Later the same day, I'm staring up at the hunting towers built around the large walls surrounding us. Men dressed in suits and fedoras walk around the planks carrying massive guns, patrolling the ramparts as if waiting for something to jump out from the woods.
I shudder at the thought. The cabins where people live are scattered in a vast courtyard, more significant than a field, creating a small town hidden away from the world.
But the question I've been asking myself is: who, or what are we hiding from? Why is everyone carrying rifles?
The idea of there being an invisible enemy out there, one I don't know about yet, makes me want to throw up. My life has been turned upside down already. What else is happening in our strange world that no one has informed me of yet?
My knowledge of the world isn't enough, but so far, I know world war three happened, that food and electricity are a rarity these days, shampoo is apparently a luxury... But why are people
Ryan locked the door as soon as we got inside, and now the angry brute is carrying me in his arms, ignoring me pushing against the muscles in his sturdy chest. I'm not even sure why I'm fighting him right now. Maybe because having his scent whirl around me while his big arms are pressing me to him is making me weirdly aroused? "Fuck! Will you stop squirming?!" Ryan growls, his deep, guttural voice startling me. I glance up to find him watching me with his unrelenting, stormy eyes. "Put me down," I tell him, not one bit afraid of the big brute. "I can walk by myself," I'm met with silence. Ryan looks thoughtful for a few moments, grimaces, and then opens his mouth when we enter the room upstairs. I'm starting to suspect he is a super-human; he doesn't show any signs of fatigue from carrying me up here. "I know you can walk on your own, but holding you is oddly calming, so I'm doing it for my sake," "Calming?" I snort. "You're not calm;
I'm late for my date with Courtney. Determination is pumping through me as I put on my rags. Ryan spoke from behind the door earlier; he told me his men found and killed the infected that had managed to get inside the courtyard without any casualties.After the information, I had told Ryan that I would head outside to milk the cows with Courtney since the threat is gone, and that had made him laugh and say: "Trying to win my heart by working, are we?" which had sent a spike of heat to my chest. It seems jokes and fun has become our new routine as of today.If only I hadn't fallen back asleep.Shit, I'm such a clutz!I rush down the stairs, halting when I catch Courtney's shoes thrown off on the carpet in the hallway.
Ryan Most days, it feels like I'm drowning. I've stopped trying to hold my head above the surface a long time ago. These days I'm sinking to the bottom without keeping my eyes open. Can anyone blame me for not wanting to live? I lost the two people I loved the most, my wife and daughter, Vera and Fanny, and now I'm standing here without them, a man with only one purpose—revenge. That's right; I can't die yet. I still have to punish the man who ordered both of them killed, Ola Svensson, Amelia's father, and the man I worked under for several years. The man is a swine. I was his bodyguard for years. Ola Svensson invited me to dinners and took me everywhere. We were close like brothers until I told him that I wanted to move away from Sweden with my family, find a warmer place to live. Ola Svensson didn't like that. He claimed I knew far too much about his research projects, that I had seen too much to leave him when in reality, I
Amelia Frustration is the winning emotion when I'm sitting there, milking Wanda, the black and white cow in the stable. I want to hate Ryan, and believe me, I have every reason to loathe the man, but I felt a twinge of guilt when he stormed out through the door. Why does it bother me that he is angry with me? I shouldn't care! Inhaling, I run both my hands through my hair, accidentally kicking the metal bucket and spilling out milk all over the wooden planks. An angry growl travels up my throat. "Goddamn it!" I mutter plenty of other swear words, way too aware of the image of Ryan's smirk slipping into my head. The guy is everywhere, in my dreams, thoughts, and now I can't even work! Ryan is like an infection, and I can't breathe, function, or even think! Those stormy blue eyes just randomly pop up in my head whenever they feel like it, and then I want to punch a wall or kiss Ryan's plush lips, and ugh! I'm so sexually frus
My limbs feel heavy like someone drained my blood and filled my veins with lead. Despair is buried in my bones, leaking into my chest and making my heart pound frantically. I don't want to be here, but I can't move from the spot on the floor. Did they drug me? This odd calm is washing over me in waves, but it feels fake and artificial, as if created by something other than my mind. A snicker echoes against the barn walls, and something cold grips at my neck, forcing me to look up at the ceiling with a migraine building up behind my eyelids. "Well, well, well..." Felicia whistles, seemingly satisfied. She is standing over me victoriously. "It looks like the mighty lion has finally fallen," "Is she dead?" Zoya asks from behind. "No," Felicia replies. "It seems we didn't use enough sedative; she is still keeping herself awake, but she is struggling," "This won't kill her, right?" Clover asks. "Not at all," Felicia laughs t
Ryan I glare out through the window. Amelia still isn't back from milking the damn cows. Why is it taking her so long? And why did I buy Dom Pérignon? I slur around the champagne inside my glass for a while, annoyed beyond relief that the woman still isn't here when I prepared dinner. One could mistake me for a foolish man in love. Like an idiot, I jumped into my car earlier today, and drove to the wealthy parts of our city, and bought the most expensive steak I could find. Amelia was so angry at me this morning, and I thought some gifts might make her hate me less. It's sad, but when I saw Billy buy his secret date one of those Louis Vuitton bags, I got one for Amelia too, hoping it would turn her on to see one in the living flesh. I even had some lady guide me through the makeup section and hand me all kinds of stuff I thought Amelia would appreciate. For example, lipgloss for her plump pinks, perfume, other shower articles, some fou
AmeliaWhen I open my eyes, a migraine sucker punches me so fast that I wish I had just kept my eyes closed. I see stars, galaxies, and bright showers of glittering comets; everything is spinning, and my throat is drier than the deserts of Sahara—no matter how hard I click it, I can't wash away the taste of vomit.It takes a while to realize those spinning lights are actually the chandelier hanging in the ceiling. I'm inside Ryan's cabin again, lying on the couch like a corpse, and I can hear something sounding like it's getting fried in the kitchen; even the air smells delicious.But I'm not hungry, too in pain to even think about food in my current state. Looking down at my arm, I notice pink bandages are neatly covering it.I squint my eyes; there are names written there: Courtney with a heart following her name, Billy scribbled something hard to read, Giovani can actually write like people, and then further up, I see Ryan's name framed between two cro
After Ryan's lips leave mine, I feel as empty as a shell, already missing his mouth on mine. He is leaning further back on the couch, giving me space, but I can still feel his breath on my skin. Cautiously, I lift my chin to examine his face, and the picture stops my heart. What I observe isn't the emotionless man with storms brewing behind his eyes; I see the passion and the flames—his eyes are almost entirely black. I barely dare to breathe. I'm afraid of the lustful expression on Ryan's face, terrified of where this might lead since I know we both want each other. The atmosphere is electric. And my pulse is already elevating at the thought of kissing him again, but I'm also afraid, scared his kiss might not have meant anything romantic. "What did that kiss mean?" Embarrassingly enough, my voice comes out like a hoarse whisper, still weak from whatever drug I was injected with. Ryan, however, doesn't seem to mind, something resembling curiosity flar
Ryan My memory is foggy. The last thing I remember is that uncomfortable hospital bed with my five grandkids crying and holding my hands. Maeve was smiling sadly from a chair in the far back, and Wyatt leaned in to whisper: "I love you, dad." Did I die? I glance down at my hands, oddly aware that I'm not dreaming. My wrinkles are there, but my back pain is gone. How peculiar. What is this place? I've never been here before, yet I feel at ease. And the air is so fresh, like apples, a rainy day, and the ocean breeze combined. Breathing it in is like experiencing a rebirth, and I look ahead, wondering what I might find if I keep walking. Carefully, I walk forward, lifting my head to be blown away by the waterfalls crashing down and landing nowhere. "This place sure is beautiful... Like a dream..." The sky is darker than black, but the flowers on the floor, growing on the walls of the mountain in clutches—they are glowing in these
Maeve We have spent one week in the hybrid village. I haven't recovered entirely yet, and I'm not sure if I ever will. We are giving the magical healing thing one more day before giving up and accepting that I'm blind. The world is scary when everything is dark, but things still feel light even if my vision is gone. Like my feet when I'm around Wyatt. We have talked things out and decided to become a couple. Even though I'm blind, he is still the sexiest man on earth. And me being blind isn't precisely a handicap—now I can freely grope him, squeeze his super-hero muscles, and blame it on being blind. It makes him laugh every time, especially when I was using that excuse when I was licking his abs yesterday. And fuck me. Wyatt seriously has the mightiest abs, like rocks inserted into his body and then draped over with human skin. He is seriously so gorgeous—a sex god sent to earth. Flames sear within me—merely thinking about having Wyatt to mys
Maeve Wyatt gently places me down on a bed. The innkeeper told us to get some rest before she attempts to heal my eyes. She used up most of her stamina, patching up my wounds and stopping the bleeding—it no longer feels like I'm leaking. "I shouldn't have brought you with me," Wyatt says as he crashes down behind me. "It's my fault that Bob and Garett died." His sheer weight got me tumbling into him, and his arm falls over me, holding me in place. It sounds like he is crying. It breaks my heart because I feel at ease with him, safe. He is like a giant teddy bear, but right now, he is vulnerable, and it tears me apart. I suck oxygen into my lungs, fully aware of my heartache. "Hey," I whisper at Wyatt, holding his shaking hand. "It's not your fault that they died—we didn't know Marcus had a bomb, and Bob made his own decision to save me." "I know, I'm just..." He is breathing into my neck with his curly locks brushing against me. It tickles. I
WyattI approach the hybrid town through the forest with my skin bleeding and pants leaving my body. My exhaustion is rising, and my thoughts are scattered, running wild with worry as I clutch Maeve to my body. She was so close to dying. Shit. I will never let her go again, never look away!"Wyatt..." Maeve chuckles a little. Her head slumps to my shoulder, where she rests with her eyes closed. It's beyond me how she can appear so peaceful after what we have survived. "You can slow down. No one is chasing us, and we are both alive.""But you are-..." I stop talking, confused about the growing smile on Maeve's lips. Why does she seem so entertained? It's annoying not to know!"I'm what?" Her hand strokes over my chest, and she digs her cheek into my naked skin, inhaling my scent. My heart swells. I care about her so much, and she is injured because of me. "Well… I'm alive, Wyatt. I'm grateful for that, and if I'm blind, then so what? At least you ca
WyattWhen I can see again, I crawl on all fours while my heart is aching with the knowledge Maeve is hurt. I'm a hybrid, and my skin is burning. One of my legs is hurting tremendously—nothing important. It will heal in mere minutes, but Maeve won't heal if she is injured.She is a human who might need a hospital—Shit, I shouldn't have taken her with me! I won't forgive myself if she is dead or injured! I'm already responsible for my mother's death, and now maybe I've also murdered Maeve.I'm such a monster!A fucking idiot!Maeve isn't a superhero—why the hell did I bring her here?!"Maeve!" I call her name through the smoke, making my way forward over rocks and debris from the mansion. White fragments are circling in the air like snow, and I cough as I crawl. My heart is beating a mile per minute. "Maeve?!""Fucking shit! That hurt!" Bob swears to the right of me, and I watch him stand up, entirely unscathed as if
WyattMy heart is in pieces, shattered, as I walk into the building where Marcus is supposed to live. I should plan on how to kill him, how to make Marcus suffer as he deserves. Instead, my entire focus is on what I told Maeve yesterday.I told her the thought that has plagued my mind for as long as I can remember—that I can't have children. If I could decide, I would have plenty of children, at least three, but I don't want my lover to die.I wouldn't be able to live with the grief of losing Maeve in childbirth. My father raised me and handled his sadness, but I don't want my life to be a repeat of his tragic one. He had Giovani and me by his side, but his gaze would always turn sad whenever we would pass a lake as if he could imagine my mother being there.Halting in my tracks, I glance over my shoulder, finding Maeve tilting her head at me with a weak smile. She is beautiful, like a gemstone in a place with rocks. Her soul is so pure. I love how
MaeveAs we drive through the woods, past ghostly trees, I hold on to Wyatt as if he is my lifeline. My guy tells us to turn around the car, but Marcus chasing our families and sending his men to kill us must end. I'm tired of running, and I don't want my children to fear him like I've done since I was a child.My mother, Zoya, taught me how to fight at the ripe age of four. It was when we started, and no child should be using guns that early.In the future, I want my children to enjoy their childhood. I want them to play with the other kids instead of teaching them how to use a flamethrower.I look out through the window, squeezing Wyatt's hand. "I hope us murdering Marcus will be easy. I have a bad feeling about visiting him, but we have to end this horror story.""I think it will be easy to get rid of the man," Wyatt replies. "Marcus is old, almost blind if you ask Bob. Victor was his strength, and he is dead."Bob meets my eyes in the re
MaeveMy breasts feel heavy when Wyatt carries me outside of the car. I'm wrapped around him but not able to circle his large torso entirely. He is too broad, too damn powerful, and the awareness makes my clit throb with hot, pulsating need.He is this ridiculously tall mountain of a man, while I'm the lucky woman allowed to touch him. My heart is beating double-time in my chest. I can't wait to fuck him, or get fucked by him, whichever is fine. I was drawn in hours ago, tricked to get turned on, when Wyatt let me touch his enormous pecs much more prominent than my boobs."I'm so hard for you," Wyatt speaks huskily; even his voice sounds like sexual frustration. His breath is warm, evaporating in the frozen air. "I wish you could touch me."Pure ecstasy hits me when I hear his deep, raw voice filled with desire. I can't confirm if his words are valid, but I'm dying to find out. I'm quivering with anticipation as Wyatt explores the surface of my clothes.
WyattHandshakes are special because some people only touch your skin, while others affect your soul.Maeve is sitting next to me in the middle seat of the car. I'm glancing out through the window, pretending Maeve's hand on my thigh doesn't reach deeper than the surface of my jeans. The truth is that she is under my skin, and I can't remove her from there.My eyes briefly glance down at Maeve. She is sleeping peacefully, and with a heavy sigh, I brush her hair with my hand."You're a pain in the ass..." A soft smile touches my face, and with warmth flooding my senses, I hug her to my chest. "But I wouldn't want you ever to change."Maeve snores in response, and I chuckle.When I was younger, I was always smiling and trying to make people like me. I feared being lonely, which surprise-surprise made everyone think I was annoying. Little Wyatt was too horny for attention, and I was bullied for it.As a child, I was small and motherless.