“I will be. I have to believe that we all will be.”
“Look,” she said. It was another sign leading to another shelter. She heard Devlin’s deep breath. “Should we check it out?”
“Yeah, no choice.” He squeezed her hand.
She breathed a sigh of relief as they approached the junior high school and could see people moving around the outside. Kids raced across the playground, there was a military truck with a satellite on top of it, two National Guard trucks, and several police cars.
They approached the building and Eva smiled at the female officer who walked over to greet them. They were no longer wearing jackets, making no attempt any more to hide they were armed, but they still weren’t showing just how armed they were. To the ninth degree.
The officer glanced pointedly at their visible weapons. “Hi, I’m Officer Borst. I understand why you need to be armed out here, but if you come inside you’re going to have to give up your fire power and the knife.”
Devlin had his sheath attached to his thigh. “Fair enough,” Devlin said then introduced them both to the officer. “We aren’t coming in, we’re trying to make our way home but we wanted to know if you had any news. We haven’t been able to get anything on the internet and phones or texts are hit or miss.”
“Yeah, it’s a bit better here. We have a satellite truck that’s boosting the signals and we’ve got an old fashion radio runs on batteries as well as electricity. We have a generator too. But I’m sorry to say the news isn’t good. Do you know about the tsunami?”
“Yes.”
“Most of the coastal areas are gone, still underwater but it’s receding so that’s the good news. The coastline won’t be the same but we won’t lose it all. LA is nothing but burnt out buildings but at least it’s not burning anymore. The fires are under control in most areas except for up North but travel on the main roads are null, some of the side roads are good but moving around is like going through a labyrinth. There are gorges in the road too wide to drive across, some you can’t even jump across or you have to travel a block or two to get around and a few overpasses and bridges are either clogged or damaged. It’s going to be a long ass time to clean this mess up, much less rebuild. We’re making plans to bus everyone from here to Arizona. Are you sure you don’t want to stay and move out with us? We’ve evacuated most of this area.”
“We’re sure. We have people waiting on us.” Devlin glanced over at her.
“What about aftershocks?” Eva asked.
“Nothing so far. But the science types can’t say for sure if we’re out of the woods. One might come tomorrow, next month or next year. They don’t seem to know.”
“When do you all plan on getting out of here?” Just as Devlin asked the question, a few dogs barked and a fight seemed to break out in the parking area several feet from them. Two men seemed to be fighting but some cops quickly broke things up and separated the men.
“What’s that all about?” Eva asked.
“The reason we’re moving out sooner rather than later. We’re waiting for two more buses from the military to get here and a bulldozer to help clear the roads for us. We’re going to caravan out, but we don’t have enough cars for people and fights have been breaking out. Someone said something about aftershocks and now everyone’s antsy to leave. Even if they don’t own the car, they’re trying to leave in. We’ve had to break up a few fights. People now know ‘help’ isn’t coming to them. We’re it. There won’t be a quick fix. They have to leave the area. Some people were trying to leave the camp, they are trying to get out of this part of California on their own. Those with cars are welcome to leave, but they don’t know which roads to travel on since GPS isn’t working well as well as blocked so most have decided to wait and follow the military buses coming. Others not so much.”
“Don’t envy you that,” Devlin said.
“The roads out of the state are also jammed again. The military’s been clearing any abandoned cars and turned the highways into one way roads heading east and northeast which is helping.”
“But meanwhile, you have to wait. When do you expect the busses? Devlin asked.
“They’re late, no surprise but they should be here in a couple of hours.”
Eva knew why he was asking. It was good they’d be leaving well before sundown. The farther they could get from the area, the better.
“Well, thanks for the information,” Devlin said.
“Yes and good luck,” Eva added.
“Thanks. Good luck to you two. Hey, you guys okay for supplies? Water? Food?”
“Yes, we’re fine.”
“Stay alert,” the officer added. “And keep those weapons handy.”
“You too, good luck,” Eva added.
Hand in hand, they walked away from the school.
“At least no soulless showed up there,” Eva said.
“Yeah, but we haven’t found Michael either. No sign of him. So far, we’ve only seen evidence of soulless but sighted none.”
“That’s strange, don’t you think? That we haven’t run into any last night? Though, I’m glad the soulless hadn’t run across that last group. Hopefully, if one remains in the area, they’d be long gone if they come back tonight.”
“Maybe they are around though. The fighting could be aggravated by the presence of one. I didn’t sense that to be the cause of the anger and frustration, back there. Did you?” Devlin asked.
She shook her head. “No. You’re right. It’s all natural. No outside influences necessary. Besides, that group is much better armed.”
“Yes, it might deter one bloodsucker but not two or three of them. Specially since they wouldn’t have any idea what they were really up against.”
Not a pleasant thought.
“Let’s head back.” They’d decided to take a different path back, to try to cover more ground. Devlin would check in with the others when he had a signal. They were heading back toward where they left the Jeep, hoping it was still there. But they’d have to find a place to rest up for a few hours. It would take hours on foot and avoiding some places to get back to the Jeep. Whoever got there first would wait on the others.
They took a different route back than the one they’d traveled but Eva was exhausted nonetheless. Even though Chroniclers were blessed with perfect health and great stamina, hers had been tested over the last few days. Her energy reserves were nil.
When she stumbled over a piece of debris Devlin grabbed her, steadying her. “Let’s check out that house over there,” he suggested.
There was a crack about three feet wide, three cars had taken nose dives into the break. Thank God, no bodies were in the cars. The crack ran straight down the street then veered off splitting the house on the end into two. They went to the house next door. The bay window on the side had crumbled there was a big enough gap they could climb through. Devlin used his backpack to knock off the edges of glass on the bottom, so they wouldn’t get cut. He crossed over first then helped Eva inside.
They entered into a room with a baby grand piano. It opened into a hallway and across from it was a dining area with a table and eight chairs around it, a China cabinet, and another serving table in there. Moving farther into the home, they saw a wide two story staircase on the right and a study to the left. There was another closed door. Going past the staircase, they saw a family room and beyond that area was an archway that led to a refrigerator, the kitchen.
“I’ll check upstairs,” Eva said. “You can finish checking down here and see what’s in the kitchen.”
Eva climbed the staircase and searched the second floor. There were four bedrooms up there. The chandelier in the master bedroom had fallen and crashed on the bed. She hoped no one was in it at the time. No blood, so hopefully not. The other rooms appeared fine, a few pictures had fallen off the walls, but the beds were clear and clean.
She joined Devlin downstairs. He’d set out some things for them in the breakfast nook. “I see you’ve been busy.”
&
nbsp; “Yeah, they had some good stuff. Shame for it to go to waste.”
“You don’t feel funny about helping yourself to other people’s stuff?” she asked. Opening the jar of olives, he’d placed on the table.
“In this situation, no. This stuff will spoil soon, everything in their fridge already has. And given what the cop told us, no one’s going to be coming back this way anytime soon. This neighborhood isn’t drivable. You?” He pulled out a cracker from the opened bag and popped one in his mouth.
“Yes and no. It feels wrong. Like we’re intruding. Yet, at the same time, I’d be a fool not to use what we found. We need to rest, sleep. We still have a long way to go and quite a bit of it on foot. And that’s hoping the Jeep is where we left it.”
“Exactly! What’d you find upstairs?”
“Beds.”
“Useable?”
“Some.”
“Then we sleep on a bed for the rest of the night.”
Eva wasn’t going to argue. Not when she saw the heat in his gaze.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Devlin let Eva go upstairs first while he tried to secure the downstairs area. It was still pretty dark out, dawn was a few hours away but they were exhausted. The interior was dark and they’d found candles. Eva had taken them upstairs. He couldn’t board up the window but he wanted to make sure if someone else came through it, they’d be given some warning. He angled a chair there and put a bowl on it. If anyone entered that way, they’d step on the chair causing it to tilt and the bowl would fall. Should make enough noise to wake them up.
He also placed some marbles he’d found in a bowl in the study on the wooden stairs. It wasn’t much, but it might alert them to anyone coming up the stairs if they managed to enter the house some other way. Climbing up the stairs, he saw a glow coming from the room on the right. He moved past what looked like the master bedroom, which was at the top of the stairs. He glanced inside and understood why she didn’t choose it.
The room down and across the hall was where he’d spied the glow from a candle. Immediately, he noticed the drapes were pulled so no one should be able to see the light in the room. No sense in announcing anyone was in the house.
Devlin left the door open and stood at the side of the bed.
Eva was already laying on it, her hands behind her head staring at him. She’d stripped down to her panties and tank, her clothes were on the floor, the candle rested on the nightstand near her. Her guns and knife sat by it. “Everything okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. He quickly took off his weapons, stripped down to his boxers and joined her on the bed. He wished he could have taken a shower. Devlin could no longer stand to smell himself, and that wasn’t good. They’d only been able to take sink washes in a gas station they’d passed earlier using water they’d found in the store behind the counter. It didn’t matter, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity. The world had taken a beating, still was and they were both still standing or lying as the case may be.
Devlin pulled off her remaining clothes as well as his own and tossed them toward the foot of the bed. He took her into his arms and she came willingly to him, wrapping her arms around him and sliding her leg between his legs. Their lips met in a hungry explosion. Like this was the last time they’d share a kiss for who knew how long. He could feel her hunger for him, because it matched his own. He was so glad they’d found each other. That they were each coming to accept the other. She’d never be happy with what he did but at least she understood the need for him to do it, even that in some instances it had to be done. He understood her desire to remain neutral to help the soulless who deserved it, wanted it, as long as she wasn’t distant with him. That he couldn’t take. He craved her too much.
Rolling her onto her back, he moved over her, all the while continuing to keep his lips plastered to hers. Not like she was letting him go either. Her hand held onto the back of his head, keeping him right where he was and he was happy to oblige for a while. But he had other places on her he wanted to taste.
As he moved off her mouth and she arched her head back to expose her slender neck he suckled the side of it. Then moved onto her beasts. They were a reasonable handful. Enough to cup without any excess overflow. He lowered his mouth and encircled her areola, flicking his tongue over the tip.
She moaned and arched against him encouraging him to take more.
He did.
Gently, he bit on her tip then laved his tongue over it. Feeling her nipple grow harder in his mouth. Her heavy pants were in harmony with the pulse of his own body. He eased himself off one nipple and moved over to the other, giving it the same amount of attention while his other hand skated across her stomach until it rested over her heat. With the heel of his hand, he pressed against her core. She opened her legs wider to give him better access. He could feel her wetness against his skin.
“So very ready for me, aren’t you?” he murmured against her breast while looking up at her. Her mouth was wide open like she couldn’t get enough air and her eyes were closed. She looked like a woman in the midst of a good orgasm. He smiled as he moved off her breast and down her body, intending to make her come a few times, enjoying her pleasure before he got his fill. Knowing he would be the only one to ever see her this way.
Her fingers moved through his hair pushing his head farther down her body, as if to make sure he would go where she wanted him to. She should have no fear of that. Nothing was going to distract him. He’d always want her.
She moaned and her body shuddered under him when his mouth covered her pussy opening. He flicked his tongue in and out of her, teasing her, readying her. Her nectar coated his tongue and he couldn’t take it anymore. This wouldn’t be the slow leisurely lovemaking he’d envisioned in taking his time with her. Slow was overrated, the world proved it could end at any time, and he needed her now.
With a quick move, he’d settled his body between her legs and slid his cock into her sex before she could complete a full breath. She opened her arms, wrapped her legs around his waist, and welcomed him into her heat.
“Ah, Eva, ah baby.” Those were the last coherent thoughts he was able to turn into words for some time. The rest of the time, he was completely immersed in pure unadulterated pleasures of the flesh. He plastered his mouth to hers. They took from each other. And neither could get enough.
Eva didn’t know yet if she was coming or going, in truth it didn’t matter as long as she did it encased in Devlin’s arms. She’d wasted so much time and all because she didn’t want to have to deal with the fact that he was the man who would father her children. She was in love with him, but perhaps had been too immersed in her role of being the new generation of Chroniclers to see it. Maybe not so neutral after all.
She’d wanted a partner, a man like she remembered her own father being. He was there to support her mother in her role as a Chronicler. He was a scholar, who taught at university, not a soldier. When her mother had died, her father had been with her. It was fitting that they died together. They’d been very much in love and he’d been there every step of the way to help raise their children. But their love was a softer kind, not the fiery fervor she shared with Devlin. Yet, even her mother kept a secret from her father, as she would have to keep the same secret from the man who would father her children.
Unable to fall asleep right away, she tried to see his features in the scant light the candle provided. All she could see were the sharp shadowy planes of his fine features. She didn’t need light to know what he looked like. His features were etched into her memory. Devlin was stubborn and a protector. He wouldn’t be the laid back man her memories of her father showed he had been. Devlin was a warrior. He’d want to fight; it had been engrained in him. And that more than anything was what scared her and why she looked for an alternative. Stupid, yes. She, of all people, as a Chronicler should know you can’t outrun fate. Some outcomes were very clear if you only opened your eyes and looked. The problem was no one bothered to look or worse, ignored what
they did see. Her eyes were wide open. Now.
Eva rolled to her side and backed up against Devlin’s warmth. His arm tightened around her waist. She wasn’t running any more, but come morning she’d need to have a conversation with him. It’s not every day a man finds out he’s going to be a father. She was pregnant. She knew she was; she could sense it. Even if it was only less than a week old. Their firstborn would be born in nine months and as her mother and hers before her, the oldest of her aunts would attend the birth. All seven of them. She felt a pang of sorrow, her mother wouldn’t be there nor any of her siblings, but she wouldn’t dwell on what she couldn’t change.
She wondered how Devlin would feel about this. Not like it was a good time to bring a kid into such an unstable environment but it was out of her hands. She was quite capable of taking care of her child, the first one, but there were more to come and they would only have one father. One that she loved very much. Such was their way and with Devlin by her side, all of their children would thrive. They would all be born from the love her parents shared. She would hold to that whenever she felt the loss of her family. She was creating a new one now.
When Eva opened her eyes, she could make out shadows within the room. The sun must have been just peeking over the horizon. She yawned and wanted to stretch but she was well and truly caught in Devlin’s muscular arms.
He must have known she was awake as his arms and leg flexed over her, pinning her even more into the firm mattress. “Morning,” he whispered in her ear then kissed the edge of it.
“Morning,” she said, twisting around until she was facing him. His eyes were still closed. She smiled. “We need to talk.”
Angel Hunter- Redemption Book 2 Page 24