but I wasn’t Matthew. I wouldn’t force someone to leave if they were happy.

  “He is a dutiful follower and has agreed to make the trip with you,” the old man explained. “I have no doubt I will one day see both him and Ava return to my flock.”

  It took everything in me not to snort. Every word out of this guy’s mouth made him sound crazier.

  Kellan shook his head like he, too, thought the guy was a major nut job. “As long as no one is forcing him to go, he can come.”

  “I assure you that no one within these walls has ever been forced to do anything against their will.”

  Was he serious? Had he forgotten we’d been put in stocks overnight until we agreed to allow him to arrange our marriages?

  The sooner we got out of this loony bin, the better.

  21

  We were going to have a vehicle. Of the many thoughts going through my head as Kellan and I made our way through the stadium the next morning, that was the most prominent one. I didn’t know what Matthew would have for us, but whatever it was, it would make our trip easier and faster, not to mention give us the extra cover we’d need from anyone or anything we came upon.

  If only Matthew had a couple guns to give us as well. Kellan had managed to grab his weapons before fleeing our stateroom on the American Queen, but it wasn’t enough for all of us, and with th
e still present threat of Andrew looming over our heads, I would have felt a hell of a lot better if we were a little more armed.

  But despite that fear, I was more than happy to be getting on the road. We’d wasted too much time already, and now that I knew Kellan was okay, my thoughts had returned to our friends. To Bill, who’d been shot by Andrew before we left. To Blake and Christine and Scott, who’d been stranded in Altus. Were they okay?

  Only a little over a week had gone by, something I could barely wrap my brain around when I thought about it. It seemed like months since I was last at the shelter, and as horrible as the past several days had been for us, I couldn’t imagine how worried our friends were. Emma especially, who’d taken on a role in my life that was part mother, part sister, and part friend. Next to Kellan, she meant more to me than anyone else still living.

  “Emma has to be going out of her mind,” I said to Kellan as we walked.

  He gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “Just a few more days, and we’ll be home. Then things can go back to normal.”

  In normal times, it would have taken us less than seven hours to reach home, but we weren’t under any kind of delusion the trip would be as easy as it had once been. Even if we didn’t run into Andrew, we’d need to be on the lookout for other people in addition to the dead. Then there was wildlife that could harm us, as well as uncertain road conditions. Anything could happen, something we were well aware of by this point.

  We followed the directions Matthew had given us, winding our way deeper into the stadium until we reached the damp underground where I’d woken up. Here the halls were empty except for the occasional barrel, and the fires burning in them did little to light our way. Still, we kept moving, not stopping until we reached our destination. It was marked by a door that was slightly ajar, the gap allowing the early morning light to stream into the otherwise dark hall and illuminate corners. They were filled with cobwebs and other signs that bugs were the main occupants of these underground tunnels, as well as droppings scattered around that indicated other vermin had found shelter here.