The Life After War Collection

by Angela White

  “Then it won’t matter much, except that you’ll be happier.”

  Samantha’s frown returned. “And maybe forgive you in time?”

  Adrian took the suture. “I’d settle for not being considered a snitch.”

  Sam realized she’d gotten under his skin with that remark. She didn’t apologize.

  Adrian would have been surprised if she had. He pinched the end of the seeping wound together and inserted the needle a quarter inch below, piercing both layers at the same time to make it faster. As he pulled the thread through and tied the stitch, Samantha’s breathing became shallow and the strong hum of descendant energy filled the small enclosure.

  Samantha listened. “Someone else survived. I can hear them screaming.”

  A bit creeped out that she wasn’t reacting to the stitches, Adrian tried to hurry and finish before her magic did. “Can you tell where?”

  Samantha shoved into the darkness with the person, shaking at the fear. “It’s a man… He’s alone under something. There’s no light, but he can hear someone.”

  Adrian snipped the stitch and took the second finished suture from her icy hand. “What sounds are they making?” Adrian pinched the skin tighter as the blood came out faster, sticking the needle through with a grimace.

  “Clinks…clank…a step…”

  Adrian tied the stitch and wiped his bloody hand down his shirt to clean his grip for threading the last suture he needed. “Keep going, Samantha. Stay with them.”

  “Stay with who?!” Neil stomped into the enclosure. “What are you doing in here?!”

  “Shut up!”

  Neil stared in shock at Samantha’s witch glaring through her eyes. He’d never viewed it before.

  Adrian pinched the skin together as Neil came over.

  “There was a shout… Someone kicked something and it rolled very close to where the man is.”

  Adrian inserted the needle for a final time and tugged the thread through, aware of Neil’s growl. He didn’t let the anger rush him. Samantha didn’t need to go through this again.

  “He heard Charlie!”

  Adrian tied the stitch. “We have someone trapped on the crushed level where Charlie is right now.”

  Neil realized Adrian expected him to handle it. “Hey–”

  “Don’t wake the boss!” Adrian controlled his anger, snipping the stitch. “We have a lost sheep alive under a rubble pile. Get to it!”

  Neil spun out of the tarp with his fists clenched.

  Samantha tensed as Adrian wiped the blood from around the wound. The pain was back. “Thanks.”

  “For Neil or the leg?”

  “Neither.” Samantha handed him the half-used tube of antibiotic ointment. “For never doubting me when I’ve told you something like that.”

  Adrian placed a bandage over the wound and taped it into place without speaking.

  As he cleaned up the mess, Neil returned.

  Samantha waved him over. “Come sit by me and get the lecture out.”

  Neil advanced, giving Adrian a nasty glare. “You should have had a real doctor do it.”

  “The real doctor did, twice, but his glasses are still missing and he drops stitches and doesn’t notice it sometimes.”

  “One of the students, then.” Neil sat on the edge of the bed.

  “They’re sleeping. Adrian caught me out of bed and threatened to tell. I told him I’d yell and wake Angela. We’d compromised on him doing it.”

  Neil snorted at her. “Do you expect me to believe that?”

  Samantha shook her head. “No, you’re right. Let me try again.”

  Adrian ducked out while she had Neil distracted. He climbed the ladder to prepare a space. Neil was mad now. When he found out it wasn’t over yet, he would be–

  “No, you are not!”

  Adrian winced at Neil’s shout. Very unhappy.

  “Stop with the noise, Neil. You’re an Eagle. Act like it!”

  Daryl’s shout settled the floor into sullen submission and let Adrian continue toward the top. The women wanted to be with the rest of the camp even though they couldn’t be with their teams yet. Neil and Kyle would adjust.

  3

  All of the Eagles who didn’t have duty or couldn’t sleep were called to the crushed level to help search for the survivor. They were also joined by camp members. It was hard to get to sleep with all the noises, but those who were already out when it started didn’t appear to notice. Snoring echoed between every sound of shifting debris.

  “Over here!” Charlie dropped down near a large boulder. “He’s under here.”

  It took five of them to roll the large rock. None of them was positive how anyone could be alive underneath that, but they assumed the person wouldn’t live.

  It was a relief to discover a couch beneath the boulder. Upside down, the person was under it, moaning and groaning.

  “Lift it from the side.”

  “Be careful.”

  Eagles shined their lights as the couch was lifted, eager to discover who had been so lucky.

  David peered up at them, blinking from the glare of light. He didn’t speak, but he tried to sit up.

  “Help him.”

  David grimaced as joints popped and muscles protested. He had been underneath the couch for days, listening to the camp around him while starving. His Eagle kit had kept him alive. He’d carried bottles of water and crackers. Both of those had run out yesterday.

  “Can you walk?”

  David shook his head. His knees were shaking.

  “Sit down over here. Someone get a student or the doctor to come up.”

  Eagles rushed off to collect medical personnel as David sat down on the boulder that had been imprisoning him. “What happened?”

  “There was an earthquake.”

  David peered around at all of the debris. “We’re in the cave?”

  It was obvious that he was dazed. The Eagles didn’t try to explain. They had pulled enough survivors out with head injuries to understand that it was a waste of their breath.

  “Why don’t you stay here with him?” Adrian gestured at Charlie. I need to make rounds in case someone is sneaking up on Angela while all of this was going on.

  “I’ll take care of it.” Charlie had no problem with the soldier staring at them in wary concern. He almost liked the man. It was a shame David wasn’t going to stay in the Eagles.

  Pulling someone alive from the rubble gave hope to the Eagles that there may be other survivors. They began to dig through the piles in earnest, all of them hoping despite knowing that almost everyone was accounted for now.

  Content that Charlie would be occupied for a while, Adrian went to the bottom level and tapped on the tarp. He stepped in to find Neil shoving Samantha’s belongings into bags and pockets. Neil had put guards to work digging for the survivor, David, then came straight back to Samantha.

  Samantha was on the bed, also gathering the items that she could reach into a bag or her pockets. Adrian realized she had laid the law down and was glad that he didn’t have to sneak around between Neil’s anger, but he would have. Samantha’s opinion meant a lot to him. Neil’s did too, but not as much as the storm tracker. It wasn’t because they were both descendants, however. It was because Samantha would come to trust him again in time. He didn’t believe Neil ever would.

  Adrian lifted a brow at Samantha. “I can take his place on duty for a while if you like.”

  “No. Neil’s taking a load up since he’s due on the top floor in five minutes. You and I will handle the rest.”

  Adrian ducked out of the flap before Neil could get nasty. Samantha and Jennifer did need to be with the camp, especially since Jennifer had been named heir. If she was kept away from the herd, it would cause resentments and not just among the camp members, but also among the descendants. Even though her future was scheduled, favoritism and other jealousies could ruin it. Jennifer would have to be careful to earn the position that she was being gifted with.

&nbs
p; “I will.”

  Adrian jumped out of his skin.

  Jennifer snickered. She had been standing by the tarp, waiting for Adrian to emerge. “I’m going up too.”

  Adrian grinned. “Both Special Forces men pissed at me at the same time. Sounds like fun.”

  Jennifer stared at him in mock seriousness. “Don’t worry. Sam and I will protect you.”

  Adrian groaned. “I’m in deep shit.”

  4

  Kyle’s attention was drawn to the entrance of the mess as Jennifer walked by. A few seconds later, Adrian followed, carrying Samantha. Both women waved.

  “What the hell?” Kyle gestured Peter into his position and went to track down the small convoy. He found them on the top level, where Adrian was making a small nest for the two girls in the far corner of the reading room. Instead of yelling like he wanted to, the mobster observed. All the old resentments were hitting him hard, but so were the memories. Adrian helping the two rookie females brought flashes of Angela’s training. That had angered a lot of folks. Kyle hadn’t agreed with the consensus until he fell for Jennifer and she decided to join Adrian’s army. If he wasn’t so in love with her, he doubted that he would be upset with Adrian for taking an interest in the females who needed attention that their men didn’t have the time or energy to give. Including me.

  Kyle perched in the doorway, letting go of his anger. Neil will have plenty of that for both of us.

  Kyle barely finished the thought when Neil came stomping through the corridor with a small kit from the mess. Neil shoved it into Kyle’s hands. “They need that.”

  Neil went in the other direction, determined to do his job and not cause another scene. He didn’t care about waking the herd and he didn’t care about Marc or Angela’s anger either. What he cared about was Samantha’s disappointment. Neil couldn’t take hurting her like that. She wanted to be up here, so he would accept it, but for right now, he needed to stay away from her so he didn’t voice his opinion again. In Neil’s mind, he wasn’t allowed to be happy with Samantha because it would be an insult to Jeremy’s memory. The only way he could live with this was if he forgot the man entirely, but Samantha wouldn’t ever do that. Jeremy’s son would be told about his father daily and Neil would suffer in comparison to the glowing hero who had died. This isn’t what I signed up for.

  I know the feeling. Angela was leaning against the wall, studying him with sleepy annoyance. “We need to talk.”

  Neil stiffened. “I don’t have anything to say to you.”

  “Because you believe I picked you over Jeremy and let him die in your place?”

  Neil paled. He’d been able to hide that from Samantha.

  “I didn’t pick between you, Neil. Fate did.” She motioned toward where Marc was coming up the ladder from checking on the water problem. They’d both gotten up at the shout. “The same as with my men.”

  Neil watched Marc and Adrian share tired glances that weren’t hateful but also weren’t friendly. “So it’ll blow up right about the time they’re getting along in their need to service the queen?”

  Angela tensed at the insult and the truth. “You’re a coward, Todd O’Neil. You’d be one even if Jeremy had lived. Don’t blame your weak character on me. I’ve proven who I am.” Angela headed for the weapons chamber and the soothing bliss of Marc’s arms.

  “I’m not scared of staying and doing my duty.”

  “But you are. You’re terrified that Samantha will always love Jeremy’s ghost more than you and you’re scared that she’ll need someone else to fill his place because it’s clear that you can’t.”

  Neil wanted to deny that, to scream all the ugliness in his mind, but he couldn’t. She was right about all of it.

  “It’s called being human.” Angela slipped by Marc, ignoring Adrian. “We all have flaws and weaknesses. Don’t let a horrible loss destroy the progress you’ve made in no longer being a tight-ass who has to be perfect to have friends or a mate. That’ll drive her away faster than you can imagine.” Angela shut the makeshift door Marc had erected earlier, too tired to say more or worry over the conversation about to take place. Fate had control now. She had surrendered it the moment her unborn baby stopped living.

  Angela cried herself to sleep.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Bad Vibes

  1

  Adrian and Marc glowered at Neil. They’d caught it all, including Angela’s pain, but after their anger was a blank slate. What could they say to Neil that would matter or even change his mind?

  Neil stared back without remorse. He didn’t have room for it. There was a hope that someone could help him, but with the gaping hole in his heart, he couldn’t snap into the man they’d known before Jeremy’s death.

  Adrian walked away, muttering about men who had the whole world in their hands and didn’t know what to do with it.

  Marc let Neil process some of what he’d been hit with. Marc hated all the awful moments that came with becoming a better person, but there was no denying that Neil needed one of those now. “You think it’ll be easier without all of us reminding her of Jeremy.”

  Neil was ashamed and angry. “It would be.”

  “Probably.” Marc waited, trying to time his advice to a moment where Neil would be able to accept it.

  “What if I don’t want your advice?”

  Marc stared in surprise. “You caught that?”

  Neil snorted bitterly. “It rubs off, remember?”

  Marc grinned. Being around three descendants all the time would have driven him crazy before he’d acknowledged his own gifts. With Samantha and their twins, Neil was going to learn a lot about magic.

  Neil tried to push aside the anger, missing his friends–all of them. “What’s the advice?”

  “Take a vacation with her. When the passage opens, skip the next fight and locate Seth. Hang out for a couple weeks and discover if it’s what you’d prefer.”

  “Why would you suggest that?” Neil studied him in confusion. “Everyone else is thinking I should tough it out and suck it up because I didn’t die in his place. Some of them even wonder if I asked Angela to do it because I couldn’t stand the competition. Do you know how that hurts?”

  “How the camp views you has always been your drive. You liked being the hero. You liked all the attention. So did Samantha.”

  “So?”

  Marc snorted at the sarcastic response. Angie was right. Neil was terrified. “A vacation would let you make a better choice. If you don’t want to fight for a place in the spotlight anymore, you’ll know it while you’re out in the wilderness.”

  “How?”

  “You’ll miss us or you won’t.”

  “So if I miss this hellhole, it means I still want to serve and fight?” Neil let out a nasty curse.

  Marc didn’t rise to the bait. “That attitude right there tells me you already know what you want, but you’re scared of it.”

  “She’s right.”

  “Yeah. That’s been a pattern with Angie.” Marc put a hand on Neil’s slumped shoulder. “We’re all scared in some way. I’m afraid she’ll go to the traitor now that I’ve stopped fighting whatever it is that she needs. Doug is terrified he won’t be able to raise his new sons without Peggy and Hilda. Shawn is afraid he’ll be stuck with Missy forever and never be forgiven for his mistakes with Tara. We all fight our private fears daily. You’re not alone.”

  Neil absorbed those words and then asked a question he hoped Marc wasn’t ready for so he would get honesty. “What does Angela fear?”

  “Wow.” Marc rotated toward the weapons room. “Right now? Damn. She cried herself to sleep again. I hate it when she does that.” Marc sighed, turning back to his friend. “She’s afraid of losing so many inhabitants that we won’t recover, even if we’re on the island. She fears being hated. She’s also scared of being burnt in her sleep by some of you and then burning in hell.”

  Neil’s shame grew. “She shouldn’t feel that way about some of it.”
>
  “Yeah, but which parts?” Marc shrugged. “We all have different opinions on that.”

  “Don’t we have all the traitors now?”

  “Traitors? Yes. Scared citizens who’ve come to hate magic for any reason?” Marc glanced toward the chambers where uneasy snoring echoed. “We have a mountain of them. None of us are safe here.”

  “That’s why you want us to go.” Neil hadn’t realized the council was in danger.

  “Yes. Because of Samantha’s injury, she’s a weaker target. Lying low until she recovers is a good idea.”

  “Did you give that advice to Kyle?” Neil couldn’t help being snarky. It felt like Marc was pushing him out of camp.

  “I am. And yes, I did.”

  Neil tried to think through the anger and the shame, but the new fear refused to be ignored. “I thought we had all the traitors.”

  “So did I, until listening to Jennifer’s prediction. It could get bad for all of us, but mostly for Eagles like you who will have to shoot camp members. In some cases, families may turn on each other.”

  “To control magic?”

  “To wipe it out.” Marc kept his voice down. “As soon as we hesitate to hurt them, they’ll overwhelm us. Give Samantha a gun. Make sure she understands that she has to use it, not to trust people with a hand out.”

  “I will.” Neil felt survival instincts rise up to replace the heavy shame and breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll speak to her tonight–quietly.”

  “Use hand signals if you can. Angie’s going to declare magic use forbidden, I think, until we’re out of here. She hopes it will calm the herd.”

  “She expects trouble when the tunnel opens.” Neil hadn’t thought about that either, despite hearing conversations between the folks on the bottom level with Samantha and the other wounded.

  “Before that. As soon as we begin digging, impatience and mistrust will ripple through these corridors and take a final cut. Don’t leave Samantha alone when we start digging. Stay with Kyle and Jennifer, no matter what happens. Angela wants Samantha with her for the battle.”

  Neil paled as another theory snapped into place at Marc’s revelations. “It was supposed to be her, right? Not Jeremy?”