The Life After War Collection

by Angela White

  Not the least bit surprised to find Adrian communicating with the wolf, Kenn wrote it in his book. Knowing he had his own bit of magic had eased that savage beast in Kenn’s mind.

  “Also, get a recon together–go north.”

  “We’ve already got one going to check out the city,” Kenn reminded. “Use them on the way?”

  “No. Take a group of the females out. Do a rookie field evaluation and hunt.”

  Kenn’s head snapped up. “Me?”

  Adrian snickered. “Afraid of being alone with a bunch of rookies?”

  Kenn snorted. “It’s the female part that concerns me. They all have guns now, and I’m not their favorite person.”

  The two men chuckled, Adrian sealing his emotions behind the mental walls that had allowed him to keep so many secrets this long. One exposure might cause the rest to tumble out, but until then, he was the guardian. What did he need with sex, or even love for that matter? He had absolution and power. That should be enough.

  Adrian’s gut twisted. But it wasn’t. He wanted his son by his side, and he wanted Angie.

  He distracted himself, looking at Dog. “Why don’t the flies eat through your fur?”

  Dog’s answer was obvious once sent.

  I’m an Alpha. Our scent is stronger.

  “Will your scent on the other dogs help them with the flies?”

  Dog’s golden head swiveled up to stare at him with an incredulous expression that was much too human for Adrian’s comfort.

  I hope you’re not serious.

  The blond leader shrugged. “It was only an idea. I don’t like for them to suffer.”

  Dog snorted. If you want them to smell like me, tell them to keep sniffing Star. They’ll die with my piss in their noses.

  Adrian grinned as the wolf resumed his patrol. Dog might not like mutts, but the vet had matched those two up well.

  “Star is part wolf. I think that matters, but I’m not sure why,” Charlie stated, joining him.

  “She’s in heat, I’d guess,” Adrian stated.

  “I don’t understand much about that.”

  Adrian chuckled ruefully. “Not many men do. Have you thought about talking to your mom on this one?”

  8

  “Would you like some company?”

  Tracy’s sultry voice sent chills through Kyle’s stomach. After that kiss, he was on the edge, and the camp knew it.

  “No.”

  Tracy had been fairly certain, and she frowned a bit, moving closer. “What do you need?”

  Kyle couldn’t tell her, it was wrong, but the fantasy played in his head in constant repeat.

  “Kyle, I’d like to be your relief.”

  To have it spoken so openly, so hopefully, cracked Kyle’s control. “I need to fuck and forget, and for her to never find out.”

  Tracy blinked at the growl, body lighting up at the passion. “The first I can do. The second, not even Adrian can. There are too many eyes here to keep even one time a secret.”

  Tracy moved closer. “Unless...”

  Kyle’s head snapped up, waiting tensely. Now the whore would demand her price and he would pay it. Kissing Jennifer–twice!–had lit his fuse.

  “Unless you see me out of camp.”

  Kyle waited. Surely she wanted something in return?

  Tracy read it and shook her head. “It’s FND, baby. I don’t need anything else.”

  Another convert, Kyle realized as her scent blew over him, stole his breath. Could she handle his needs? There wouldn’t be any consideration for hers.

  Tracy picked that up too, and took advantage of only Daryl’s eye being on them in the very early morning shadows. “Your relief, big boy, not mine.”

  Kyle shuddered. He wanted...needed! to be as deep in something as he could get.

  “What if I lean against that rail and give you sixty seconds right now? Daryl won’t...”

  Tracy stopped at the muscles twitching erratically in his jaw, the fire filling his eyes.

  Kyle wasn’t sure if he meant it or not, but the question was out before he could stop it. “Will you?”

  Tracy arched her chest as her nipples hardened. “Can we make it ninety, and you spend the extra time in the front?”

  Kyle didn’t remember moving, but she was in his arms an instant later. He held her tightly, not sure he could stop or go through with it. The lie to Jennifer had fallen easily, but the actually choice was complete torture.

  Tracy, who had passed novice at this years ago, made it easy on him. She pressed a soft kiss to his clenched jaw and then slowly turned around in his rigid arms. She braced herself against the fence rail. “I want a kiss when you’re done, one taste of those lips before you go back to her.”

  Kyle broke. He shoved Tracy forward, hand going to his buckle.

  Daryl kept a sharp eye out for his team leader, filled with relief when Kyle raised the whore’s dress and growled in lust. Jennifer was safe for a while, and so was the dream.

  9

  The Cessna’s engines were loud and choppy, struggling as the wind gusted harder. It jostled the plane’s two passengers violently.

  Lightning flashed, brilliant and blinding. They both jerked as the control panel exploded in a series of sharp cracks and flaming sparks.

  The cabin went dark.

  “We’re going down!” the pilot shouted, sawing on the stick as he fought the downdrafts rattling them.

  “You have to jump!” he shouted at the female. “Tell them about our Island. Take them to Pitcairn!”

  The plane slanted downward as both engines cut out.

  Charlie jerked up in the bedroll, the sound too real to just be in his dream.

  He stumbled from his tent while still fastening his jeans and saw half a dozen other camp members already out of their tents and scanning the sky for the first plane they’d even heard in six months.

  He and the others who’d been drawn from their tents stared at the gritty sky for a long time, but there wasn’t any smoke signaling a crash, and the sound didn’t come again. By morning mess, most of them had convinced themselves it was a dream.

  Charlie knew better and stewed over it while he got his shower. The Island woman had made it home. Kendle was here.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The Wire Coming Down

  1

  On her way to the parking area, Samantha paused, unable to stop herself from scanning the sky. No one had spotted the plane, but there was no mistaking the sound.

  A plane meant many things, but one of them was danger. It might mean there was authority somewhere, government who would want them to fall in line with the old rules and the old ways that had destroyed everything. There was no way Adrian would allow that to happen. They would be fighting again, this time against the better-armed government.

  Sam continued to the vehicles, aware of Doug and Peggy sitting together again at the mess. They were becoming an item.

  “Look at that!”

  Leslie, part of the six-female clique in camp that usually caused trouble, caught Sam’s attention with the smirk. She and her sisters, as they liked to call each other, were mocking a passing camp member for her brightly shaded hair.

  Candy’s styling tent was popular with the females who had lived lives of monthly hair appointments before the war. The comments hadn’t been noticed by the woman yet, but Sam didn’t think it would be long before the bullies got louder. They were having too much fun being the center of attention with the Eagles on duty. Now that a few of the females were rookies, they were being evaluated as mates, and they knew it.

  Samantha noticed Neil’s shadow lurking around the edge of the parking area. He hadn’t noticed her yet, too busy doing what the rest of the males here were. She thought Neil would take his time getting around to it, though. Sam wasn’t blind to the way his attention followed her, how he stayed away even while making sure she had what she needed for the garden. He was hurting.

  Jeremy, on the other hand, had become preoccupied
with his laptop for some reason that he refused to tell anyone. The camp had several bets going as to what it was, but all Samantha ever saw him do was try was a code system that she wouldn’t have told even Adrian about. Jeremy hadn’t asked her to keep it to herself, but she knew he trusted her with it. She wasn’t spending much time around Jeremy either, but whenever he agreed to spare her a few minutes, the laptop was always along.

  Jeremy joined Neil in the shadows.

  Now both of her moody males were staring at the sisters, and something inside Samantha flipped. They were wondering if the other females could satisfy them, could replace their need.

  Can they get away so easily? Sam asked herself. Do I care?

  Her feet moved. Yes, but only because of her ego. It allowed her to be smoother than she’d planned to be as she stopped by the six females.

  Leslie noticed her first, and dropped her head. Sam didn’t give the others time to react. “If I ever see it, hear it, or hear of it happening again, I’ll go to Adrian personally. Using dirty tactics to make the Eagles think you’re hard won’t fly with these men, ladies. They’ll know the difference the first time Angela breaks your nose and you quit.”

  Samantha leaned back a bit, hands loose and ready. She thought she’d probably win, but was hoping it wouldn’t come to a fight. She didn’t want to hurt any of them, and with these odds, she would. Anything less would guarantee a loss and Sam just wasn’t wired to take that. It was something she’d never known about herself before the war. She loathed losing–anything.

  “It won’t happen again.”

  The others stared at Leslie in surprise, and Samantha hoped it was genuine regret in her words as she faced her friends. Leslie was tall and blonde–the platinum kind that came from a bottle–and Sam didn’t consider her competition. Her beautiful nails and lightly painted face didn’t last through a single lesson with the Eagles. She always looked like the rest of them when it was over.

  “I want to talk to you guys about some things,” Leslie said.

  Sam wanted to hang and observe, but left instead. Leslie’s expression said they would welcome her into their sister group; maybe even give her the lead. It was tempting to the glory-seeker inside, but to the Eagle, it was forbidden and Samantha would never cross that line.

  Neil and Jeremy were helpless to stare as Samantha walked by, both revealing enough need to make each of the six sisters feel dismissed. Samantha didn’t notice, but the men did. Other women suffered in comparison. They watched her head confidently for the parking area, where their team was loading up for the hunting trip.

  “Is she going where I think she is?”

  Neil stared, heart thumping. She had to know who had duty over the run. “Yes.”

  Jeremy groaned, spinning for his tent to get the laptop he’d been using as a buffer. “It’s going to be a long morning.”

  “Yep,” Neil grunted, pushing his trooper hat back to watch her climb into the passenger seat of the truck being driven by Shawn. He grinned suddenly, catching a glimpse of her looking at him as she closed the door.

  “Maybe I can make that easier on you, buddy.” Neil hit the button on his belt. “Permission to switch out?”

  “If you have to,” Adrian allowed with a frown in his tone.

  “Jeremy out, Samantha in.” There was a stunned silence for all of five seconds and Neil held himself in place, waiting.

  “It’s your funeral.”

  Jeremy sounded relieved.

  “Copy the switch.” Adrian now sounded amused.

  Neil glanced at Samantha, hoping to have drawn even anger, but it didn’t appear that she’d noticed.

  Neil’s shoulders slumped. “It is gonna be a long damn day.”

  Inside Shawn’s truck, Samantha chuckled. She was studying Neil through the mirror. So he was ready to play again, was he?

  Behind her, Neil’s team also snickered. They liked the idea of her and their team leader, but they couldn’t imagine her sitting around the fire with him as the other couples did. She wasn’t that type.

  Neil was thinking about her words. She didn’t want any strings, only to spend time together when the mood struck. It felt so much like something a man would set up that his mind wouldn’t even let him consider it for more than a few seconds at a time. She wanted him–as a whore.

  Neil’s body twitched at the thought of being Samantha’s relief source. Sharing, no. Her occasional contact? In a heartbeat. The only problem was, it wouldn’t be enough for him.

  2

  “Someone will find out. It’s too soon.”

  “It’s covered.” Adrian was patient, teaching mode firmly in place. “Today’s training says flame throwers and shotguns, and the radio had elevator music playing.”

  They also had smoke detectors on the perimeter to keep the camp from being so twitchy. The next time a wildfire wanted to trap them, they’d have more than a two-minute warning. Another of the effects was for Adrian to tell each Eagle team to choose a member to send up as their medic. During the height of the chaos, John, Anne, and Angela hadn’t been able to keep up with the flow of injuries. They had to have more doctors.

  Nervous, Angela studied the targets, not sure she could do what he wanted. The only time she’d done this, she was in danger, and having Marc’s eyes on them didn’t help. He was her shadow.

  “Angie?”

  She met Adrian’s eye, her own baby-blues narrowing. “Yes?”

  Adrian snapped his mouth shut, understanding the challenge he’d been about to offer (Marc’s method) was off-limits. Fine. Honesty was better anyway.

  “Yes, it is. Give me a minute, and I’ll try.”

  Adrian waited, again thinking she was so much more than he’d hoped for. It was crazy the way she could keep up with him and the others here, but none of them really knew what she might be capable of in time. Safe Haven held a lot of power now, but Angela was the strongest.

  Angela dug deep, finding the fear and loathing that she’d experienced during the wolf attack, when Max had shown her that fire could save them. When she began to mutter, deep orange flames immediately spun out of her fingers and began to travel up her hands.

  Angela heard Adrian moving for the extinguishers and slung her arm toward the first tree in a bit of a panic.

  Tiny flames glided through the air to dissipate with the light breeze.

  Angela drew out another handful of fire, and lingered with it, realizing it wasn’t burning her. She threw again, harder this time.

  The fire died out before reaching the tree, and Adrian gave an instruction as she pulled more for a third attempt. “Try to shape them before you throw.”

  Angela paused, looking at him with power-filled eyes that roiled like an ocean. “Will you do something, too?”

  Adrian heard the note of worry. She was oozing unease at this display.

  Angela snorted, slinging her arm again. “Unease. Yeah, let’s go with that.”

  The flame ball sprayed the lower branch and trunk, but didn’t catch.

  Angela hated these weaknesses that he found and drew out, but each one they conquered healed something inside her. It was worth the pain.

  “What would you like me to do, Angie?”

  “What can you do?” she countered.

  Adrian’s eyes flashed. “More since you came.”

  “Like what?”

  Adrian’s hand rose toward the bottom of the first tree, and Angela heard the raw hum of power that she’d been so certain no one else put off but her.

  It vibrated from the leader, causing the bubble above them to ripple with a fresh blast of golden color. The tree he was aiming for, however, began to crack and wither, falling into splinters.

  Angela turned to him in confusion as the tree died, and found him staring at her injury.

  “I kill. It’s what I was put here to do.”

  “You also create!” she retorted, shaken by his demonstration.

  Adrian thought of the blood on his hands and slid them into
his pockets. “I’m a necessary evil for this new world. Later, when things have calmed, someone purer will take my place.”

  “Purer?”

  Adrian sighed. “Right there, and you can’t see.”

  He leaned against a tree that wasn’t in their target zone. “Why do you think we need female Eagles so badly?”

  “Survival, the future.”

  “But for what role? Why can’t it stay like it is now, with two separate halves of an army that can come together when needed?”

  Angela had to think about that one and she did it while pulling the flames forward. They wound around her in a sensation of dangerous warmth and addictive power.

  Angela brought her other hand up to form a ball, rolling slightly, and the fire curved into the perfect sphere of her palm. She threw it like a baseball, hitting the next mold-covered tree in the lower branches. The flames shot upward, cracking and cackling in gleeful release. But it didn’t take the tree down, quickly burning out on the mold.

  “Again.”

  Angela obediently pulled more fire, stifling a yawn. She used up energy fast doing physical magic. She wondered briefly if Marc would mind being drained tonight and flushed at the thought. No, he wouldn’t.

  The flames in her palm weren’t hot, though there was no mistaking the heat coming from them. Angela stared at the fire for a long moment, trying to banish her fear of burning alive.

  When she tossed it, a streak of Adrian’s golden light went flying by to merge with her ball of flame. It hit the tree in one huge blast, showering enough heat to send the moldy pine up in heavy orange and black plumes. It burnt quickly, snapping and cracking loudly.

  Angela understood in a blinding flash. “There’s no limit to the damage we can do when we throw together!”

  Adrian had to swallow the praise. He was too emotional to deliver even a single personal remark without crossing a line. “Yes. There are harder days coming, and we’re going to need everything we can gather. That means magic, as much as beans and bullets.”

  Angela gave him what he needed, scared but willing. “I conquered the Eagles. Give me a timeline to get the camp to accept me for what I really am…and behind me, the rest of us.”