Gunther came over and leaned in closely. “Where’s everyone else?”
“Back at the bunker.”
“What happened?”
“We made it to the well pump, and I decided we should hit up Cora’s bunker for the night, then head back first thing in the morning. I lay down on the couch and fell asleep. Next thing I know, I’m being dragged up and Mara is grabbing my dick.”
“What?” He seemed just as confused about the situation as I was.
“She was grabbing at me and I was pushing her away. In the struggle, she managed to unzip my pants and the whore grabbed me.”
“Wow…”
“Yeah. I kept shoving her off, but it only turned her on. It was mental. She somehow managed to get her mouth on me. I shoved her off again, only for her to rake her teeth down me. I was finally able to get my shit zipped up, grabbed my stuff, and headed out of the bunker.”
“What the hell is her issue?”
“Eli said she has been plotting for a while now, wanting to get me alone.”
“Got one!” Jane shouted when she found an old prescription inhaler from a former student.
“It may be too late,” Lauren cried. She tugged at Eli, trying to sit him up. I jumped up and grabbed him when she struggled. He was listless and weaving in and out of consciousness. “Eli! Wake up! We have an inhaler!” Lauren grabbed it from Jane, shook it with vigor, then pumped it into his mouth. “Come on, Eli!”
He struggled to suck in what little air he could. After a few seconds, he seemed to calm down a bit, so she pumped more medication in. I had no idea if it was a good plan, but the alternative wasn’t what we wanted. Lauren was doing everything she possibly could to keep him alive.
“How did he get like this?” Jane snarled.
“I left the bunker and he followed me out. We walked for a while, but I kept hearing noises. I handed him one of my guns and we walked on. Then we saw a huge fucking herd of them. I shot a couple and told him to run. He wasn’t keeping up and started having trouble breathing. I ended up just tossing him over my shoulder and taking off. Then I ran into Gunther, and here we are. Why didn’t anyone say he was asthmatic? I would never have brought him with me if I knew,” I grumbled.
“It hasn’t bothered him in a while,” Jane said with a sigh. “Where are the others?”
“At the bunker.”
“Will that herd still be roaming?”
“Probably,” I muttered.
“We have to go get them! Mara is there!” Jane yelled in a panic.
“We’ll go in the morning,” I retorted.
“But they can get them!”
“They are in a fucking bunker! They’ll be fine! We’ll go in the morning! No one is going back out there now.” I headed back over to Gunther, grumbling the entire way.
He leaned into me. “You going to tell her?” We glanced at Elaina standing just outside the door.
Scrubbing my face, I felt a bit ashamed about what had happened. “I’m going to have to. She’s going to freak out. Fuck…” I looked back at Eli when I heard him cough.
“Can one of you carry him back to his bed?” Lauren asked, tears running down her face. “I think between the inhaler and getting him to relax more, we can get this under control…I hope,” she whimpered, rubbing her belly.
Christ, I felt terrible about the whole epic disaster to fetch water.
“Yeah, I’ll grab him,” Gunther murmured. He scooped him up and we headed toward our respective rooms.
“Thomas! Chain it up! Go to bed,” I yelled down the hall. He acknowledged me with a wave.
Waiting at the corner of the hall, Elaina looked pale. I took her hand as we followed behind Gunther. “I told Josie to go to bed.”
“Good. Thank you.”
“Sorry I didn’t come back. I couldn’t watch someone else die. Is he okay?”
“I’m not sure. We’ll know more in the morning.”
“I’m so ready for bed,” she murmured.
“Me, too, love. I’m beat.”
Blinding me, she held the flashlight to my eyes. “You look a little faded. Are you in need?”
“Yeah. Sorry.”
“It’s fine, but I gave three to Gunther earlier. He wouldn’t take any from Quinn.”
“Then I’ll wait until the morning.”
“No, you won’t. I don’t want what happened to him to happen to you.”
“I’ll give him a bag,” Thomas said as he came up behind me.
“Thanks. I could use a bag. It’s been a while.”
The three of us ducked into our room. I hooked Thomas up and we waited in silence while he filled a bag. Once he was done, steady on his feet again, and out the door, I kicked back and had myself a midnight snack.
I spent the time trying to figure out how to tell Elaina about what happened. It blew my mind that she sexually assaulted me. Picturing her lips and hands on me made me feel so dirty and full of shame.
My mind drifted back to the program…the gun to my head, Roger making me do things that were nothing short of immoral. I had blocked it out of my mind, but thinking about what Mara did to me brought it all back. I had to shut it down quickly before I snapped.
Approaching the subject with Elaina would be difficult, but I knew I had to tell her sooner rather than later. It would have to wait until the next morning, though. I needed to get what Roger made me do, plus that whore’s filthy hands and mouth out of my mind.
Every time I swallowed, Elaina shuddered. When I finished, I lay on my back with my cap over my eyes. My thoughts quieted, Mara’s face faded, my feeling of shame and depravity retreated to the back of my mind, and Roger’s actions became a distant whisper. I shook free from the restraints, allowing myself to dive into the environment around me.
Elaina’s breathing.
Her small random movements—tucking her hair behind her ears, fingers fidgeting, parting lips.
Her scent was glorious, filling me with lust.
Vanilla.
She pulled off my hat, tossing it across the room. There I was, grinning like a moron, thinking back to when I was in my truck before we met, her stolen phone held tight to my nose, inhaling her vanilla scent.
“What are you doing?” I started laughing so hard, there wasn’t a single sound coming out of me. “Oh god. You’re completely fucked up, aren’t you?” I laughed harder, tears streaming. I even snorted a couple times, thinking of how ridiculous I must’ve looked. “What’s so funny?”
“I have no idea,” I lied, bursting out laughing even more.
“Okay… Really. What is so funny?”
“I have no fucking clue…” I wiped the tears from my cheeks and took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself.
“What am I going to do with you?”
I sat up on my elbows. “I have a few ideas…” I snickered a few more times as my eyes tried to focus on Elaina. She looked beautiful in the candlelight, even if there were three of her.
More to love.
“Oh, yeah? Do tell, Mr. Daniels.”
“I want to try something.”
“Oh no…”
“No worries, my love.”
My murmur drifted around us as I began feeling sentimental. I slipped off my hoodie and vest, then decided to shed my t-shirt. I was still feeling self-conscious about my body, but I was determined to get it back.
She stripped off her shirt and bra, making my zipper on my pants strain further. I stood, unbuckling my belt and cargoes. They dropped to the floor with a thud. My devious grin came out when she got up and dropped her pants, as well.
Bloody hell. Never has someone so beautiful walked this earth.
She stood before me, her long black hair sweeping over her naked breasts. I stepped back in an effort to soak all of her in. The luscious curve of her waist leading to her hips…
A perfect vision. No one could compare.
I grabbed her hand and made her do a turn, getting a look at the ass I simply adored. My h
and had a mind of its own, traveling around, enjoying the feel of her supple skin. I admit it. I was drooling.
I spun her back to face me, wanting a proper dance with my love. Well, as proper as a naked dance could get. I guided her to the center of our room, the cold tile unforgiving under the pads of our feet.
Humming a few bars of a Jon Legend song, I held her in my arms in the middle of our room. With one hand on her ass and the other clasping hers nestled between our chests, we moved effortlessly together.
In sync. As one.
I pulled her closer, singing the lyrics in her ear. Her body broke out into goose bumps. I was so glad I still had that effect on her because I thought I had lost my touch.
I dropped her hand and held her tight as we swayed in the shadow of our former selves. Her warmth wrapped around my body, holding me together as an uneasiness washed over me.
There was so much to fear, so much that she couldn’t even understand. Between the demons, the fresh sobriety, my life status, our future… There were so many things lined up, championing to be number one.
I hated living with a black cloud hovering over me. It made everything difficult…including love. Every minute of what was left of my life, I needed to work to restore her faith that I could be the man she dreamt me to be.
Grabbing her face with both hands, I made her look up at me, continuing to sing softly as I pressed my forehead to hers. With a slight smile, she gazed into my emeralds, enjoying our profound moment.
God, she was beautiful. Her perfect face, sensational eyes, rosy cheeks, pouty lip, the way her hair tickled my chilled skin, her naked body swaying and pressing against mine… It all had me reeling. I couldn’t ask for a better woman to hold in my arms.
Jon Legend had it right on the money. Elaina was my end and my beginning. The end of one tortured, empty life; the beginning of one raptured, satiated life. How could I not be with her standing tall with me? No matter what kind of world we lived in, she was everything to me. My life was only real with her. Without her, I would be coasting to my death, one discordant step at a time.
We made love far into the night, pushing all of our worries out of the room, out of our little world. I had never felt so connected to her before. We were stitching together our love, one touch at a time. It was amazing how far we had come, even though I destroyed all that we once had.
As I lay listening to her sleep, my fear of that fracture between us crept back into my mind.
Did she think it was still there?
Would she ever feel like it was repaired?
I couldn’t answer for her but, with every fiber of my being, I wanted to believe it was.
Chapter 32
Too quickly, morning had come and Elaina was jittery about me going back out to bring back the others. She watched me dress, meticulous about making sure my vest was just right under my long-sleeved shirt. I put on my hoodie and grabbed my cap.
“I’m going to go talk to Gunther, check on Eli, then I’ll take off. I’ll probably be taking Thomas with me, so I’ll need you available to stand watch.”
“Aye, aye, captain.”
With purpose, she stood on the bed, knowing she was completely naked. I took two short strides, grabbing her in my arms.
“I’m not going to be able to leave now,” I growled.
“Oh, control yourself, you horny toad.” I groaned as I bent down for a kiss. She fluttered her lashes, then added, “I just wanted to give you one last look so you have something to come back for.”
“Believe me, love, I’ll keep this picture in my mind until I get back. Then I’ll expect to take you again.”
She smirked and turned to get her clothes. Oh, that beautiful ass of hers. She bent over, swaying her hips to and fro, so I left a nice red handprint on her right cheek.
“Henry!” she yelped, rubbing the spot.
“What? I couldn’t help myself. When I get back, I want to talk about what day you want to marry. I think I have almost everything set.”
I think her heart skipped because mine did. I felt giddy it was really going to happen. Soon, hopefully, she would be Mrs. Daniels.
Once again, my thoughts became tainted with Mara and her wretched actions. Because of it, the course of our story may change, but I wasn’t ready to deal with that just yet.
God, I wanted to throat punch that bitch.
I grabbed my rifle. Nothing like a high-powered firearm to break me out of my dizzying thoughts.
“I’m sure whatever you have planned will be perfect,” she murmured with a smile. I gave her a peck on the cheek and headed out of the room.
Cursing up a storm, I stopped at Gunther’s room. The moment I knocked, he threw open the door, stepped out, and closed it without a sound.
“Hey. I’m going to grab Thomas and go back out to get the others.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“No. I need you here.” He sighed. “You still need to rest. You’re recovering, mate.” Gunther shook his head. “Is she up yet?”
“Not really. She’s had a rough morning. Been sick off and on. I had no idea being pregnant would make her sick like this. She can’t hold any food or water down. I feel guilty.”
In an attempt to reassure Gunther a little so he wouldn’t feel guilty, I said, “Claire was sick like that in the beginning, too. Poor bird was green for weeks. It’s normal, I guess.”
“Yeah. Go ahead and ask Josie to go with you. We should be fine here. I can keep it under control.”
“You sure? You think Quinn will be okay with that? She wouldn’t let me take her to go fetch water.”
He rubbed his face and put his hands on his hips. “Probably not. Damn it. Be right back.”
Gunther ducked back into his room to talk to Quinn, finding her with her head in the bucket again. After her last heave, she sat back and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
“Love…I hate to bother you, but Henry is about to leave to go get the others and I think he should take Josie with him. He’ll have Thomas, as well.”
She stared at him for a few moments, trying to process what he was saying, not realizing Henry had come back.
“I’d rather she didn’t. And what do you mean by ‘get the others’?”
“Last night, Elaina came and got me when she heard a lot of gunfire. I managed to get the truck started and found Henry, Eli slung over his shoulder, a couple miles out, running from a herd. But he can’t take Eli. He had a major asthma attack. In fact, I don’t even know how he’s doing.”
“You left last night without telling me?!” Gunther hung his head. “You could have been killed and I would have known nothing!” she bellowed.
“Quinn, please… I didn’t want to disturb you! You were sound asleep.” She glared at him. “Henry’s in a hurry to leave. Can he take Josie or not? He needs more people if there are a ton of them wandering about.”
“I’d rather he didn’t,” she snipped. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you left!”
Gunther sighed and stormed out of the room.
I was a little uncomfortable standing outside the door, witnessing the little spat between Gunther and Quinn.
He popped out of the room again, fury in his eyes. “That would be a negative. Go grab some from James’ crew.” I raised a brow at him. “I don’t know what else to tell you. She isn’t going to let her go.”
“Right. I’ll figure something out. Get some rest.” I poked him in the chest and stalked off toward Lauren and Eli’s.
When I lightly tapped on the door, a groggy Lauren answered. “Hey, Henry.”
“How’s he doing?”
“Touch and go. It was a rough night, but we finally got him settled and breathing better. He’s still wheezy, but much better. He’s sleeping, which should help. His asthma tends to be a response to emotional things.”
“Right. He was quite frightened last night. I’m glad to hear he’s doing better.”
Just as I started to walk off, Lauren called for m
e. “Henry?” I turned to look at her. “Thank you.” I nodded, feeling a little less guilty knowing Eli was managing.
I stopped at Thomas’ door and impatiently pounded on it. “Thomas! Thomas!” He finally opened it, still half-asleep. “Get dressed. You’re coming with me to get the others. Meet me in the cafeteria in five.”
Trudging down the hall, I passed the cafeteria and headed toward the other classrooms. I could hear a few people chattering behind the closed doors. I pounded on it, waiting for someone to answer.
I will freely admit that I never bothered to learn all the names of the group because I figured they would be out the door the day after I locked them in the gym. I’d been busy since.
A bloke in his mid-twenties answered. “What’s up?” he asked.
“I need a word with your people. Bring them out in the hall, please.” He glared at me for a moment. “I don’t have all fucking day. If you want James and Josiah back, hurry up!” The door slammed in my face, making me growl.
After a few minutes, and several laps back and forth in the hall, the door re-opened and they all filed out. They lined up on one wall and I stood across from them.
“I need at least two volunteers, preferably those who have experience with guns or knives.” As I studied each person, I realized I may look intimidating with all of my gear on, but I didn’t care. “I don’t have all fucking day! Two people!” I yelled. No one answered. “Fine. Fuck you all.” I stormed off.
“Wait!” I stopped mid-stride. “You will get more flies with honey than vinegar.”
I whipped around to find Savannah with a smug grin on her blasted face. “I don’t have time for your bullshit, Barbie.”
“I want my brother back!”
“Not worried for James?”
She scoffed. “Of course I am!”
“Then get some of your people to volunteer to help!”
“How about you ask politely?” I turned around and walked away. “Henry!”
Stopping once more, I muttered, “Fuck off, Savannah. I don’t know what you’re trying to prove, but you’re on my last nerve.” I stormed down the hallway and met Thomas at the cafeteria. “Looks like it’s just me and you, mate. Let’s go.”
Fractured Hearts (Shattered Lives, Book Three) Page 31