As they headed back to the cabin, Sanna’s life stretched before her, long and lonely. She ignored Esme’s glare the moment she entered, too exhausted and heartsick to build bridges. Instead, she followed Iris to the cookstove and accepted the bowl of steaming brown gunk that was offered. She ate it, though it tasted like ashes on her tongue. Afterwards, when she was on the cusp of sleep, a thought formed that changed everything.
Twig must’ve known about the cure. There was a chance he was lying, of course, but if humans lived on vast farms, there had to be a system to inoculate them. A system that required a lot of servants like him. If she captured just one of them, and brought them to Theo, then he could replicate the cure.
Imagine a world without walls. Without the infection.
She had to find out as much as she could about what the West was like, and the people in it. Iris might refuse to help directly, but if Sanna asked the right questions her answers could fill in the blanks.
Either way, she would not live her life like a scared ghost. She was Ivan Iron Tooth’s daughter. A warrior.
She’d find the cure, and she’d bring it back.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Kai slept for two days after his fever broke. When he finally awoke, he found himself alone in what could only be Iris’s cabin. Esme was nowhere to be found, and although he had vague memories of her being near him while he was sick, he didn’t know if they were real. She'd never been the nurturing type.
He had to know if she was alive. He rose, dressing quickly, and strode out of the cabin intent on finding out. Harsh sunlight reflected off the snow, nearly blinding him. He threw up his arm for shade.
“Kai!”
His heart stopped. He had precious few memories worth keeping, but the moment he heard Esme’s high, urgent voice, he knew this was one of them. She leapt into his open arms and he squeezed her tight, burying his nose into her hair.
She’s alive, he repeated to himself, over and over. Part of him still thought it was a dream—that he’d wake up somewhere else and there’d still be miles and miles between them.
“Hey,” she giggled. “You’re crushing me!”
Kai set her down, a thousand words crowding in his throat. She wasn’t as thin and miserable as she’d been when he left. Her cheeks were rounded and still spattered with the freckles she hated, and her hair gleamed. She seemed healthy. Happy.
“What are you looking at?” She asked with an indignant frown.
“You,” Kai said, honest. “I’m so glad you’re better, Ez.”
Esme crossed her arms and lifted her chin. “Of course I am.”
“Right,” Kai chuckled, shaking his head. “I should have never underestimated you.”
Esme held her stance, a teasing light dancing in her eyes. Suddenly she flung her arms around his neck again, holding him tight. “I’m glad you’re better, too. I missed you. Who’s that girl?”
“You mean Sanna?”
“Yeah. She’s really weird.”
“She’s nice, if you give her a chance.”
Esme shot him a suspicious look. “Why should I do that? Is she your girlfriend or something?”
“No.” Kai choked on the word. “Not really. We’re friends, that’s all. And you might...see a lot of her. I mean,” he pointed to the cabin. “Have you seen the size of that place? There’s no privacy. You have to be friends with her.”
“She’s hardly ever around. She and Iris always go off together and leave me here and I get so...bored,” Esme said the last word as if it was the worst possible thing in the world, which for her, it was. “At least you're awake now,” she added brightly. “She taught me how to make a fever reducer, though. She knows everything. Are your stitches okay? Iris did them."
“Yeah. I think so.” Kai probably shouldn’t have picked her up, but he’d been so relieved to see her that he’d forgotten about his injuries. Neither of them were bleeding, at least. “Do you know where Sanna is? I’d like to talk to her.”
Esme’s smile dimmed. “She’s over there,” she pointed to the forest. “By the stream. You should probably clean up, though. You’re kind of a mess. We found some clothes that might fit you—they’re in the trunk by your bed.”
“Thanks.” Kai returned to the cabin and washed quickly, using a pitcher of melted snow. He found the clothes and pulled on fresh shirt and pants, found his coat hung on a knob near the door and shrugged into it, then combed his hair with his fingers as he exited the cabin.
Esme was playing a game of chase with Frankie, who seemed overjoyed at being reunited with his favorite master. Her shrill laughter echoed across the meadow as Frankie gained on her, until she dramatically flopped onto the snow submitted to his eager, excited licks.
Kai grinned. “Careful. I’ll be back soon.”
Esme shoved the dog off, giggling. “Okay!”
He crossed the meadow, heading for the stream. His stomach fluttered at the thought of seeing Sanna again. He wondered what she and Iris had been doing, and if she was glad to have come so far. Melting snow dripped from the trees as he entered the forest, and the ground squished beneath his boots. The stream babbled nearby, guiding him
“I thought you said you've done this before,” Iris scolded. Her speech was smoother than Kai remembered, without the halting stops and pauses.
“I did! But it was different. Erling was under attack.” Sanna sounded exasperated.
Kai pushed his way through the dense underbrush and stepped onto the rocky bank. Sanna whirled around, clearly ecstatic. Over her shoulder, he spotted Iris’s lips curl into a frosty smile.
Oh no.
Something crashed through the underbrush to his left. Panic zipped through Kai as a stage two took a running leap from the bushes, his shadow eclipsing the morning sun. Kai lunged to the left, his wounded side burning. The stage two landed hard where he’d been moments before, skidding a few feet over the ice until he laid still.
“Interesting,” Iris mused.
“Are you okay?” Sanna rushed over. “I’m sorry about that.”
“What happened? You look...” Kai noted the shadowy veil of veins beneath her skin. “Different.”
Sanna helped him stand. “The more I use my powers, the more I look like my father, apparently. This doesn’t help either,” she held out her arm. It was bandaged near her elbow, where the Alpha had bitten her. “Though Iris thinks the bite was what broke Twig’s hold over the Alpha. When he lost the Alpha, he lost the horde.”
“Kai glanced at Iris, who’d beckoned the stage two closer and was checking him over for damage. “Can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?”
“Yeah.” A shadow fell over Sanna’s face. “Sure.”
She walked over to Iris; her arms crossed. They discussed something in hushed tones, and then she headed downstream, waving at him to follow. Sunlight glimmered through the dense evergreen canopy, dappling their path and the air seemed warm with the promise of spring. Kai knew it was a trick of nature, however. Snow could dump on them as late as April.
“Here,” Sanna said as they approached a collection of large boulders that sat halfway in the stream. The largest one had flat top, and the others lead to it to like natural stairsteps. She helped Kai climb them and sat down, tucking her knees under her chin.
The dark scrawl of veins had faded from her underneath her skin, and her eyes had dimmed to their normal dazzling blue. “Before you say anything, I want you to know that I’m grateful for all that you’ve done for me. Without you, I probably would’ve never made it out of Erling, let alone here.”
“Has she helped you?” Kai asked.
“I think so. We’re very different, but she promised my father she’d look out for me and I think she’s really trying. She says I’m too human.”
“She’s only one person, Sanna. She might not be right about everything. Maybe being the way you are is a good thing. You survived this long, haven’t you?”
She smiled softly. It was the first one he’d seen in
a long while, and he wondered if things were finally looking up for them after all.
“I’ve missed you. I couldn’t get too close—Esme was quite protective—but I’m glad you’re better. How are your stitches?”
“Fine. I feel pretty good, actually, considering what we’ve been through. I think I needed sleep most of all.” Kai leaned back, enjoying the warm sun on his face. For the first time in weeks he actually felt relaxed. “Sorry about Ez, she can be a little possessive sometimes.”
Sanna joined him, folding her arms beneath her head. “I get it. She loves you, and she hasn’t seen you in a while. Iris isn’t exactly warm and fuzzy, either.”
“I feel bad for leaving her, but at least she’s better, now”
A comfortable silence spread between them as they basked in the sun. A few minutes later, Sanna sat up, pulling her knees to her chest. Her brow scrunched, as if she were wrestling with some inner turmoil.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Kai asked. “Did Esme say something? Whatever it was, she didn’t mean it. She can be a handful.”
“It’s not that.” Sanna hesitated. “I was...wondering what your plans were, that’s all. I know you were wanting to get into Canada...”
“I was thinking about staying here, if that’s okay with you and Iris. I know her place is small, but maybe I could build something nearby for Esme and me. It might take awhile, but we’re used to living in trees so—”
“Really?” Sanna gripped his arm, beaming. “You mean it?”
“Yeah,” Kai laughed, relieved at her excitement. “With the Inferno after us, this is the safest place to be, given the Infected hanging around. Even my old boss Hayes would turn around at the sight of them.”
Sanna’s smile fell. “You should know, Kai, I don’t plan on staying here forever. I think Twig might’ve been telling the truth about a cure for the uncleans—or at least a method to keep it dormant. I need to head west and find it.”
“Why?” KSanna was immune to the infection, and the people she cared most about were pureblooded.
“Well...there was this guy I knew for just a few seconds before he lectured me about how unfair everything is.” She gave Kai a sidelong glance. “It turns out I really care about him.”
She was serious.
“I’ll help you, Sanna,” he said, his throat tight. “I promise.”
A delicate smile played at the corners of her lips. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
The air around them thickened, and Kai felt that strange magnetic pull deep in his chest, drawing him closer. He traced the line of her cheek, then caught a tendril of her silken hair between his fingers. How could someone so strong feel so soft?
Her lips parted, her eyes were as deep and blue as the lake he’d pulled her from in the beginning.
He kissed her, the harsh world melting away, and he knew that whatever horrors the journey would bring, he’d stay with her, this strange and beautiful girl, for as long as she would let him.
WONDERFUL STORY!!!!!!
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