by Kit Tunstall
*****
Mina went to Finn and took Ty. It pulled on her side, and she gritted her teeth, but endured the agony long enough to carry the baby to Tony. Her brother-in-law wouldn’t look at either of them and resisted when she tried to hand him the baby.
Mina persisted in pushing Ty gently against the other man. “He needs his father.”
Tony sneered. “Didn’t you hear? I’m not his father.” Scowling, he said, “But you’ve always known that, haven’t you?”
She shook her head, relieved to lean against Coop when he stopped behind her. “Not always. I didn’t know until you came back. Shane told me.” She put a hand on his arm, not moving until he finally looked at her. “Lia rejected him, you know. She told him you were Ty’s father in all the ways that mattered, and their affair was a fling and nothing more. She didn’t love him like he loved her, and she didn’t want him to be in Ty’s life.”
“Then why’d she fuck him?” He said the words angrily, but tears blurred his eyes. “I loved…love her with everything I have, Mina. How could she do that?”
“I don’t know.” Mina offered Ty more insistently, glad when Tony’s stance softened, though he didn’t take the baby. “I do know you’re his father in every way but one. Is that one way really so important?”
Ty helped his own case by holding out his arms and pleading, “Dada,” in a pitiful way.
With a sob, Tony crumbled, taking Ty and snuggling the baby close as he cried. It was a heartbreaking sight, but also hopeful. Maybe they would find solace in each other. Her nephew had lost his mother, but not the father that counted.
She turned to Coop, letting him fully support her as he led her into the house and the closest recliner, where he pulled her down onto his lap. She knew Emme or their prisoner would tend to her injuries soon. There were sure to be others hurt just as badly, or worse, and she was okay with waiting for a little time as long as Coop was beside her. “What’ll we do with that Pardons guy after he fixes up everyone?”
“I’m not comfortable letting him go. He knows where the farm is.” Coop shuddered. “He sure as fuck isn’t joining us. We’d never sleep soundly again.”
Mina nodded solemnly, accepting what had to be done without further discussion on that point. “Is anyone else dead, besides Lia, Hector, and Shane?”
“I don’t think so, except for the group that invaded. We’ll check their bodies to be sure they’re dead and dispose of them all far away from here.”
“If there are survivors on their side?” she asked carefully.
Coop’s expression closed. “There won’t be.”
Again, she nodded. They had to keep everyone safe, and that meant doing anything necessary. “I’m sleepy.”
He leaned the recliner back a bit farther. “Have a rest now. When you wake up, you’ll be all fixed up.”
She snuggled her head against his chest. “Are you still going to marry me?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Even with just one eye?”
Coop’s laugh vibrated through her cheek and ear. “Even so. I imagine we can get you an eye patch to match your wedding dress.”
“I can have one for every day of the week.” The last words were a bit slurred as she felt herself surrendering to sleep. Mina knew she would have to mourn the loss of her eye, if it was permanently damaged, and learn to cope without it, but she couldn’t summon the energy to be too concerned right then. Coop was holding her, they were safe, and the farm was still standing. They could rebuild. She could live without an eye. Tony and Ty would carry on without Lia somehow. They would all do their best to make sure Yu didn’t slip away in her grief as Mina had done. It wasn’t the brightest future, but they had a future, which was more than she had expected just a few hours ago.
It was odd to think she owed it all to Shane. He had warned them and fought beside them, albeit reluctantly. In the end, he had even sacrificed himself for Cooper to make sure she was happy. His actions didn’t write off the debt he owed her, but she found she didn’t care so much anymore about making sure he paid for what he’d done. It was easy to let it go, and to let him go, as she closed her eyes and surrendered to sleep.
Epilogue
Fierce pain woke him. That he woke up at all was a shock. Groaning, Shane tried to sit up, but found he was too weak. Instead, he settled for opening his eyes and looking around. He was in the middle of a field, and when the odor of decay wafted his way, he gagged and turned to look.
A pile of bodies shared the space with him, though not stacked too closely to him. He recognized Les and Antaya, though her features were mostly gone. Pardons was near the heap, looking a little fresher than the others, but just as dead. Shane could infer he had survived the battle, but couldn’t be allowed to live.
So why was Shane still alive? Cautiously, he managed to inch himself into a sitting position, leaning heavily against a large rock behind him. His eyes widened when he saw he was so heavily bandaged in various spots that he could have passed for a mummy. There was a large pouch pinned to his jacket. His fingers fumbled when he opened the bag, finding several muslin bags of herbs inside, along with instructions for their use. There was also a single piece of stationary, which he withdrew after several clumsy attempts.
The letter smelled like Mina, and he knew she had written it even before he unfolded the paper. The sight of her flowing cursive made him close his eyes with anguish for a moment before he allowed himself to read her words:
Thank you for saving Coop. In return, Emme agreed to save you, though she didn’t like it much. You’ve been given a second chance. Don’t waste it, and don’t come back. There won’t be a third, and there is no more mercy for you here.
Mina
He let the letter drop to his lap, staring at it with unseeing eyes. It might have been kinder if they had just let him die. Shane knew he couldn’t have been far from that point when they had discovered a spark left in his body. He assumed Mina had chosen to save him as a kindness, but it was more torture than anything. She had consigned him to a life alone, without her or his son.
He knew he wouldn’t go back for her. There was no point. He had accepted that when he’d stepped in front of Coop to save the other man for the woman he loved. Shane curled his lip, wondering what good his second chance was when he was alone There was no question of trying to survive any other way. Caring hurt too much.
Still, he couldn’t be angry with her for sparing him. It was a gesture that let him believe she had cared for him, at least a little, and maybe still did. It didn’t nurture the kind of hope that would allow him to do something insane, like try to kidnap her and win her back. Rather, it was the kind of quiet hope that let a man continue surviving, reminding him he wasn’t completely irredeemable, and that he was still alive and could make up for what he’d done in the past. He couldn’t directly atone with Mina, but he had a chance to really change now and prove to himself he could be a better man. He owed her for that, and though it was rather like a punishment, he embraced the penalty stoically. She had given him a life sentence to make amends.
Author’s Note:
This was a grueling story to write. I really wanted to do justice to the characters’ experiences and emotions. The whole story started out well, and the words came easily. The plot went where it was supposed to go…until Shane developed a conscience. He was supposed to be the villain, but I guess he didn’t like that idea. Once that twist popped up, I surrendered and let my characters take me along for the ride. We entered some murky territory, and I think this might be the darkest thing I’ve ever written. There were times when I had to take a break from the angst and issues, but I always found myself drawn back and compelled to continue. These characters demanded resolution, and I was at their mercy. (Yes, I’m aware that sounds kind of nuts.)
Shane is still a quandary. Is he redeemed? Did he change? I think he must have, but how much? Is he worthy of his own story, or has he done too many horrible things to ever be completely red
eemed? I’m interested to hear my readers’ input on the subject. I’ll be posting about this on my Goodreads blog, so please feel free to join the discussion.
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P.S. I need to thank Ky Johnson for the title and Cristel Essex for her help with some of the details. All mistakes are my own, of course.
A note about the series: The first one is a century after The End, so I resisted the idea of moving back to just thirteen months after The End for this book, but the story had to be set thusly. I know it’s strange to have such a time jump in the series, but I enjoy the freedom of being able to explore what happens months, years, or centuries after the fictional solar event. I hope you’ll continue to enjoy the exploration as the series progresses. I can almost guarantee we’ll see more of the Marsden family, and there will also be other books set around the same time as “A Reluctant Companion.” (Speaking of, keep reading for the first three chapters of that book, in case you haven’t read it yet.)
Amourisa Press and Kit Tunstall reserve all rights to A RELUCTANT COMPANION. This work may not be shared or reproduced in any fashion without permission of the publisher and/or author. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All characters engaging in sexual activity are over the age of 18.
© Kit Tunstall, 2013
When electricity is a scarce commodity, power is everything…
A century ago, a catastrophic event disabled most electronic devices and killed hundreds of millions in the ensuing chaos. After The End, governments eventually reformed, but countries split into smaller factions. The United States is long gone, replaced by ten distinct territories. Commander Tiernan Archer rules the Northwest Federation, where Madison Cole has lived all her life. Her beauty enchants him, and he requests her as a one-night companion. Madison has an amazing night with the commander, but is dismayed when he wants her to be his personal companion and return with him to Seattle-Archer. Her family needs her, but he gives her little choice about becoming his reluctant companion.
At first, it seems impossible that she could ever be happy with the man who forced her to give up her life, but feelings grow between them. Their relationship reaches a fragile new level that could deepen to something neither expected, if betrayal and treason don’t separate the lovers.
Chapter One
Madison paused in the process of wrapping baling wire around the fence post, suddenly sure she could feel someone’s gaze on her. She looked up from her task, seeing no one in front of her in the rows of grapes. The hiss of a steam engine made her jump, and she spun to find the source. It was out-of-place, since there were only a few steam cars in the entire province, and none of her neighbors owned one.
The sunhat she used to shield her face also blocked her view, so she swept it off with one hand, using the other to shove the sweaty locks of gold-red that cascaded downward up and out of her face. Cupping her hand over her eyes, she had enough shade to make out the insignia on the door of the car. Arching a brow, she wondered what the governor of their province was doing out this far from the center of the village. Tom Blaney had no reason to leave Graceport to visit the wineries in the outlying areas. It wasn’t tax time, and he didn’t seem to care much about the people living under his governance unless they could do something for him.
With a shrug, she returned to the job of repairing the goats’ fence. They provided milk that was crucial for survival, but if they got loose in the grapes, it would be disaster for everyone in the Cole household. The disquieting sensation of being watched persisted until the car finally started up and drove on down the hill a few minutes later. Releasing a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding, Madison put down the wire cutters and moved on to reinforcing the next weak section of the wood, thinking no more about the incident until much later in the day.
*****
It was late afternoon by the time she returned to the main house, a modest ranch-style built at least one hundred years before. Her great-grandparents had struck it rich in something called stocks—which she didn’t think referred to cows or other livestock—and had bought the winery as their weekend getaway. After The End, it had become their permanent retreat and had allowed them and their descendents a chance to survive and start over in the new world.
What had once been a charming, quaint building kept in pristine condition had now fallen into age-related disrepair. Materials weren’t easy to acquire. Had they been, it was still a losing battle. The house was built at the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century and hadn’t been designed to withstand a century of hard living. For some reason, she noticed the house’s flaws today, wincing at the sagging porch and stairs, the peeling paint, and the missing shingles on the roof.
The sound of a horse neighing around the side of the house startled her, sending all futile musings about house repair flying from her mind. Biting back a sigh, she dropped her toolkit in the dust by the house, mentally hoping none of her neighbors had stopped by for a visit. After a long, hot day working in the sun, she wanted to fill the tub with a few buckets of tepid water and soak until the water turned ice-cold—which should take about an hour in the lingering heat of summer.
As she rounded the house, the horse came into view. No, more than one. Four? Her first thought was the Evans family had stopped by in a not-so-subtle attempt to mooch an evening meal. Almost immediately, she dismissed the thought, knowing they didn’t own horses. Having one horse was doable for most families, but four would be a luxury outside the means of the folks in the Yakima-Grace province.
Wearing a frown, she straightened her homespun cotton shirt as she stepped onto the front porch. At least the boards here didn’t sag as much as they did around the side of the house. With a cursory wipe on the rag rug to remove dust from her boots, Madison opened the screen door and entered her house.
It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the dimmer interior, and she couldn’t stifle a gasp when she recognized the forms of four soldiers standing awkwardly in the kitchen, with her mother standing in front of the pot-bellied stove, clearly waiting for the cast iron teakettle to boil.
What did Blaney’s people want? She knew they’d surrendered their required allotment of grapes and wine to cover their annual taxes, because she had helped pack and load it herself. As she rushed to her mother’s side, intent on sending Elaine to sit down at the shabby table, she realized it wasn’t the gray uniform of the local province soldiers. These men wore the black and silver uniform standard to the Commander’s army, stationed in Seattle-Archer. What had been anxiety suddenly escalated to pure terror. Why would the de facto president of their region send troops to their modest home? When these soldiers came, people disappeared.
Swallowing down the lump in her throat, she put an arm around her mom’s waist and led her to the table, saying, “You shouldn’t be out of bed, Momma.”
Elaine summoned a wan smile. “I couldn’t be rude to our guests.”
Shooting a baleful glance at the one who appeared to be in charge of the small group, she said, “I can imagine.” No doubt they had pounded on the door, threatening to break it down unless her mother opened up. Patting Elaine’s shoulder, she said, “I’ll handle it now.”
The teakettle whistled as she turned from her mother, and she took a moment to take it off the stove before spinning around to confront the soldier standing slightly apart from the others. “Why are you here?”
If he found her tone disrespectful, it didn’t show in his expression. He straightened slightly. “Commander Archer would like you to be his companion for dinner this evening.”
“Me?” The word was almost a squeak, and she had to clear her throat before continuing. “I’m sorry, but I think you have the wrong house or something. I don’t know the commander.”
A small frown disrupted his bland expression. “You are Madison Cole?”
With a bit of hesitation, she nodded.
He inclined his head just once. “You are the guest we have been sent to
fetch, Miss Cole.”
“This makes no sense. I’ve never even seen…” She trailed off, remembering the eerie feeling of being watched earlier. Had the commander been in Blaney’s car? A shiver raced down her spine at the thought of the ruler of the Northwest Federation spotting her and deciding to have her for the evening. She wasn’t naïve enough to think dinner was the only thing he expected.
Clearing her throat again, she said, “Please tell the commander I thank him for the honor, but I really can’t leave. My brother and father on a supply run, and my mother is ill. I couldn’t possibly leave her and my little sister here alone.”
The soldier lifted a single dark brow. “You want me to tell Commander Archer you said no?”
Madison nodded. “Please.”
He blinked. “Look, Miss Cole, I can’t do that.”
She frowned. “Why not?”
“Because you don’t decline an invitation with the commander.” He ran a hand through closely cropped black hair, introducing a note of dishabille into his previously crisp appearance. “I can’t. You have to come with us. The consequences of doing otherwise…” He trailed off, looking pained.
Fear heightened another notch, making it difficult to breathe. As much as she wanted to keep protesting, a glance in her mother’s direction showed her Elaine was getting worried. The last thing her mother needed was to have this confrontation happen in her presence, where she would feel the need to stand by her daughter. If Elaine thought she didn’t want to go, her mother might do something crazy, like go for the hunting rifle. Sick as she was, her mother bear instincts were still strong.
Taking a deep breath, trying to diffuse the palpable tension, she managed a small smile. “In that case, I need a few minutes to change clothes.” Perhaps she could escape out the window and flee into the fields? It was a feeble plan, but at least it would get her away from the house and her mother’s concerned presence.