Shadowlands Sector, Three

by Mila Young

  I glance around us and know exactly where we are now… in the woods at the rear of the settlement where I scaled the fence. And farther to my right, the mountain rises like a giant. “Up there.” I point, and Lucien groans. “We’re close.”

  “Fuck. When you said hill, I assumed a small hill, not a freaking monstrous mountain to scale.” He huffs and picks up his bag.

  Bardhyl stiffens, his eyes locked on something behind me, and suddenly, he shoves me to stand behind him.

  I stumble to catch my balance, terror strangling my lungs. Have we been discovered? I step out from behind him, my muscles bunched along the length of my back.

  Farther ahead near a cluster of trees stand three Shadow Monsters. They don’t charge us in a mad rush to attack. Instead, they watch us like the ones I saw on my run toward the back of the compound. I assumed they were lost from the herd, and technically, they wouldn’t have been drawn to me. But why aren’t they coming for Lucien and Bardhyl?

  “What’s wrong with them?” the men ask in unison.

  “I don’t know, but the more I look at them, the more I recognize them. Not only did these three follow me in the woods before I came to rescue your asses, but they were part of the horde that attacked right after I ran away from Mad and his men gave chase.”

  All three of us just stare at them for a few moments, but they’re too far for me to make out clearly if they’re the same Shadow Monsters or different ones. They look so similar.

  “We move and keep an eye on them.” Lucien has already drawn his blade, and I take the lead toward the mountain.

  Every few steps, I look back to the undead following. They aren’t running and keeping a fair distance.

  “Something’s up. Since when don’t those fuckers attack?”

  Lucien has a point and I don’t know the answer, though could it be related somehow to me still being immune? I don’t see how.

  “I should probably mention,” I start and then my voice fades as worry creeps over my thoughts at what I’m about to reveal to them. Do I really want to tell them about my immunity and have them jump to the conclusion that I’m still sick? I’ve never felt stronger than when I transformed, but I also want to stop hiding secrets.

  “What is it?” Lucien asks as he starts our ascent, moving quickly, the rain slowing to a trickle. Sticking to the paths with less foliage and more trees to grab on to helps us travel faster.

  “Somehow, I’m still invisible to the undead. I don’t know how, but—”

  “You’re still sick?” Bardhyl pauses and steps in my path. “You said you transformed.”

  Lucien takes my hand in his. “How can this happen?”

  I shrug, and I want to hide from them, instantly regretting I said anything. I hate the pity in their voices, the strain in their eyes. That was the old me… the reject no one wanted, and I thought once I changed, I’d become someone new. Someone who fit.

  “Not sure how or why. I don’t know if I’m still sick or maybe the injection Mad jabbed into me made me temporarily immune.”

  I glance over my shoulder to confirm the zombies have stopped at the base of the mountain just staring at us. So, what is the deal with them then?

  Little makes sense. “Please, can we keep going and not stand around here,” I say.

  “Tell us everything,” Lucien insists, so I do just that, keeping my voice low. I summarize what happened from the moment they were knocked out by Mad’s men to when I found them in prison. I explain it all, including my distraction and the zombies.

  “Fuck that!” Lucien growls. “You can’t be sick. Your wolf side heals everything.”

  I’m not quite sure whom he’s trying to convince then. Himself or me.

  “We need to have her blood tested again,” Bardhyl states.

  “That’s not happening while Mad’s taken over,” Lucien corrects him in a distressed voice, then he lifts my hand to his mouth, where he kisses my knuckles. “Even more reason to destroy him and claim back our home.”

  I melt on the inside to hear his devotion, to watch it slide over Bardhyl’s face. They both keep looking over their shoulders, and I nudge them to continue climbing. The quicker we are in hiding, the more we can relax and talk about everything.

  “I’ve never felt better,” I tell them as they keep stealing glances my way. “The sickness I experienced before is no longer there. Maybe the zombies not sensing me now that I’ve had my first transformation is a temporary thing.”

  “I’m thinking the same,” Bardhyl says.

  The rest of the way, we travel in silence, and only the rain hitting trees echoes around us. Each time I check the path behind us, the undead follow, and I’m terrified they’ll suddenly snap into their frenzied forms and attack my men. Or are they scouts for other zombies? Ridiculous. They’re undead and don’t have any brain capacity to work as a team in such a manner.

  I swing back as they approach, frustration building in my chest, as I don’t want those things scaring Jae.

  “Get lost,” I call out as softly as possible, flicking my hand at them to leave. “Go away!”

  They freeze and just stare at me with empty, dead eyes. Who were these three in their previous lives? Humans? Wolf members?

  My men stand on either side of me as the Shadow Monsters slowly turn around and start trekking back down the mountain.

  I’m gobsmacked, completely and utterly convinced that didn’t just happen.

  “Are you kidding? Did they just listen to your command like you’re their queen?” Lucien gasps.

  “I-I t-think so! No, this can’t be right. How?”

  “You’ve become the Zombie Queen,” Bardhyl says almost in awe, like he’s proud for me to carry such a title.

  I cut him a sharp glare. “Don’t even joke about that. Seriously, that is not a thing, right?”

  “We need to keep moving,” Lucien says, taking my hand to join him, but my gaze remains locked on the three Shadow Monsters lurching away from us at my command.

  This must be a mistake, a coincidence because they must have smelled blood somewhere close.

  My stomach rolls in on itself, and I can’t even convince myself I commanded the Shadow Monsters.

  And Bardhyl’s words float over my thoughts, refusing to leave me.

  Zombie Queen.

  That’s ridiculous. There’s no such thing.

  Chapter 8

  Meira

  We stumble into the cave at the top of the hill, the trees behind us swishing, and coupled with the drumming rain, I can barely hear myself think. So I step deeper inside, scanning the enclosure for Jae.

  Lucien and Bardhyl stand alongside me, dripping, their bodies almost blocking out all the light from outside. I move to allow a little illumination to spill into the cave.

  Rain drips down my body, leaving small puddles around my feet, and unease settles in my gut.

  “Jae!” I call out, even if the cave is small enough that she can’t be hiding anywhere. All I see is the burned-out fire, a small pile of blankets and clothes in the back, and an old glass bottle. She left… again, and I want to scream at her for not waiting for us. Why would she go out in the rain?

  “She’s long gone.” Bardhyl states the obvious as he studies the fire. But it’s not him I’m angry at… Maybe anger is the wrong word here. I’m disappointed with Jae.

  That’s what floods my veins. I want to protect and help her. I know how hard it is to live alone in the woods. And she doesn’t even have the immunity against the Shadow Monsters like I do.

  I look over my shoulder to the heightening storm, the spray of water coming in and coating my face.

  “You’re not going out there to search for your friend,” Lucien says, like he can read my mind. Though he’s right, and I tense at the realization. All I can think about is rushing out there to find her.

  Foolish. She could be miles away, and I have no clue which direction she headed. I can hazard a guess, but what about Dušan? I won’t abandon him, distracted by
something else.

  He is what matters right now, his survival, or I may lose him forever.

  I sigh and turn away from the entrance, moving deeper into the cave. I ignore my churning gut and decide that I will search for Jae once we rescue Dušan.

  “Fire, shelter, and food,” Lucien says, dumping his bag on the stone floor at his feet. “We have it all, so we need to prepare and find something to block out some of the cold wind coming in during the night.” He and Bardhyl get to working on the fire first.

  I march to the rear of the cave and paw through the clothes. We’re soaked to the bone and something dry and warm would be perfect. I also grab all the blankets I find, then begin laying them behind the kindled fire. Bardhyl finds broken tree branches in the cave that just keeps on giving and throws them onto the blaze.

  I finish laying the third, large blanket over the other two for as much insulation as possible from the freezing stone floor. There should be another blanket in Lucien’s bag, and I have every intention of snuggling up to the men to steal their warmth tonight.

  “What’s our plan for rescuing Dušan?” I ask, though I keep speaking, not giving them a chance to respond. “Do we break in at night and go search for him in the dungeon?”

  “Something like that,” Lucien answers, while Bardhyl focuses on stacking more wood on the fire.

  I blink, staring at both men, knowing them well enough to understand when they are placating me. They never accept things so cavalierly. “I hope you’re not thinking of ditching me and going back on your own?”

  They both raise their gazes toward me, revealing their true intentions.

  Bastards.

  “We are not splitting up. I almost lost you once—not again. I’m tired of being alone and losing everyone I care for. I won’t let you do that to me.” I don’t even know where this came from, but something stings in my chest at how fast I get worked up.

  Bardhyl closes the distance between us in two long strides, lays his hand on my cheek, and lifts my head to meet his gaze—beautiful green eyes that appear paler tonight. “We will fight to escape hell itself if it means coming back to you, but we are petrified of something happening to you. Can you understand why we make the decisions we do?”

  He leans in closer and whispers, “Losing you will destroy me. And being away from you is the hardest thing. But we won’t put you in danger.” His lips brush against mine, stealing my chance to respond.

  I ought to push him away, but instead, I melt against him, cupping his face, and kiss him back. Since Mad attacked us, it’s been a relentless rush to escape, to find my men, to survive. Now, I let myself slow down and pitch closer, our bodies pressed together, our clothes soggy. I don’t care about anything but being with Bardhyl and Lucien. I’ve missed them terribly.

  My other man clears his throat near the fire and we pull apart, then glance at Lucien’s unimpressed expression. “While I’d love to join you two, we should find a way to block out some of the wind from the entrance. The cold spilling in here is hellish. Then Meira won’t be so cold when we strip her down.” He raises his eyebrows in my direction and gives me a small nod to indicate it’s happening. His gaze sweeps over me and pauses on my lips before rising back up to my eyes.

  The mischief in his gaze is ravenous, and how can I feel anything but pure rapture when a gorgeous man says such things? I lick my lips, swallowing the lump in my throat.

  Bardhyl looks at me, nodding. “Be back soon, beautiful.”

  Then he whips around and heads right out of the cave with Lucien, both turning left where there had been a cluster of trees, with large branch potential for covering the entrance.

  A coldness sweeps inside, sending the fire into a wild flicker, while my skin shivers. I’m soaking wet and I need to get changed before I die from the cold.

  Rushing over to the pile of clothes Jae had left in the cave, I grab a small pair of black leggings that have a hole across the knee, and a baggy sweatshirt, both too small to fit the guys. Quickly, I peel my shirt off, the fabric stuck to my skin, so I wrench it off me. The wind coming from behind me sweeps over my bare back, and I tremble. Damn, it’s icy to the touch and my teeth are chattering. Just as fast, I pull down my pants, dropping them in a wet mess with my top.

  With shaky hands, I grab a fluffy jacket that looks way too small to even fit me and frantically wipe the water from my body. Rapidly, I collect the leggings from the pile and step into them. Dragging them up my legs is a nightmare. They’re tight and the fabric glues to my skin from not drying myself enough.

  Fighting the damn thing, I get it halfway up my thighs, when the snap of wood has me twisting my head around.

  In the doorway, Bardhyl and Lucien are caught frozen, the wind whipping against them, blowing their hair over their faces. They’re holding large branches covered in leaves, seeming to have forgotten they’re getting wet as they stare at me.

  “Hurry up,” I tell them as I wrestle to heave the pants up and over my ass.

  Hastily, I pull the tee over my head and down my arms, then I tug it down over my stomach and turn around.

  “You didn’t need to rush for us,” Lucien adds as he and Bardhyl layer the cave opening with half a dozen branches in a crisscross fashion from inside the cave. They’ve also managed to bring in several large rocks for use at the base of their structure. Branches are sticking against the narrow sides of the enclosure, bent and shoved into place.

  There are still some gaps here and there in the layers of branches, but instantly, I feel the change in the fading cold. With the fire crackling, this cave will be cozy soon enough.

  “And we left a small opening here,” Bardhyl states, pointing to the base of the structure near the edge of the exit. “For toilet breaks.”

  Speaking of which, I step forward for just that. “This looks great. Thanks. I have some dry clothes for you in the back to change into.” I peer outside through the holes in the covering to where night falls over the landscape and the rain has eased to trickling.

  “I’ll be right back. Toilet break.” I rush outside and don’t steer too far, but it’s freezing out here, and the rain catches me just as I push back inside through the gap.

  “It’s going to be a chilly night,” I say as I straighten, but my voice flatlines.

  My eyes land on both men standing on either side of the fire, butt naked, glancing my way with smirks.

  “Careful. Before you burn something precious,” I tease as I wander closer to chase away the cold clinging to me.

  Neither of them move from the blaze, and I join them, stretching my hands out to warm them up. “So, what’s the plan?” I ask, fighting the urge to lower my gaze over both of them. “Food.”

  “Getting stripped firstly,” Lucien answers swiftly, grinning at me, and I feel Bardhyl’s gaze on me, both like wolves in waiting for the perfect moment to strike their prey.

  I laugh, mostly for show. “So you saw a bit of ass and that’s got you both hot and bothered already?”

  “Do you need any other reason?” Bardhyl asks, and he’s being serious.

  I roll my eyes at them, even if on the inside, I’m extremely impressed and slightly turned on by their eagerness. “Let’s eat. I’m starving.”

  They don’t even hesitate and jump into getting dressed, both of them in loose shorts, and shirts a size too small. “Fine, food first, then stripping,” Lucien reiterates.

  Bardhyl is bringing out food from the bag. The white tee he wears forms across all those hard planes and muscles. Damn, he is toned. Lucien strolls over to me as he tugs on a long-sleeved tee the color of a sunset. The fabric is tight and also hugs every contour. He stands over me and pushes loose dark strands of hair off my face, while I can only think of how gorgeous he looks. Clearly, I’m unable to form thoughts that don’t concern me picturing them naked again, muscles flexing, and me all over them.

  “Sounds like a plan,” Bardhyl begins. “Food first. Take a seat and we’ll join you.”

  I eye
him as he blows me a kiss and goes to assist Bardhyl. I’m beyond exhausted, and I might fall asleep while eating.

  Soon enough, I find myself sitting cross-legged on the blanket, the fire warming me up, and my two men joining me. We’re having a mini picnic of crackers, cheese, and dried meat, served with fruit chutney. The small salad of tomatoes and cucumbers I roughly chopped at Kinley’s is on offer, along with a large slice of fruit cake. This is the biggest feast I’ve ever had while on the run… which has been most of my life.

  “Enjoy,” Lucien says as he reaches for a piece of the meat. “It’s no roast pig, but it will do. And it’s more than what Dušan will have to eat tonight.”

  I lower my head and send my thoughts to Dušan, praying that he’s safe and we’ll save him hopefully tomorrow. Glancing at Bardhyl and Lucien, all three of us sitting in a semi-circle around the food, I notice they also have their heads low, praying for their Alpha.

  When we start eating, no one says a word, and my reason has to do with the sheer hunger I’m drowning under. I help myself to everything, except for the cake. I rarely get to taste such a delicacy, so I’m saving it for dessert.

  “After I kill that fucking asshole, Mad,” Bardhyl starts with a mouthful, then he swallows it, “I am cooking up my famous Viking stew for you. Three kinds of meat, potatoes and carrots, plus spices that will warm your insides. You will love my cooking.”

  “You’re making me hungry while I’m eating. Is it a family recipe?” I create a stack of cheese, meat, and cucumber slices in my hand.

  “A dish my father made for us growing up. I loved his saying that it made even the Berserkers stronger in battle. So of course, I’d insist on having three bowlfuls.”

  Lucien pushes a large slice of tomato into his mouth. “When I grew up, my dad would always tell me to love without strings attached. He helped around the house, always went out on hunts, so he didn’t quite say those words, but rather showed it in his actions. In the way he aided others in need, how he worshipped the ground my mother walked on.”