Claimed: Faction 3: The Isa Fae Collection

by Heather Hambel Curley

  He pulled me to my feet and slid his hand to my waist, gently guiding me away from the group. “By the way, what’s your sister doing?”

  “Getting sunburned. She says she’s looking for radiation.” I hesitated. If anyone could sense it, it would be Soleil, but that wasn’t exactly easy to explain to everyone else. “I don’t know how a person finds radiation. She’s strange.”

  He made a noncommittal noise in his throat. His hand was still at my waist and he somehow seemed nervous, like he was still mentally reviewing what he’d prepared to say. When he spoke, it came out in a rush, “So, Tone and I have the south wall pretty well reinforced. I’m not sure what else we can do to keep people out.”

  “I thought your idea was damn good. It’s not exactly a wall, but the setup will at least give us some noise and a head’s up people are coming.” We didn’t actually have anything to fortify our park, but a system of rocks, debris, and spider holes would be enough to give us time to be prepared. No more sneaking up on us. “It’s better than nothing.”

  “It could be better.”

  “It’ll work. I know it.”

  He smiled at me, gently moving his hand from my waist to my arm. His fingers were gentle against my wrist and fingers; he easily wove his fingers around mine. “And I was thinking, you know, with all the concerns we have with other groups out there…I really think you should stay with me. In my trailer. I mean, Soleil can come too because there’s plenty of room. But…um…I just think it would be better. And besides, Lyta and Peter are going to room together for now. Tone…well, Tone declined but I think it would be good. Ah, to keep you safe.”

  I stifled a grin. “Are you asking me to move in with you?”

  “What? No. I mean.” His cheeks flushed and he opened his mouth to speak, then promptly closed it. “What I mean is, I want you to move into my trailer with me, because…I like you.”

  “I like you, too.”

  “Because, I mean, I know that this is pretty much the end of the world and we should just go with our emotions but—“ He stopped talking; his eyes widened. “You like me, too?”

  I laughed, swaying closer to him so our bodies brushed together. “Of course I do.”

  “Not just because I’m one of the three last men on Earth?”

  “That’s not confirmed.” I guided his hands around my waist, stepping as close as I could without actually standing on top of him. “It feels right being here.”

  He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners from the broad grin. “It’s fate. We were meant to be here. Together. An entire country and, yet somehow we find each out here…you could have walked anywhere, but you walked into my life.”

  I felt heat rise in my cheeks. He was rough; he had a hard exterior because he was a survivor, a killer. But he was also a scientist, he loved the stars and nature and, somehow, was a better man than anyone I’d known in my life.

  Pain seared across my forehead. I could feel our hands being ripped apart, the blood painfully pooling in my fingertips as he clung to me. Don’t let me go, Little Bird, hold on—

  I sucked in a sharp breath. His hands were still firmly wrapped around my waist.

  He didn’t seem to notice my mind had drifted. He touched his fingertips to my cheek and, softly, murmured, “Can I kiss you?”

  I nodded. This wasn’t a childhood dalliance like with Vaughn, ripping our clothes off and just pawing at each other to feel good. This was real, unequivocal love.

  His lips trembled; they were dry and crackled from dehydration. And yet, it was the sweetest, most romantic kiss I’d ever experienced.

  This was life.

  ****

  Avi’s trailer was a squat, square, cabin-like structure, with a gorgeous view of the mountains. The center portion of the house was an open floor plan: a nearly two-story high great room—kitchen to one side—with a floor to ceiling window and a stone fireplace. There seemed to only be one actual bedroom, since the other spare rooms consisted of a makeshift library and what may have been a parlor. The latter room was windowless, with an uncomfortable looking couch and tank full of dead fish.

  And of course, Soleil claimed that room as her own.

  Avi said, “Is she always like this?”

  “Annoying? Yes.” I awkwardly stood to one side of the bed, trying to lean against the sliding closet door and look casual. I probably looked like I was waiting for a bus. “We grew up in the same house but had vastly different upbringings. She’s the favored child, I’m the extra just in case something needs done.”

  “That sure as hell isn’t fair.” He sank down onto the bed and patted a spot next to him. “Please don’t think I’m trying to be judgmental, but how could your parents do that to you?”

  “Because I’ve rebelled against them since I was twelve and my sister is perfect.” I shrugged. “She doesn’t understand what it’s like to suffer or be miserable. Fuck, even when the Division ripped the world apart, my father carried her to the wagon and tucked her in a mound of blankets so she’d stay warm. You know what I did? I saddled the horse.”

  “Jesus.”

  I sucked in a sharp breath and rounded the bed to his side, perching on the edge beside him. “I got used to it.”

  “You shouldn’t have to get used to it. You need someone who will take care of you, who will worship the ground you walk on and treat you like you deserve.” He touched his fingertips to mine. “Like how I’d treat you.”

  “Let’s stop talking about my sister.” I scooted backwards and pulled my feet onto the bed, drawing my knees into my chest. “And more about us.”

  “I could always just show you.”

  Pain seared across my forehead; I drew in a sharp breath. Maybe he didn’t notice; maybe we could just get right back to what we were talking about…what things were leading to—sex. We were all going to die anyway. Why not be happy in the time we had left?

  But he noticed. Of course he noticed. He sat next to me, resting his hand on my arm, and leaned close. “If I’m moving too fast—“

  “No, no that’s not it. Trust me, I’m not shy.” I pressed the pads of my fingers to my forehead. “It’s these headaches, they show up at the most inopportune moments.”

  “Peter was pre-med. Maybe he can take a look.”

  “At my head? No, that’s okay.” I dropped my hands to his and smiled; I prayed it looked like a smile, because the pain was pulsing behind my eyeballs. The tears were going to spill at any minute. “It could be a thousand things. Dehydration, radiation, death. I’m not worried.”

  “You never know. He might say it’s a beautiful face.”

  I laughed. “I doubt that.”

  His smile broadened and he looked down at our intertwined hands. “I’ve, ah, I’ve seen planets and a thousand stars…but…I haven’t ever seen anything as beautiful as your smile.”

  My heart fluttered in my chest, the cadence surged out of rhythm by my adrenaline. I opened my mouth to answer him, but closed it almost as fast—how do you respond to something like that?”

  “We can take things slow.” He squeezed my hands and brought my knuckles to his lips. “And when you’re ready, we can go further.”

  I felt my cheeks redden, the heat building across my face. “What if there’s no time to take it slow?”

  He leaned forward and pressed his lips to my forehead, then worked his way down to kiss away my tears. “Then we’ll take what time we have and use it to our full advantage. Whenever and whatever you want. I promise.”

  And in that moment, as his lips found mine, all the pain, all the terror, seemed worth it. It brought me to him.

  Thirteen

  I couldn’t remember sleeping this well. Ever. Snuggled in Avi’s arms, his face pressed against the back of my neck, I was in complete bliss. No worries or food and water, no fear over the unknown. None of it mattered. He was my rock and my protector. Over the course of less than a week, we were best friends.

  I was falling in love with him.

&nbs
p; Unlike sleeping with Vaughn, who pawed and groped and tried to shove his junk between my ass cheeks, Avi was a gentleman. We’d talk in the dark, we’d sometimes kiss and touch, but he never pushed me further than I wanted. We were taking it slow, he’d say, and I was okay with that. Somehow, it was old-fashioned and romantic. I liked that.

  And then the dreams started.

  They were innocent enough at first: me sitting on the floor in front of a fireplace. I was alone…but at the same time, I knew I wasn’t. My wrists throbbed and, looking down, I could see blood pooling on my lap.

  Even though I knew I was sleeping soundly, my brain was wracked with visions of this same house; cold and empty, with hardwood floors and wallpaper patterns I couldn’t quite make out. Deep down, I knew I was looking for someone. My soul yearned for him.

  And then I was walking behind him, down a corridor hewn out of solid stone. I could see myself running to catch up with him, glancing over my shoulder to see if they were still behind us. My blood was surging, my pulse racing. I’d lay down my life to save yours. It was supposed to be like this—you’ve saved my soul.

  No, you can’t. This is her fault, she did this.

  I saw green eyes, a sweet smile. His touch was warm against my icy flesh and he held me tight against him, his lips searching out mine in the dark. Breathe. I was unbuttoning his shirt and running my hands across the tattoos on his chest, down his arms…and staring into those eyes. They were so beautiful, it was as if green sea glass had melted into over a pure black stone. I couldn’t take my eyes away.

  And he was gone.

  There was blood everywhere. I beat my fists against a wooden door until my hands bruised purple and blue, I screamed until my voice was grating. They wouldn’t bring him back. I was about to die and they wouldn’t bring him back—

  I bolted up in bed, swinging my arms out in front of me to hit the door again. It was a dream. It wasn’t real, the green-eyed man wasn’t real. I wasn’t prisoner somewhere. I was here, in bed, with Avi. I was fine.

  But it felt real.

  I dragged my hand across my face to dry the tears. My heart was racing; my pulse was pounding so hard it was probably making my neck twitch. It was getting worse. It was bad enough to wake up with an orgasm because of some dream man’s intimate touch, but this vision scared the shit out of me.

  “It’s not a vision, asshat, it’s a dream. They happen.” I pressed my cheek against Avi’s shoulder, and closed my eyes. What I’d seen wasn’t real…it was just my wild imagination. It was obvious, since there were no stone hallways or heavy oak doors here. Just particle board shit.

  A shudder wracked my body. I’d heard screaming on the other side of the door; it felt so lifelike. It sounded real.

  The screaming started agin.

  I opened my eyes. Soleil.

  The bedroom door burst open and blue light lit up the room, illuminating the tangled sheets on our bed—and the men bolting across the floor to us.

  I opened my mouth to scream, but the effort was cut off almost immediately. The first attacker flung himself at me and slammed me back against the bed. He was strong; he was trying to grab my hands, trying to wrench them up above my head.

  I squirmed, I bucked my body against him to try and wriggle out of his grasp. “Let me go—Avi! Goddamn it, get off of me!”

  The man grabbed me by the throat and shoulder. He yanked me over onto my stomach and pressed his knee into my lower back, digging right into spine. I shrieked. White hot pain shot down my legs and up my spine; it was like his weight was crushing the bone.

  Digging his fingers into my hair, he jerked my head back. HIs breath was hot and foul against my ear, spittle sprayed against my face “Fool me once, shame on you.”

  “Fuck you.”

  He yanked my hair harder. “They told us to kill ya, but they didn’t say nothing about mounting you first.”

  Bile bubbled up in my throat. I could see Avi on the floor, his attacker punching him in the head. Over. And over.

  And over again.

  Avi looked dazed, almost confused. He wasn’t fighting back. The thought hit me like a slap to my own face: we were going to die. They’d taken us by surprise; they were going to do their worst to us and then, after all that, they’d kill us.

  “Wren!” Soleil was screaming across the hall. I could hear the tone in her voice; she knew it, too.

  I gasped out, “Harder.”

  His hold on my hair relaxed, just enough, and he leaned forward like he was trying to hear me better. The movement angled his face near my shoulder.

  I jerked my body to the side and thrust my hand forward into his head. Energy burst out of my hand and into his face and neck; his body lobbed through the air and slammed into the bedroom wall.

  I flinched when I heard his arm bone snap. It reminded me of breaking a dead, dry branch over my knee as a child. That was the extent of the sympathy he was going to be from me.

  Springing up to my feet, I jumped off the bed and threw myself at Avi’s attacker. My hands were outstretched, I could picture the skin ripping from his flesh as my energy burst hit him. Bastards. Every last one of them.

  The force of the blast was almost enough to knock me down, but the only wobble was on my pitiful landing. My ankle rolled, but I stayed upright. Nothing was going to stop, though, I wasn’t going to let this happen. Not again.

  Using energy to hold him down, I sidestepped over to Avi. “Are you good?”

  “I’ve alive—somehow. The fucker tried to slit my throat.” His neck was bleeding and his hair was sticking out in several different directions, but he looked okay. He was alive. “Did he hurt you?”

  “No.”

  Avi scrambled to his feet and grabbed the knife. “I’ve got this. Check your sister.”

  “Avi—“

  “Go, Little Bird.” He yanked the attacker up by the throat and held the blade to his jugular. “Now.”

  I turned on my heel and ran out of the room; the man’s whimper as Avi slashed his throat was audible. The faint glow from the raider’s light sticks was enough to illuminate my path to my sister.

  She threw her arms around me, bowling me over into the wall. “I woke up after they’d passed, they didn’t see me. Or they didn’t care, it was like they were just after you.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “They were after you, Wren.”

  “Soleil, it’s fine.” I held her out at arms length and looked her over. What was I looking for? A hair out of place, the sparkle in her perfect eyes just not as bright as normal? “I handled it.”

  “You—you handled it?” Her eyes widened even more. I didn’t even know that was possible. “Wren, good god, you didn’t. You said we had to hide—we had to keep our powers to ourselves. You said it was to keep us safe!”

  “Soleil, calm down—“

  “No, I’m not going to calm down.” She jerked away from me and stumbled a few steps backward. “Are you screwing him too? This is how it always is with you. You find someone to hump on and then all of a sudden, that’s all that matters.”

  “Don’t make this my fault, Soleil.”

  “It is your fault! How can it not be your fault? You showed him. You showed him because you fall in love with anyone who smiles at you. You’re a slut, Wren, a whore. We’re all going to die because of you.”

  “That’s enough.” Avi was behind me; I turned in time to see him tucking the knife into his belt. His pants were covered in blood. “You’re not going to die, Soleil. I’m not going to let that happen.”

  “But you know what we are.”

  “Do I?” He slid his hand to my shoulder, his eyes running over my body. “You’re okay. I just need to be sure you’re okay.”

  “I’m fine. I’m…look, you have to understand. We didn’t tell you for a reason.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “Please.” Soleil grabbed a hold of his arm. “Please, we’re not what people say. We aren’t running around kidnapping and waiting
children or casting curses on anything that moves.”

  “No, what I mean is, I don’t care what you are. I care about her.” Avi pried Soleil’s hand off of his wrist and smiled at me. “I’ll protect you”

  I grabbed a hold of his hand, my fingers sliding against the wet blood still clinging to his palm. “Don’t tell the others what we are. Please…I…I know you trust them, but I don’t want anyone to take advantage of us for what we are. Or, what they think we should be.”

  Avi cupped my cheek and gently caressed me with his thumb. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you, Wren. I swear. I’ll protect you up until my very last breath.”

  Fourteen

  “We’re vulnerable.” Avi crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the squat, white trailer we’d abandoned in the middle of the night. As far as I knew, the bodies of our attackers were still inside.

  “Yeah, we’re also tired as fucking hell.” Peter slapped his hands against his thighs and huffed into his wispy bangs. “So, newsflash: everyone wants our shit. What do you expect us to do? Move on? Because, hell no.”

  “I agree with Peter. Mostly.” Lyta hesitated. “They all want what we have. The trailers, the water.”

  Peter crossed and recrossed his legs. “So, that leaves us…where? Exactly?”

  “We’d be a lot better off if you all would shut up.” Tone hunched over an old radio, the back splayed open, a tool in each hand easing the gears around. Or something, I couldn’t actually tell what he was doing. “We’ve dealt with this before.”

  “But not to this extent.” Avi dragged his fingers through his hair; he groaned. “I think it’s the same group. But maybe not, I just didn’t expect another attack so fast. And all of our traps and all our planning? It was shit.”

  Tone leaned closer to the radio. “I told you, man.”

  “I don’t want to be the one to say this.” Lyta glanced around the group, her eyes lingering on Soleil. “But none of this happened—not to this extent—until these two got here.”

  Avi shook his head. “No. That’s bullshit. This would have happened if they were here or not—and if they weren’t, we’d have died without the water. We need them.”