Flash Series (Book 2): Immune

by Gomez, Jessica

  I tuck her under the covers. “I think James is right, you’ve already said your good-byes last night.”

  Slumping back in defeat, she wants to argue, but she’s just too tired. “Fine. Don’t think you’re getting out of here without a hug, though.” She smiles, sitting up with her arms outstretched. “I love you, James,” she whispers in his ear.

  “Love you, too.” He kisses her cheek. “Tell Az I’ll be back soon.” He glances over at her sprawled out form.

  “I will.”

  “Later, bro.” His feelings are a jumbled mess. After our talk, he still hasn’t come to me for more information, but understanding emanates from his emotions.

  I sit up and clap his shoulder. “Love you too, bro. Come back to us in one piece. No proving anything out there.”

  “You got it.” He smiles, turns, and heads out the door.

  Looking down to Lillie, who’s already sound asleep, I curl around her and pull her into me, her presence lulling me into a peaceful night’s sleep.

  ~~~~~~

  Lillie springs to her feet from a dead sleep. “It’s daytime!”

  “Yes, babe, it is. So can you please quiet down and enjoy Azami sleeping in longer than normal?” I try to lighten the mood.

  “They left already?” she whines, knowing she’s overslept.

  Laughing at her pouty lower lip, I pull her back down on the bed with me. “You know they did. They’ll understand. How are you doing? Do you remember any more of your dream?”

  “Not really.” She rubs her elbow. “Only what I told you last night.”

  I look over to check on Azami, who’s still snoring away, sprawled in all directions. Lillie’s rubbing her backside against me, earning a growl in her ear. “You’re doing that on purpose, aren’t you?”

  “Doing what?” she asks innocently.

  I growl again. “That’s not fair. I can’t take you with our daughter in the room.” I trace my fingers up her thigh, making my way to her waist. Lightly, I brush them against her stomach, causing her to shiver. I finish my journey by landing on her breast.

  “Ian…” she moans.

  I pinch her nipple, then massage the sting away, getting my desired effect as she rubs against me again. “Jen’s giving morning lessons. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if Az tagged along.” I kiss her shoulder, working my way to the small spot behind her ear.

  She turns in my arms. “Let’s wake her up to have breakfast. The faster we eat, the sooner we can come back.”

  I laugh. “I like the way you think.” Releasing her, I move to the other side of the mattress. “Go wake up our daughter. You’ll need to give me a moment to calm myself down.” I adjust myself under the blanket.

  Her soft giggle lights up the room. “Wake up, Angel.” She whispers, patting our daughter’s butt.

  Azami groans, flopping around.

  “Come on, princess. You wanna go pick some berries with Jen after breakfast?”

  Lillie flashes me a sultry smile before turning back to get Azami ready.

  As we walk toward the kitchen, I notice the weather's growing colder. We’d instructed the raiders to grab extra coats and warm clothing, as well as any food supplies they could find. Having warm clothing for the winter could mean the difference between life and death.

  Being a natural hot springs, the tunnels and pool provides us with warmth. During the winter, we tend to spend more time in the kitchen, which is always warmer than any other room. We place burn barrels in rooms and tunnels that have trouble maintaining a decent temperature. To keep the snow and rain off of us, we tarp the cracks in the ceiling, then cover them with branches. It’s not perfect, but it definitely warm enough to live in.

  As we enter the room, Sarah looks up from what she’s doing. “Morning. I saved you some food.” She points to a pile of steak and potatoes.

  “Thanks, Sarah. That was sweet of you,” Lillie gushes, heading to load our daughters plate.

  “You’re welcome.” She returns to peeling potatoes and humming under her breath. Her emotions soar, the room alive with her happiness.

  “You’re in a great mood today. Anything new?” I grin at her, knowing exactly why she’s in such a great mood.

  Her cheeks turn crimson as she glances at me. “Nothing much.”

  Sarah isn’t in on our secrets, so she doesn’t know that I can read her emotions like a book. “A certain someone wouldn’t have anything to do with it, would they?” I’m being an ass. We’re as close as family, so I feel I have the right to roust her in good humor.

  Her blush deepens. “Maybe.”

  “Maybe, what?” Deagon asks as he enters the kitchen.

  “Speak of the devil,” I say, smiling widely at Sarah.

  Deagon looks between us, clueless as to what we’re talking about.

  “Nothing,” Sarah barks out quickly. “He asked what we’re having for dinner.”

  Interesting. They both like each other and yet, they haven’t admitted it to one another. I watch as Deagon moves over to help Sarah peel potatoes. He’s on firewood duty today, so he must have rushed through that to come and help Sarah in the kitchen. The gesture is nice, and one hell of a step up from the guy I lived with a few months ago. He thought himself quite the ladies’ man before the flash. Young, and in high school, he had plenty of stories to tell me while I was laid up. The man who stands before me is no longer interested in those conquests, even though he still acts as if the ladies fall in his lap every day.

  I tuck Azami’s legs under the table as Lillie lays her plate in front of her. Lillie sits next to Azami, reminding her several times to slow down, and to chew her food. Class is always held after breakfast, and Azami wants to speed through her food to get to the fun part.

  Jen used to take the class outside most days, but with the infected roaming around, and the cold starting to set in, time outside is dwindling. As a precaution, Quinn and his handgun have become a permanent fixture in class, especially if they venture beyond the outer wall. The class doesn’t travel far from the caves, but we don’t want them out unprotected. Guns have become a necessity these days.

  Michael and Dane spent most of last week logging our supplies, making sure we’ll have enough to reach our projected date. In the last couple of weeks, Dane has delegated more of his daily dealings to the rest of us, relying heavily on Michael. Which reminds me, I should have a talk with him and make sure things are well between him and Aunt Rosie. The sensations rolling off him are troubling. He’s definitely having difficulties dealing with something.

  We blow through breakfast in a flash, and all thoughts of talking with Dane fly out the window. I’m only minutes away from having my girl under me. I quickly wipe Azami’s hands, thanking Sarah for breakfast at the same time.

  “You’re welcome.” Her high-wattage smile is on display.

  When her attention is directed back to her task, Deagon meets my eyes. I motion with my head toward Sarah, hinting to him to say something to her.

  Hit on her.

  His eyes widen, and his dark, caramel skin tints a shade darker. He glances at Sarah to make sure she’s not paying attention, then back to me, continuing our silent conversation about him manning up.

  Azami steps up next to Sarah and touches her hand. “Tank you.” A static charge flitters through the air, standing my arm hair on its end. I watch Azami, curiously. She then moves over to Deagon and taps his leg, getting him to pick her up.

  “Hey there, munchkin. Whatcha up to?” he asks, sitting her on his lap.

  She pats his arm in what seems like an unassuming gesture. At the same time, the tickling current coats the air and runs up along my spine. I’m sensing her, and I know she’s reading them.

  “Azami, stop it,” I warn her.

  Deagon looks at me, confused. What’d she do?

  Ignoring my correction, Azami leans into Deagon and whispers, “She wikes you, too.”

  Sarah is collecting another bucket of potatoes, ignorant of Azami’s advice. Sh
aking my head, I can’t help but laugh. Now she’s playing matchmaker. I take her out of Deagon’s arms.

  “Time for us to go.”

  Deagon remains confused, bouncing his eyes back and forth between Azami and me. Lille walks up behind me, reminding me where my morning is heading. Even though questions litter Deagon’s expression, he keeps them to himself. Instead, he moves back to Sarah, a new confidence radiating off of him.

  “See, Daddy?” Azami whispers to me. “They bof wike each odder.” I hold her away and take her in. Every day, this new gift of hers grows right along with her. Her words are clearer, and her eyes twinkle as if glowing, the knowledge in them almost frightening. I want her to have as normal a childhood as possible.

  “Are you ready, Angel?” Lillie snags her from my arms, relieving my worries with her smile.

  “Yes!” Azami claps. All seriousness gone, I’m relieved to have my normal, rambunctious toddler back.

  Jen’s more than happy to take Azami with her, and as extra precaution, Michael agrees to tag along. Now that the other group has joined us, there are several people in class. Seth and Tom, as usual, but now Sophie, Gage, and Naveen join as well. Both Quinn and Michael pack guns with them at all times. On the return trip, our experience taught us conditions outside are worse than we expected. Preparing for the infected to enter our caves is better than being surprised when they do.

  ~~~~~~

  Late afternoon crawls around, and I wish these morning classes were an everyday thing. I pull Lillie’s sleeping form closer to me, enjoying her naked skin against mine. Living in a cave, with a curtain as a door, doesn’t shout privacy. Any moment we can spare with one another I take, and run at top speed.

  I kiss her shoulder, working my way up her neck. She sighs and leans into me, still sleeping. “Lil, time to get up. They’ll be back soon. We should dress before she barges through the door.”

  “Okay,” she groans in a whiny voice.

  We climb out of bed and dress for the second time that day. I watch her slide her pants up slowly, tracing them over her bare thighs. I swear she’s dressing seductively on purpose, to get to me. The little smirk playing on her lips as she looks over her shoulder, tells me I’m right. She is doing it on purpose, and I have to admit, I love it.

  Chapter 14

  Lillie

  Eyes wide open, the nightmare still lingers in the back of my mind. Catching only glimpses, understanding the horror I felt the other night is proving impossible. The only fact the dream provides is that someone was taken—dragged away. The personal imprint the dream caused is similar to the nightmare I had before Jeff came to my room.

  Remembering the moment, I pieced it all together, then realizing that there was nothing I could do to stop it from happening plagued me. Jeff’s distorted face summoned goosebumps to rise and travel the length of my body, causing me to shiver.

  I move closer to Ian and wrap my hand around his, his warmth chasing the unsettling emotions away. Ian glances at me as we walk, sensing some of the turmoil coiling within me.

  “If you want to talk about it, I’m here.” He pulls my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles.

  A smile is slow to spread as I watch him. “I’m fine. Processing the dream. I’m more frustrated that I don’t understand what’s happening.”

  He tucks me under his arm, kissing the top of my head. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

  I nod, knowing I won’t share anything unless I’m certain. Why roust the crowd over nothing, but then again, if it was something, I need to figure it out, and fast.

  Azami’s soft laughter reaches us before we enter the kitchen. She’s standing with Sarah and Deagon, baking bread, her face and hands covered in flour. Both her cooking companions have several little handprints on their sleeves. How on earth can she get so dirty? She’d come blazing back through the tunnels only ten minutes ago. Now standing before me is my tornado, covered from head to toe in flour. At least the smile on her face is contagious. Sarah and Deagon are smiling just as wide.

  “Hey, Angel!” I shout.

  “Momma!” She hops off the small stool they had her standing on and runs over to my waiting arms.

  A small puff of flour comes off her as she slams into me. “Did you have fun? You look like you’re keeping everyone busy.”

  “Yup.” She smiles, touching my cheeks.

  Whatever she’s reading off me is good, because she smiles wider and pats my cheeks a couple times before wiggling out of my arms and climbing her way into Ian’s.

  “We’re getting better at blocking her. She can only see that we’re happy,” he whispers to me, settling my curious mind.

  “That’s good. She doesn’t need to see anything we’ve done lately.” Remembering Ian’s touches causes me to blush. Ian turns, his eyes sharp and zone in on me. “Stop staring at me like that.”

  “Stop putting off that…sensation. It’s like a pheromone.” His breath is hot on my skin as he growls his words into my ear.

  In order to resist the urge to drag him back down the tunnel like a cave woman, I step over to Jen and Michael, who are munching on bread and visiting quietly. “Hey! Thanks again for taking her out with you. She really enjoys the outdoor part of class, especially when she gets to pick berries. Those are her favorite, because she can eat them.”

  “It’s no problem at all. We love having her. Plus, it’s good for her to learn these skills early in life, that way when she’s older, it’ll be like second nature.” We all turn to watch Azami draw in the dirt.

  “I’m going to meet with Dane in a bit. You two okay for a while?” Ian asks.

  “That’s fine. I’m going to have to bathe this one twice today, I think.”

  Azami turns to me with a giant smile. She loves her bath time. “Baf time!” She jumps to her feet, flour from her clothes wafting around, making a nice powder puff.

  The room erupts in laughter at the sight. “Would you like to go see if Naveen and baby Gage would like to come?”

  “Yes!” She screeches, and takes off like a bullet down the tunnel toward their room.

  “Good luck!” Michael yells, laughing as I chase her down.

  “Thanks!” I reply sarcastically over my shoulder.

  Azami stops outside their door and asks, “Hello? Tan babe Dage come to baf time?”

  Naveen and Sophie’s laughter floats to me. I step in front of their door.

  “Hi,” I greet them.

  “Hi,” they say at the same time.

  “As you can see, this little one requires a bath. We thought we’d swing by and see if you all would like to come too.”

  Gage is excited and clapping, pointing to Azami, wanting her to come and play with him.

  “Sure! We’ll get our stuff ready and head down. Meet you there?”

  “Works perfect. We have to swing by our room as well.”

  I wave to them as we head to our own room to get ready.

  Azami jumps in seconds after our arrival, and floats in the water. Gage loves the water too, splashing and squealing. He and Azami get along famously. Neither one of them have seen another person so close in age; they’re entirely captivated by one another. Azami loves to touch his face and read him. I figure there’s no harm done. Gage is so young, and doesn’t have any secrets to hide, so I don’t bother to stop her.

  “How are you all settling in, Naveen?”

  “Wonderfully. I couldn’t have imagined a better place to bring Gage. Living out there, not knowing when another meal would come, waiting for the infected to strike at any moment was torture. I don’t think I can ever repay you enough for risking yourselves and bringing us here. Ian’s a lifesaver. You all are.” Her voice cracks and her eyes shine with unshed tears.

  “We love having you all here. It’s nice to grow our family.”

  Naveen nods, trying to keep the tears from falling with her gratitude. “Thank you.”

  I smile at her, my heart warming. “Enough sadness. Tell me ho
w Sophie, Quinn, and Deagon are doing? Are they adjusting well?”

  Her smile returns at the mention of her family. “Yes. Sophie decided to walk the gardens instead of coming here. She loves the plants and the greenery. Deagon’s attitude has changed dramatically since we’ve arrived. You’ve seen how he is with Sarah.”

  “Yes, I have.”

  “Before we came here, he was angry all the time. He’s always been sweet, especially with us, but I could see it under the surface, waiting to explode. We lost everyone during the flash. Our family was large. We had two other sisters and another brother, and all three of them had kids. None of them made it.” The sadness returns. “I married young. Drake, Gages father, was drug off by the infected shortly after Gage was born.”

  “I’m so sorry, Naveen. I understand how terrible that was for you.”

  “Deagon keeps busy with the chores, making him feel useful and accomplished. Not to mention the baking skills he’s learned. Since we’ve arrived and he’s met Sarah, he’s come back to life. Quinn’s found that he loves the classes Jen teaches, helps him improve on his tracking skills. He’s always been handy, but now he has more to keep him occupied.” She giggles. “And Sophie…she’s always been introverted, quiet and keeps to herself. Here, she comes to classes with us, wants to learn how to cook, and has the gardens to walk in. She never learned to swim when she was younger, and she’s excited to get the chance here.”

  “That’s great! We’re ecstatic to have you here. Azami’s thrilled to have Gage here. She’s been the only child her entire life, and now she has a playmate.”

  “I have to say, that’s something I’m happy about too. I worried he wouldn’t develop right if he didn’t have other kids to mimic. Gage has come into a hidden stash of energy since he’s been eating properly, and has enough stimuli with so many people. I can’t wait to watch him grow.” She pauses before asking her next question. “How did you make it out there with an infant, being a child yourself?”