Fall of Grace: Variant Series Book 1, page 7
Jared stopped rubbing the salve on my legs when he got past my knees. Clearing his throat he asked, “Better?”
“Yes.”
Inside, I was waging a war between my intellect and Grace’s advice. Part of me argued that it was stupid, dangerous. The other part argued that it wouldn’t hurt to give Jared a reason to want me protected, that I wouldn’t have to sleep with him, just get him interested in me. I swallowed and with a shaky voice, asked, “Um, would you mind getting my back?”
His hands froze around the lid he was screwing back on to the jar of salve and his brows knitted into a V-shape.
“I mean…you don’t have to or anything. I just—”
I clamped my mouth shut.
I just what? Was trying to seduce you?
“Never mind,” I said, my face burning hot.
His stare was unrelenting, piercing, knowing. A cocky smile dangled on the corner of his mouth. “Sure, I’ll get your back. Roll over.”
My body stiffened, heart raced. I got a distinct feeling Jared knew exactly what I was up to. It was too late to change my mind though, which left me two choices. I either had to roll over, giving him the upper hand and me no escape in case this went badly, or stand up and face the fire.
I shoved the blanket off my legs and stood, surprised by how much less pain I was in. The cool breeze drifted in from the tent opening and I shivered as it grazed my thighs. Saying a silent prayer and taking a deep breath, I lifted the back of the t-shirt, tugging it until it rested on my shoulders, exposing my entire backside, including my pink, satin panties.
Silence permeated the tent. I stood there, half naked, my back to a boy I barely knew. Five seconds passed, then ten, I was nearly to thirty, my nerves stretched to the max, when I heard the cot creak. I held my breath, listening to every motion he made, to his footsteps on the dirt floor as he approached. He stopped, leaving a few inches between us.
I heard him sigh. “You could have put your pants on first.”
“Not without your help,” I responded, surprised at the steadiness of my voice. “I figured this would be less embarrassing.”
“Hmm,” he replied, his fingertips grazing the painful area on my back. “This looks really bad. You sure you don’t want our healer to take a look at it?”
I shivered at his touch. “No healer.”
“Stubborn,” he mumbled. “Just be ready. This might hurt.”
He set the jar of salve down, and shifted, his right side brushing against mine as he raised his other hand, gently placing it on my back. “Deep breath.”
Jared began to rub the salve in. The pain caused my chest to hitch and I tried to pull away, but he placed an arm around my bare stomach, holding me still. “Give it a second, Naomi. It’ll pass.”
Gritting my teeth, I grabbed onto his hand, squeezing. He was right, the pain passed quickly. I took several shuddering breaths, clearing my head. Jared’s hand lay on my bare stomach, my right hip pressed into his pelvis, rough denim against my panties. Somehow, in my moment of agony, my body sought out comfort from his. I felt him still. If I was going to try and seduce him, now was the time. My heart galloped, and I began to shake, tears pricked at my eyes.
I expected to be scared, but not this scared. Maybe Grace could seduce a man without a blink of an eye, but not me. I couldn’t do this. No, I wouldn’t do this. Relief flooded through me and I knew I’d made the right decision. I took my hand off Jared’s, letting it fall to the side.
He leaned in, his lips close to my ear. “Feeling better?”
“Yes,” I whispered. “Thank you.”
Jared removed his arm and I started to pull away, but he tugged me back. I gasped.
“You know, for a moment there, I thought I might have pegged you wrong,” he whispered. “I know a large part of being PRE depends on how innocent they can act, but I think, for once, I’ve found one who really is innocent.”
His voice was low, angry. “Am I wrong?”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I wouldn’t have. I—I couldn’t. Please don’t.”
“Don’t what? Manipulate you? Pretend to be interested in you? Try to seduce you?” He released me, putting several feet between us, hands clenched at his sides. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t dare. I’m a better person than that. I don’t try to take advantage of people.”
“Is that so?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest, legs trembling. “I happen to remember you kissed me on the whipping post when I was just trying to help you.”
Jared opened his mouth, then shut it. We stared at each other across the tent until I could take it no more. I sat on the cot and covered my face, both mentally and physically exhausted.
“I did do that, didn’t I?”
“Do what?” I asked, sharply.
“Kiss you.”
I lifted my head. Jared no longer had his fists clenched. He stood with his hands in his pocket, a sheepish grin on his face.
“Yeah.” I sighed. “Yeah, you did.”
“Truce then? You saved me, I saved you. I tried to kiss you, you tried to seduce me?”
“Sure, whatever you want,” I said, rubbing my forehead, irritated, confused.
Jared came and sat down beside me, biting his lip. “Why did you do it?”
“Do you really have to ask?” Damn he was exasperating. “Because I don’t know what I’m doing, because I’m afraid of the people here. Mostly, because I don’t want to die. Can you honestly tell me that I’m not in danger out there on my own?”
Jared swallowed. “I’m not going to just let you die.”
I clenched my fists. “Then why didn’t you say that before? Why won’t you agree to help me?”
He raked his hands through his hair and sighed. “I kind of assumed you’d figured that out when I fought my own friends to keep you alive. Look, I’ll do what I can to help you, but you have to do what I say, to trust me.”
“I can do that.” A weight lifted off my chest.
“Also, you can’t lie to me anymore. No more trying to manipulate me. Promise?”
“I swear.”
“Can you remember all that?” he asked, standing.
“No lying, no manipulation, no seduction. Got it.”
He grinned. “I didn’t say that last part.”
“But you—”
I cursed his name when he walked out before I could finish.
Chapter 8
The morning cast shadows across my closed lids. I opened my eyes, shivering as I tugged on the thin blanket. Most of the aches and pains had faded during the night. Only my back and ribs hurt. It was the best I could hope for. A soft breeze caused the tent flaps to flutter and I saw a smoldering campfire several yards away. Curious, I slipped into my pants and stepped outside. Beyond the campfire was a large log. Leaned against the log, blanket folded under his head, was Jared. I felt a twinge of guilt. I stepped over to him, studying his face. His eyes were closed, lids twitching side to side. I thought about waking him, but he was in such deep sleep I chose not to.
Feeling better and having no desire to spend my morning in the tent, I decided to check out the camp. Since it was pre-dawn, I assumed most of the refugees would still be asleep. A cool wind passed by, ruffling my large t-shirt, bringing with it the smell of woods and something floral. Wisps of orange and pink clouds floated above. In the distance, I heard rushing water. I walked north, toward the large tents erected in the middle of the camp. The only person I ran into along the way was a young woman hanging up the wash. She stilled, her mouth opening when I passed by. I smiled and nodded but she didn’t return it.
I made it to the center of the camp without running into anybody else. The smell of food drifted out of the larger tent so I avoided it, not prepared to talk to anyone. I peeked into the other tent, and seeing that it was empty, stepped inside. It was from my understanding of the camps that this tent should hold a medical facility with beds, testing equipment, and be storage for clothing, blankets, and household needs.
Then again, looking around, maybe I should have read the schematics a little better. There were three medical beds, all threadbare and empty. In between each was a cart. I opened one and saw a few syringes, some bottles of painkillers, and needles. Each cart held only a small amount of medical supplies. Maybe there was more in storage.
I shut the drawers and moved past the back separation of the tent. Shelves upon shelves lined the walls, all empty. There were no clothes, no bedding, nothing. I stepped over to one shelf and ran my hand across the top. It came back covered with a thick layer of dust.
How long has it been since supplies were sent?
Could someone have stolen them?
I looked at my dirty hand. No, even if someone had taken them, they would have been replenished, the dust would not be this thick.
“What are you doing here?” a voice barked at me.
I turned to see Micah, the boy who initiated my beating.
“I…I just wanted to see…”
My bottom lip trembled, and I looked away, afraid he would see my fear. Then I saw the dust on my hand and tried to compose myself. “Where are all your supplies?”
“You tell me.” He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the shelves.
“How long has it been like this?”
“Eight months, maybe more,” he answered, staring at me with a cold sneer.
“This can’t be.” I straightened my shoulders and walked past him to the other side of the storage room. Other than a few sheets of paper and a shoelace, it too stood empty. Micah’s footsteps echoed behind me and I struggled not to turn. He was so close I could feel his warm breath on the back of my neck.
“This has to be a mistake.”
“Sweetheart,” he leaned over, whispering in my ear, “I don’t think you know what you’re talking about.”
He grabbed my shoulders and shoved me against the shelves, twisted me around until we were eye to eye. My ribs screamed in agony. Micah lifted my chin until our faces were mere inches away from each other. “You may have Jared fooled but I’m not falling for this little act of yours. Eventually, you’ll make a mistake and I will finish what I started yesterday.”
My chin trembled, and he rubbed the rough pad of his thumb against it. “Such a pretty little thing to be such a waste.”
“Micah.”
We both turned. Jared stood behind us, and although he looked relaxed and spoke the name softly, his voice held a note of authority. Micah took a few steps back, smirking at me as he did.
“I was just welcoming your new girlfriend to our grand community.”
Jared lifted his brow at Micah’s nickname for me but only said, “That may be so, but you're needed down at the dam. Logan and Randall are down there. Some logs came loose during the night.”
“Why don’t you go and help them, then? I’ll stay here and give the PRE a tour.” Micah glanced at me over his shoulder, eyes crawling over my figure. I crossed my arms over my chest. He noticed my discomfort and smiled.
“I would but Loretta has requested to talk to me,” Jared said.
The smile fell off Micah’s face. He and Jared locked gazes.
“It’s not even mid-month.”
“I know,” Jared responded with a frown and both glanced at me. I suddenly felt like I was to blame for whatever they were talking about.
“Regardless, I don’t want anyone else knowing. There’s no sense in causing a panic.”
Micah nodded and left, his interest in me all but forgotten.
Jared watched him walk out before saying through clenched teeth, “What the hell were you thinking?”
“I wanted to see for myself if what you said about the conditions here were true.” His lips tightened. I realized I’d inadvertently accused him of lying. “You were asleep, and I didn’t want to wake you. I didn’t think I would be in any danger.”
He shut his eyes and pinched the end of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “Please tell me you’re not usually this stupid?”
“Well, with the way you spoke about everyone the other night, I got the impression they were good people in a bad situation. I didn’t realize your friends were angry rapists.” The fear of what I’d been through sunk in and I couldn’t control the words any more than I could handle Jared’s attitude.
Opening his eyes, Jared dropped his hand, face softening a little. “Micah’s a good man and a good friend of mine. You’re just…it’s hard to explain. You being here is like a slap in the face to us.”
“Yeah? Well, it is for me, too.”
I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye and let out a shaky breath. Jared opened his mouth to speak but then stuck his tongue between his teeth instead. We stared at each other and he surprised me by chuckling.
“Yeah, I imagine it is.”
He glanced down at his shoes, still chuckling and after I second, I joined him. The words, spoken in anger, although true, showed me the irony of the situation I was in. He lifted his head and when he looked at me, we both laughed. I had to hold my side to keep my ribs from moving but even through the pain, I couldn’t stop. Our laughter echoed through the empty tent, only dying out when we heard footsteps outside.
Jared angled his head toward the entryway. “Come on. Let’s go, Princess.”
“Can you please not call me that in front of others? It shows a lack of respect and they will see that and treat me the same. I need all the help I can’t get if I’m going to make it here.”
“I’ll work on it Prin — Naomi.”
“Thank you, Jared.”
He sighed. “I’ll talk to Micah about what he did today, too. No guarantees, so I would stay close if I were you.”
“Trust me, I have no intentions of being farther than five feet away from you after today.”
He frowned at me before ducking out of the tent.
###
The kitchens were in much better condition than the medical facility. Here, tables ran the expanse of the tent and although scuffed, they were clean. Behind a metal counter, four women walked around, preparing meals and cleaning. The equipment was burnished aluminum but looked well maintained. We approached an older woman, late forties or early fifties with salt and pepper hair pulled back into a bun. She looked up from the dough she was kneading, seeming to take in every detail, first me, and then Jared. Whatever she thought about me being there, she hid well.
“Good Morning, Jared, PRE.”
He nodded, but I was too surprised someone addressed me pleasantly to do the same.
“Alessandria said you needed to speak to me,” Jared said.
“Yes.”
She glanced at me again, then back to Jared and he nodded. I got the unspoken message.
Is it okay to speak in front of her?
Without questioning Jared’s approval, she motioned us to follow, leaving me wondering how much authority Jared had around here. We walked behind the kitchens into a storage room designed like the one in the medical facility. Out of eight sections of shelves, only one of them was full.
Jared sighed. “How long?”
“About a weeks’ worth, maybe a little longer but I’ve already spread it as thin as it could go.”
“They don’t drop for another three weeks if they drop at all.”
That’s why they gave me that look. Why everyone is so angry. We promised them food, safety. They should receive supplies, enough food to provide three meals a day. These people don’t have enough to last half a month and after the thin meal I had last night, I don’t imagine they are eating three meals a day.
Beyond the tent loomed a solid brick wall, nine-thousand miles long, forty-five feet high, and one mile wide. Encasing the camp was a metal enclosure, and on the outside, hordes of the Inferti. We lured them here with promises of a better life, then trapped them and left them to die of starvation.
I’m a symbol of that parliament.
Heat seared through me; an anger so intense I clenched my fists. How could my people do this?
No, not my people. Not anymore.
“Excuse me.” I mumbled, pushing my way past Jared.
He opened his mouth, but I raced out before he could say anything. Once I was around the corner, I sat down. The cool air helped me to focus, calmed me. I wished for Grace’s advice, needed it. That realization only caused me more pain.
After a moment, Jared stepped outside, eyeing me. “Why did you leave?”
I shook my head and bit the side of my cheek. My face became warm when I spoke. “Embarrassment? Shame? I felt like a villain in that room. Don’t tell me that wasn’t the reason you brought me in there?”
“Partially,” he admitted. “I needed to see your reaction, see if you were playing me. Can you blame me after all we’ve been through?”
I shook my head. No, I can’t blame him. I’d do the same.
The anger I felt faded, and I asked, “What will you do?”
“We will have to go hunt.”
I shivered. “Out there? With the Inferti? You’ll all die.”
“It isn’t the first time we’ve been out there. We’ll make it.”
He glanced away, and I sensed he wasn’t telling me the truth. “It’s our only choice. Over the past year, the drones have been dropping off less and less food. Four times they came several weeks late. We can’t rely on them anymore.”
I nodded. What was I going to say? I’m sorry? What good would it do? I couldn’t help these people now. I felt Jared staring and looked up. When our eyes met, something passed between us, but I didn’t know what it meant. Perhaps we were accepting each other, at least for the time being.
“Come on,” he said, holding his hand out.
I took it, surprised by how warm and gentle his grasp was. I held on longer than I meant to. He swallowed and cleared his throat, pulled his hand free. “It’s time for you to meet everyone else.”
Chapter 9
People stared at me, many sneered, but there were a few that were friendly. Jared introduced me to them all, regardless, and although I could tell many wanted to make snide remarks, none did, at least not while Jared was around. The refugees were mostly between the ages of two to forty, with a few elderly among them. Each person seemed to have a place or chore to take care of at the camp and all seemed to support each other.
