A River of Ash and Bone, page 34
“Damn bastard is built like an ox,” he croaked.
“You killed them,” I confirmed, nodding toward the men at our feet.
He nodded. “About time,” was all he said.
There were an increasing number of loud bangs from the back as the couple of the men that had been hovering around Gunner joined to help break through the boards over the door. With my guys at the main doors and the fire between us and them, there were way smaller chances of them making it out alive going that route, so I could understand the appeal of throwing yourself at a blocked door rather than risk going the hard way.
“Come on,” I shouted hoarsely, yanking on his arm to pull him back the way we came. I cursed the building for not having any normal windows, stumbling slightly over the disfigured body of a man and nodding gratefully when Ryder caught my elbow to steady me.
Caelan was occupied by poking at anything on fire with a pole he’d found, trying to push it out of our path from a safe distance away, while Jake was arguing with Nix over something. Meanwhile, Grey and Merikh were staring right at me and yelling something incomprehensible. Hopefully, the open doors behind them were helping a little when it came to smoke inhalation. Between the screams of the men behind me, the roar of the flames, the ringing noise in my ears, and the sounds of all their voices overlapping at once, I had no chance in hell of hearing what they were trying to say. Ha, hell.
A sharp pain in my neck stopped me from moving a single step farther. Grey’s eyes grew wide as his voice rose above all the others, screaming obscenities at the man who held the knife to my throat, tears from the smoke streaming down his face as he watched helplessly.
A low grumble reverberated from Ryder’s throat as he stared at his father. I could use his help, but I knew he was still weak from the smoke and being choked, so it was on me to get us out of this.
It hit me with all the subtlety of a knife to the chest that I was going to die. There was no way I was making it out of this mess alive. Maybe I’d had a small chance earlier, but now? With the blade at my neck and the fire growing larger with every second? I was fucked.
The tears I’d been desperately trying to hold back spilled over to run down my stinging cheeks. I wasn’t even sure if the guys could see my face through the smoke, but I had to try anyway. I love you, I mouthed, wishing I could tell them one more time.
“Not so smart now, huh, whore?” Gunner barked in my ear. “I’m going to kill you just for the pleasure of it, let the flames eat you up until there’s nothing left for your little friends to mourn but a pile of ashes. Then I’ll take care of them next, take the whole damn camp on my own, without my coward of a son.”
He had to have been delirious with pain. His hand was trembling wildly as it gripped the blade and scraped against my skin. The smoke and the blow to the head had surely done a number on him, he just needed one last push. I fought to push back the fogginess threatening to consume my thoughts, not yet ready to succumb to death. I turned in increments, just enough to watch Ryder from the corner of my eye as I tried to formulate one last plan. His attention was elsewhere, and I followed his gaze just in time to catch the movement ahead of us.
Without warning, Grey threw himself through the flames, ignoring everyone around him as they shouted. I felt my stomach drop, my heart cracking wide open as he didn’t even stop to smack at the flames licking at his clothes before running up to me. He shook with the need to touch me, to save me, and it was killing me. The thought that he was reliving his worst nightmares all over again was going to break me. If I died, I would never forgive myself for hurting him–all of them–in such a permanent way.
“Sweetheart,” he uttered hoarsely, voice cracking.
“Grey,” I breathed, careful not to exhale too heavily. The blade cut into my throat anyway, sending a drop of hot blood running down my chest. The arm wrapped around my waist tightened as Gunner grew antsy. The embers stung my bare torso where they landed like snowflakes, leaving behind angry welts.
Grey made a small broken noise, leaning forward with his hand outstretched like he was going to pull me away.
“Hands off,” Gunner growled, yanking me back a step. Grey lowered his hand, eyes darkening as he stared at Gunner over my head.
“I’m going to fucking kill you,“ he hissed between bared teeth.
“I’d like to see you try, pretty boy,” Gunner replied, his words slurring as he spoke. “One small swipe, and that’s it. Don’t think I’m above taking this bitch down with me if it comes to that.”
Grey stared at me, desperately trying to tell me something with his eyes, but I had no idea what. He ground his teeth when I stared back at him like a lost puppy, eyes darting to Ryder, where he stood a good few inches away from me. After what felt like a lifetime but was probably just a few seconds, they both sprang into action simultaneously. Ryder kneed his father in the gut, while Grey took advantage of Gunner’s stumble and wrenched his wrist away from me. Finally understanding what it was Grey had wanted, I dropped out from under his arm, throwing my head back to crack against his face and rolling away from his body so he couldn’t grab me again.
“Fuck!” Gunner screamed from where he was lying on the floor, blood streaming from his face where he held his broken nose.
“That’s for taking my girl,” Grey grunted as he kicked Gunner right in the stomach. “That’s for terrorizing my camp”—he kicked him once more, this time in the knee—“and for trying to kill the love of my life,” he shouted furiously, landing one more on his ribs.
“Enough,” Ryder ordered. Grey turned on him like he was next. “He’s mine.”
“Grey,” I rasped, pushing myself into a standing position. All the tension left his body as he completely forgot about Ryder and turned to face me. I threw myself into his arms, seconds away from sobbing uncontrollably when they surrounded me, holding me tightly. I could barely hold it together, but I needed to. Just for a little bit longer. Then I could cry all day long, surrounded by the people I loved. I buried my face in his neck, tasting the acerbic bite of smoke caught in his hair, and pulled back. That small moment of comfort had to be enough. It just had to. He pulled me in for a quick kiss, grabbing my hand tightly.
“Me and you, sweetheart.” His voice was guttural and torn to shreds from the smoke.
“Let’s go,” Ryder declared gruffly, stepping forward to join us and freeing up the view of his father’s body just seconds away from being consumed by the flames, knife impaled in his chest. Good riddance.
Jake had disappeared, but Merikh, Caelan, and Nix were right there, ignoring the open doors behind them and pressed right up against the fire as they shouted at us.
“We’re going to have to jump,” I croaked, threading my fingers through with Grey’s.
The fire was reaching a crescendo behind us, consuming the fallen bodies like fuel. I didn’t look back. There were some things I didn’t need to see.
Grey counted to three under his breath, yanking me along after him as he reached three and using his body to shield me from the flames as he powered through them. To my surprise, Ryder was right at his side, making sure to block me as best he could. I pressed tightly against Grey’s back, unable to hold back my screams as the fire licked at my ankles and legs. The pain had me close to passing out, it was unlike anything I’d ever felt.
“Let’s go!” Merikh roared, grabbing onto Grey’s arm while Caelan grabbed Ryder’s and pulled them over that last threshold. They were yanked outside and thrown immediately onto the ground, as was I. I used the last vestiges of my strength to roll wildly over the small patch of grass, my body shrieking in pain as my skin came into contact with the asphalt beside it. Nix and Merikh dropped to my side, while Caelan helped Grey roll until he lay still beside me. We were all coughing loudly, hacking up our lungs. Ryder was a few feet away, staring up at the night sky and laughing to himself like his mind had finally cracked under the pressure.
“You’re okay,” Nix asserted hoarsely, hands hovering over me as he stared in horror at my injuries.
“How scary do I look?” I tried to tease, my attempt at humor falling short as his eyes filled with tears.
“Never again,” he said shakily, taking a deep breath of clean air.
Caelan leaned in for a deep, claiming kiss between coughs, leaning his forehead against mine for several long breaths. “Love you, baby. Knew you could do anything you put your mind to.”
My laugh sounded like I had gargled with glass.
“But if you ever leave the camp without one of us again, I’m going to tie you to the bed and spank you until you can’t walk,” he growled, blue eyes blazing.
“Don’t make me tingle, you big bastard, my nerves are shot.”
He laughed gruffly, lifting my hand gently using the unblistered part and pressing a kiss to the back of it, then placing it in Grey’s with my palm face up.
I turned to face a silent Merikh, expecting to find his composed mask once more, but instead found him simmering with emotion. Agony, torment, anguish, he looked like he was unraveling at the seams.
“Come here,” I whispered, holding out my arms.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he whispered back, throat wrecked.
It would hurt. There was no way it wouldn’t. Every single inch of my body had gone through hell tonight, but it would hurt more to not be able to hold him in my arms, to soothe him with my touch and let him know that I was there.
He weighed his decision, ultimately caving, and collapsed into my arms. He buried his face against my neck, body shaking wildly from the residual fear and adrenaline. “I couldn’t do anything,” he whispered, tortured. Something hot and wet hit my skin where he was tucked away.
I brought my hand up to caress his hair, biting my tongue when my raw skin came into contact with his head. “What could you have done? It would have been reckless to go through the fire with Grey. Too risky. The camp needs you, I need you. I need you to go on living even when there’s a possibility I couldn’t.“ It was a lot of words, and my throat was screaming at me to shut up already so it could take a break. Even my breaths hurt.
“Don’t,“ he cursed with a gravelly voice, pulling his face back so I could see his bloodshot eyes. “Don’t talk like that. Nothing matters–nothing–as much as you do. Not the camp, not any of our luxuries, and not us. I don’t care if it’s unhealthy, I can’t imagine living in a world without you in it.”
“I love you,” I rasped, reaching up to caress his cheek and pulling my hand back at the sting. “All of you. I would do anything to make sure I made my way back to you so that together we could live the life you promised me.”
Grey, Caelan, and Nix chimed their assent, all making sure they were touching me in some way.
“Fuck’s sake, you lot are going to give me a toothache from all this sappiness,” Ryder muttered, his laughter having stopped a minute ago, and I fought the laugh that bubbled up.
Despite all the pain racking my body, I felt a sudden, freeing sense of peace. For the first time in days, I was safe. I had my people back. Everyone was alive, and the threat to the camp was no longer an issue.
Everything was going to be okay.
Everyone gathered around to watch Halli plant the last seed. She made a big production of packing it in tightly and then drizzling water on top. We all clapped when she stood and took a bow, backing up to look at the finished product. Row upon row of freshly planted seeds graced almost every plot in the garden, ready for the new growing season. We had a good feeling about their viability. When Caelan, Merikh, Jake, and Harry ventured into the city with me last week to hunt for the bunker–with supplies, comfortable sleeping bags, and weapons galore–we were surprised to find it tucked away on a side street near where they’d first found me.
We’d been thrilled to find that it hadn’t been opened since my dad and I last sealed it, and to my disbelief–maybe I’d been too young to care or note the significance the first time around–there were a great deal more seed packets, gardening supplies, and fertilizer than I’d remembered. Bags of rice, corn, barley, oats, and more still lined the shelves. It was the perfect amount to supplement us until we were able to trade for more meat and dairy products. The best part, for me at least, had been when Merikh found a pocketknife under one of the cots in the corner, engraved with my dad’s initials. I’d had nothing of his to carry with me but his knife, so it was like having a little piece of him back. I’d felt a little guilty being so happy over it given that we’d discovered their dad had died, but they all reassured me that it was the best scenario. There was definitely no love lost there.
“Gonna miss me, darlin’?” Jake asked Sera, lips sporting a smug smile. He was all set to make a trip up to the farm to trade whenever the weather warmed up just a little more. He twirled a lock of her dark hair around his finger and smirked at Ryder over her head when she gave him a smile in return.
Ryder shot him a disdainful glare, and I had to hold back a laugh at the barely suppressed irritation radiating off his person. I wasn’t sure if Sera had any clue that Jake liked to use her to needle Ryder, and if she did, I wondered if she didn’t put a stop to it because of the note of truth behind each and every one of Jake’s flirtatious gestures. When we’d arrived back with Ryder in tow, I’d fully anticipated something to come of all the longing glances and possessive scowls, but he’d yet to do a thing about it. Even so, he couldn’t stand Jake’s favorite pastime of getting in her space and making her laugh.
Caelan and Merikh were wary about having Ryder stay, but after weeks of him conveniently ending up wherever Sera was, contributing whenever possible, and keeping to himself–in exactly that order–they realized he had no greater designs on the camp like his father. Apparently, our chaos had been just the excuse he was looking for to get rid of Gunner and his crew all at once, especially when we found that the door at the back of the building had never broken open, despite their best efforts.
Nadira walked up with Thomas in tow, Heidi’s arm threaded through her elbow, and walked over to join Jamie, Naia, and Shiori. Nadira and Thomas hit it off immediately upon meeting, and she’d moved into his cabin with him after several weeks of non-stop talking. She said something under her breath and Heidi threw her head back and laughed, rubbing the baby bump that had just started to show. She had an idea of who the father was out of Gunner’s men but didn’t care to look back on that time in her life, even though she didn’t regret it because it had led her to this point. Either way, she was excited beyond all belief to become a mother, and everyone here was thrilled for another baby to spoil. Apparently, Naia and Nerese had run out of things to knit with the yarn we’d brought back and were already getting started on baby blankets and socks.
I looked over at Nix, slipping my hand into his and receiving a warm smile in return.
“I love you,” I whispered, overwhelmed with happy feelings from being surrounded by new friends and new beginnings.
His smile was practically lit from within as he raised my hand to kiss the back of it softly. “Love you more,” he whispered back.
I only startled a little when Caelan pressed his front to my back and slid his arms around me where I stood beside Nix, leaning in to nuzzle my hair. It wasn’t distracting at first, and I was easily able to continue looking around at all my friends as they chatted excitedly over all the new developments of the past month from off to the side like I was, but it grew harder and harder to focus when his thumbs slid brushed back and forth in small sweeping movements across my hips. I was surrounded by people, wearing a slightly thicker top than usual now that the weather had cooled a bit, and yet the circles his thumbs were making gave me chills. I wriggled a little in his grip so that he’d move his hands, and heard a low chuckle from above my head where he was resting his chin. He drew his hands back to rest on my hips, and if I was expecting that to put an end to the low heat stirring in my belly, I was sorely mistaken.
Nix choked on his laugh when he caught a glimpse of my face, sobering up when my expression turned into a glower. It wasn’t funny, damn it! They’d been treating me like glass for the past month while all of my injuries healed, which meant they’d allowed me to accompany them on trips outside for some reason but drew the line at anything sexual.
That didn’t exclude sensual touches, soft kisses, or teasing, but maybe it should’ve. What kind of masochists got people all fired up and then denied any sort of release!
Two could play at that game. I leaned back into his embrace, and I saw Nix and Caelan exchange puzzled glances out of the corner of my eye.
“What are you up to, baby?” Caelan murmured into my hair, sounding highly entertained.
I shrugged, tilting my hips back, so that they were in direct contact with his pelvis, and smiled cheekily when he sucked a breath in.
“It’s time for us to go,” he told whoever was listening, his voice slightly hoarse, and grabbed my elbow to usher me away. I snorted, drinking in the sound of Nix’s quiet laughter from behind us as he followed along.
“Oh, so you can dish it, but you can’t take it, huh?” I teased.
“Damn right,” he muttered, stopping behind a small group of trees to adjust himself, much to my amusement.
I shrugged, backing away down the path to the cabin at a brisk pace and calling back over my shoulder, “I suppose you’ll just have to take a cold shower, then.”
He let me get halfway there before swinging me into his arms and carrying me the rest of the way. “I don’t think so,” he mock-growled, hissing a breath in through his teeth when I leaned forward to bite his nipple through his shirt.
“Fuck!” he shuddered, passing me off to Nix once he carried me over the threshold so he could strip off his shirt.
“You’re not very good at abstaining,” I said primly, trying not to burst out laughing when his face contorted.
“Maybe I can concede that you have a point. We wanted to be extra careful with you! You know it would kill us if you were in pain at any point.”
