The Lost

by K. A Knight

  “I’m not ticklish.” I sniff, yawning, and it goes quiet.

  “Last warning, Brawler,” he threatens, his voice deadly.

  “Lick me,” I retort.

  He goes silent again, and I grin triumphantly, starting to fall back to sleep when suddenly, hands wrap around my thighs and yank them open. I blink stupidly, pulling my arm away. “What are—”

  I gasp as he licks a long line across my pussy and grins up at me. “You offered,” he rumbles.

  “This brings a whole new meaning to breakfast,” I grumble, and then gasp again as he lashes my clit in punishment, and laps at my pussy before looking up at me.

  “Are you awake yet?” he asks with a smirk.

  “Er, no, not yet, ooh look, my eyes are closing…so tired…must carry on,” I taunt theatrically, shutting my eyes.

  He sucks my clit into his mouth, and I almost come away from the sofa. Moaning, I grab his head and pull him closer, pressing my pussy against his face as he licks and teases me before dipping two fingers inside and curling them.

  Lightning rolls through me from his talented tongue. I release his head, and with one hand, I cup my breast and roll my nipple between my fingers as I ride his face. He rumbles, “Delicious,” and I groan, the vibration sending me higher and higher as he fucks me with his fingers and tongue.

  When he dips the latter inside my pussy, tasting me, I gasp, my legs shaking as he yanks an orgasm out of me and licks me through it, careful not to touch my oversensitive clit too hard, brushing it with his tongue as he pulls his fingers free and replaces them with his tongue, wiggling it inside me.

  My eyes won’t open, my body lax, letting him do whatever he wants to me. He teases me, the aftershocks still racing through my veins, but my eyes fly open when he touches his finger to my other hole, just pressing it there, the pressure killing me.

  I push towards him and he slips one inside me up to the knuckle, just staying there as he fucks me with his tongue, his finger in my ass. Unable to help myself, I start to move again, rolling my hips as he slowly drags another orgasm from me. Before I know it, I’m screaming with release, my pussy clamping down on his tongue and my ass on his finger.

  I drop back to the sofa, breathing heavily, unable to move. My legs are wide open, my pussy wet and quivering as he pulls out, drops a kiss on my clit, and sits up, his chin and mouth covered in my release.

  “Best breakfast I’ve had in a long time.” He smirks. “Now get your ass up.”

  Then he’s striding away, and I’m left gasping, my legs like jelly and my heart racing. That man is way too deadly for my heart…okay, vagina, but still. I wonder, if I fake sleep, will he start again? Probably not, I best not push it.

  Evan.

  The thought brings me back down to earth, and with a sigh, I get up, cringing at the sticky feeling between my thighs. Oh yeah, that’s hot. Grabbing a towel I brought and a bottle of water, I clean myself. When I look up, I spot Jago watching me. “What? This isn’t the movies, buddy, the cum just doesn’t disappear.” I huff and he laughs and throws my shirt and pants at me.

  “Get dressed, Brawler,” he orders, shaking his head as he turns and grabs our bags. “Bloody woman is going to turn me into a sex pest,” I hear him mumble, as he unblocks the door and heads out into the rest of the church.

  I get my clothes on, grab the water bottle, and go after him. I find him outside loading up the bikes. The sun is just rising, the heat slowly increasing, making me sweat already. It couldn’t have been an ice age, could it? No, it had to be heat and sand. God, I can already feel it in my asscrack, and let me tell you, sand gets stuck everywhere. I mean everywhere, and it’s a bitch to get out, you don’t half get a chafing rash with it.

  “You know you’re speaking out loud, right?” He sniggers, leaning against his bike, and I blink, coming back to myself and staring at him.

  “All I’m saying is, you can’t tell me you don’t get sand in your balls and it’s a bitch. It ain’t like no face scrub, it’s annoying as hell.”

  “Face scrub,” he mutters, shaking his head and climbing on the bike. “I’m not even going to dignify that with an answer. Get on,” he orders.

  “You totally get ballsack sand rash, don’t you? I wonder if they have a cream for that,” I muse, as I swing my leg over, scoot up, and wrap my arms around his back. “Jago?” I whisper when he can’t see me, and he sighs, squeezing my hands which are resting over his stomach.

  “I know, Brawler, whatever we find, remember, we have each other. Now that’s enough delaying, it will only get worse the longer we wait.” I nod and bury my face in is back, protecting it from the sand that kicks up when we start the bike, blanketed in the harsh granules overnight as we slept.

  We pull away and begin the last leg of our journey to Paradise. I wish I knew what we were going to find when we got there. Anxiety is winding through me from having to see those people again, the people who ordered my death and suffering…but if they are dead…that means Evan probably is too.

  I’d take facing them again if it meant he was alive and well. I’d confront a hundred bastards like them if it meant seeing those piercing blue eyes again and that snarky smile he used to give me.

  Evvie, you better be alive, or I am going to kick your ass like I did when we were younger.

  The miles pass by in a blur, my mind locked in the past, the fear of not seeing him alive again making me look beyond our last argument and to the love we had before it all went wrong.

  “Evvie,” I whisper, standing over his bed, clutching the bear he gave me. It dangles from one hand as I dart a look around the darkened room, the other beds empty since we are the only orphans down here.

  “Evvie,” I whisper again, shaking his shoulder.

  He flips over, cracking open one eye when he spots me, then he frowns and opens the other. “You okay, Pip?” he murmurs, his voice cracking from sleep, his face finally losing that baby fat as he grows up. There are only a few years between us, but he seems so much older recently.

  “Nightmare,” I confess quietly, looking away in embarrassment.

  He scoots back on the single bed and pulls up the covers for me, so I slip in and turn my back to him. He drapes the blankets over me and wraps his arm around my waist, spooning me as we share the pillow, his breath wafting over my ear. “I’ll protect you from them, Pip, I always will, now get some sleep, and if you have any more you close your eyes and you tell them that they have to deal with me,” he tells me. I smile and giggle and shuffle closer.

  “Thanks Evvie, night.” I yawn and close my eyes, happy now.

  “Night, Pip, love you.” His voice floated with me into my nightmare-less dreams.

  Licking my lips, I move closer to Jago as we speed through the Wastes, my heart locked in pain as I try to fight off the memories. They are too painful, too much when I don’t know where or how he is, but they don’t care, they keep coming after being locked away for so long from my anger, which is dissipating with each mile we cover and being replaced with fear…fear I will never see my best friend again.

  “Your office is huge!” I laugh, turning with my arms spread wide as he stands at the door, beaming. It was assigned to him this morning, the youngest doctor on staff. I grin at him and he opens his arms.

  I rush into them and he lifts me into the air, spinning me around as we laugh before he puts me back on the floor and moves a wisp of hair out of my face, his eyes filled with happiness, his smile still stretched across the face I love so much.

  “I couldn’t do it without you, Pip,” he whispers, and for a moment our eyes catch, and he loses his smile. His tongue darts out, he licks his lips, and starts to lower his head.

  Oh God, is he going to kiss me?

  The door bangs and we leap away like guilty children as he answers it, his face red. I turn away and busy myself by looking around the office, disappointment filling me. I always thought Evvie and I were meant to be together, fated, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe he doesn’t s
ee me like that, but the way he just looked at me has me all confused. This crush is getting out of hand, that’s for sure.

  He shuts the door and I turn to face him, leaning against the counter as he shuffles awkwardly, so I take pity on him. “So, how are we celebrating? What trouble can we get into?” I wiggle my eyebrows and he laughs, relief filling his face.

  “I’m a doctor now, I’m supposed to behave.” He grins.

  “Nah, that’s definitely not a rule, who wants a boring doctor?” I shake my head. “Nope, you only get one life, Evvie, why would you want to spend it conforming to rules? I’d rather have fun.”

  “You always do.” He laughs. “One day, you will understand why rules are so important, they keep us safe and alive, Pip.”

  I smile but it’s false now as hurt races through me. He’s started to do this recently. Talk down to me like I’m a child. “I know that, Evvie, doesn’t mean you can’t have fun though, the world is shitty and fucked up as it is, why not make the most of it?”

  “I wish I could, Pip.” He sighs.

  “About another hour,” Jago yells over the wind and the sound of the engine. I nod to show him I understand and stretch my fingers before holding on again, turning my head so I can look out into the Wastes with the sun burning down on the sand, heating the grit and everything else left behind. I wish Evvie could have seen the world the way I did, something to explore, something to love and have fun with. Instead, he was always worried about everything. I just hope that worry hasn’t killed him.

  “What did you do now, Piper?” He frowns, as I hop up onto the table and swing my legs back and forth.

  He slides his chair over to me as I lift my hand. “You hit someone?” he asks, eyebrows raised.

  “Technically, she ran into my fist…repeatedly…and my foot.” I grin and he shakes his head with a smile.

  “Pip, what am I going to do with you?” He sighs and grabs the stuff he needs to clean out the cuts on my hand.

  “Call me pretty and get me coffee?” I tease, as he leans over and cleans the wounds, making me hiss from the sting of the cleaner.

  “What did she do?” he questions, too busy prodding the cuts to notice me wince as I rack my brain for a believable lie…not the truth that she was bad-mouthing him.

  “Er, I didn’t like her face, it scared me, and I was always taught to punch what scares me.” I nod, proud of myself.

  He looks up then, smiling. “Liar, you always crinkle your nose when you lie,” he says, leaning back. “What happened?”

  “Dude, how did you even see me do that?” I moan and glance away, but he moves closer and tilts my chin so I’m forced to look at him. “Piper, we promised to always tell each other the truth.”

  “I hate when you bring logic to the party,” I mutter and sigh. “She was saying shit about you.”

  “Like what?” he presses, blinking.

  “Just that you don’t deserve this role, orphaned bastard and shit.” I shrug, not willing to tell him everything. It had been bad, and although he wouldn’t let it show, it would hurt him to hear it. He worked hard for this position, he doesn’t need some precious princess ruining it.

  “I see,” he mutters, looking down, and then gazes back up at me. “So you were defending my honour?” he teases.

  “Don’t make it weird, Evvie,” I grumble, but he smiles brightly and leans over, kissing my forehead.

  “Thank you, Pip, I love you too,” he whispers, and then pulls back. “Next time, punch better though. Come on, let’s fix this fist so you can get back to causing chaos.”

  “You know it, Doc. Let’s fix me up so I can kick some basic bitch ass.”

  He wasn’t perfect, but he was always there for me, more than anyone will ever know. He was the one who looked after me, held me all night every night even when he couldn’t sleep himself. He dried my tears and pulled my broken heart together. It was him and me, always. We were family and I left. He was hurt, scared for me, and I left.

  I’m not saying he was right, in fact he fucked up big in the way he went about things, but his heart was behind it. He only did it to protect me and keep me safe like he always did, like I always did for him.

  If I thought he was in danger, I would have done anything to stop it and protect him. So maybe I can’t be too mad at him, maybe we just need to fight it out…as long as he is alive.

  “We are almost there,” he shouts, so I lift my head and stare into the distance where I can see buildings.

  “Get ready,” he warns me, and I nod. We don’t know what we will find there, after all. We locate the gap in the fence—used to it from when we did patrols—and I realise it doesn’t feel like old times. We head straight to the bunker door and idle there, frowning when it doesn’t open.

  “Maybe they can’t see us?” I suggest, looking around. They only open it for patrols, but they should recognise us…

  A whistle cuts through the air and we both jerk around, trying to pinpoint the noise. My eyes widen when I spot people, lots of people, waiting by the side of the building next door. Someone at the front waves their hand, the sun blurring them.

  “What do we do?” I query, and he hesitates.

  “It’s up to you, Brawler,” he hedges, obviously as unhappy with this as I am.

  I bite my lip and debate my options. “If they wanted to kill us, they could have already. We better go see, they will know what happened,” I tell him, and he revs.

  “You sure, Brawler? I can outride them,” he cautions.

  “No, let’s go, I need to know.” I sigh and wrap my arms tightly around him as he pushes us backwards, and then turns us to face the people, and starts to slowly head their way.

  As we get closer, I can make them out. They definitely aren’t from Paradise. They look like scav parties we’d meet outside, they are too hard to live down there. The woman at the front draws my eyes, though, as we stop feet away. Jago keeps the engine going, but I hop off and stand next to her, staring at her.

  Jesus Christ, what a woman.

  She is covered from head to toe in weapons, a sword peeking over her shoulders, and her clothes skintight, showcasing her athletic build. Her arms are muscular and strong, her face blank and scary, but oh so beautiful. Her hair is braided and messy, much like the men around her, and her eyes are calculating and very intelligent. She is terrifying in a holy shit she’s hot kind of way.

  “Piper,” comes a strangled whisper, floating to me on the air. My head jerks around, but another voice catches my attention, a familiar one, one I worried I would never hear again.

  “Pip?” someone yells, and I turn to see Evan rushing towards me, only to be held back by an equally scary and scarred man who is half naked and looks like an ad for weapons-r-us. Who are these people?

  I turn again to see Archel stepping forward, his mouth open and eyes worried, but I grin at him, I can’t help it.

  “Brawler?” Jago prompts, shutting off the engine, but I swing glances between Evan and Archel who are both staring at me.

  Tits on a dick, all three men are here…now this is going to get awkward.

  Seven

  Reunion

  “Okay, someone better tell me what the fuck is going on before I start kicking ass and taking names…or Jago does and I cheer from the side.” I huff, propping my hands on my hips and staring at Archel. What is my shadow doing here? Why is Evan? Who is this woman and the army behind her? Seriously, what is going on? “Should have figured you would be here if there was trouble,” I scoff and then grin, unable to help myself. I made him promise to come back alive, but it seems I got bored and found him first. I mean, he has been gone a long time.

  “Missed you, Shadow. Wait until you see what I can do with a dagger now.” I wiggle my eyebrows as he grins at me, and then I suck in a breath and turn to Evan.

  I don’t know what to say, but the silence is awkward, so I do what I do best, talk. “Hi, Evvie, long time no see. Loving the whole hobo chic look you are going for.” I force
my mouth shut as he gapes at me and then gasps in pain, sagging in the scarred man’s arms.

  “Pip, fucking hell. Pip, they told me you were dead!” he screams, the sound of my nickname on his tongue like a dagger to my heart. The entire way here, I was wondering if I could forgive him, what I would do when I found him, but it didn’t prepare me for this. I’m lost, staring into those blue eyes I used to know better than my own, only they are filled with ghosts and pain now, so different from when I knew him…and I realise we have both changed…grown up…we are different.

  Do we even know each other anymore?

  I wince as tears gather in those eyes and the woman’s voice drags my gaze to her. “Let’s take this inside, we have a lot to discuss.” She whistles, waving her fingers in the air in a circle before looking at the scarred man. It’s strange watching as all the big, scary men jump to do what she orders. “Let him go. Bern, get the patrol back on it. Henry, work with the dwellers. I want to know what the fuck is going on down there. Everybody else, I want no fucking bodies, fight, fuck, I don’t care, but no deaths!”

  Damn, she swears more than me, maybe I could take lessons from her? Also, why am I weirdly wanting to cheer her on right now? She looks at me then, her eyes boring into me like she sees everything, and I find myself standing up taller. This woman is clearly no one to be trifled with, if the fear, adoration, and worship on the gathered men’s faces are anything to go by. “Follow me.”

  She turns and starts to walk away, the scarred man falling into step behind her as they rush to do her bidding. I lean into Jago and lower my voice. “Who is she? She is badass as hell, total girl crush material. Think she would let me touch her sword? What? Don’t look at me like that, I meant an actual sword, not cock, jeez.”

  “Brawler,” Jago groans, looking pained as he shakes his head.

  “What? Not saying I would swing that way, ha, but damn, that is one scary fine woman, like I bet she even fucks scary hot, you know?”

  “Pip,” Evan calls, moving closer, but Archel steps in front of him and grins at me.