There had been none during the worst of New York’s downfall. And despite the small tastes I’d had of music in the other worlds, this reminded me of home. Of being a young girl and hiding under the covers with Lucy and our radio, listening to whatever black market bands had still managed to transmit on the air.
I wanted to cry, like throw myself down and sob like a fat-faced baby. But there was no time for a breakdown. Memories continued cutting through me with a painful intensity, and I was about to lose my shit completely when a hand reached across and grasped mine. Colton didn’t say anything. He must have sensed that I was teetering on the edge of a breakdown.
I squeezed his large palm, biting my lip to stem the rise of tears. I appreciated his comfort, and the fact he didn’t force me to tell him what was wrong. He understood pain, and he understood comfort. And that was all he needed to know.
I was hit with so many feels as I sat there in the truck. Colton and Lucy were as much my family as Brace was. I loved them and had to ensure they all survived this. Of course, I didn’t want anyone to die, but there were some deaths that would completely destroy me. Brace, Colton and Lucy were at the top of my list. A list which was getting longer every day.
Sniffling and blinking rapidly, I’d never been so grateful to see the shimmery green of a pixie in my peripheral vision. Lucy was in the lead of the raggedy group, the females following slowly, all of them wearing the strain of fear and exhaustion on their features. Still, they continued to move forward. Continued to fight for survival. One thing humans had in spades was fight. They never gave up.
“You okay now, Red?” Colton didn’t use Brace’s nickname for me that often.
I met the light blue of his eyes, and nodded a couple of times. I wasn’t exactly okay, but I wasn’t lying either. My tears were under control, and the memories shut away for another time. His eyes scanned my features, and he must have seen the same thing. With one final squeeze, he released my hand. I blew a kiss toward him.
“Thank you for being my family. I couldn’t have asked for a better brother.” Yeah, I knew I had a blood brother, but truth was Samuel and I just weren’t close.
Sometimes family is not the people born of same blood, but the ones chosen through bloody warfare. This battle had forged bonds – unbreakable connections which were as strong as any quirk of being born to the same parents.
The strong muscles in Colton’s neck moved then as he visibly swallowed. Emotions shone from his eyes.
Eventually he said, “Until you and Lucy arrived, I was lost. My family were mostly dead, Brace had disappeared on some asinine mission for his idiot father, and I was simply wiling away the years. I contemplated the deep sleep, you know … maybe even rebirth.”
He trailed off and I tried not to let my surprise show. Some of the older Walkers who had grown weary with life could choose to go into a sleep-like stasis. They weren’t dead, but neither were they alive. Walkers can also choose to be born again. Technically they’re the same essence, but their previous life memories are wiped clean. So they’re not really the same.
“I don’t know what stopped me in the end, but something tells me it was fate trying to grant me a sliver of patience. To slow the hell down because I had so many riches heading my way.”
His handsome and fierce features softened then. His eyes were locked on his mate as she continued to cross the park area. They were almost at us now.
“I’ll die a thousand painful deaths before I let anything happen to you or Lucy.” His eyes were back on me. “We’ll beat them, Abbs, there’s no other option.”
The immovable nature of his animal was surfacing now. Unlike humans with varied and complex emotions, the wolf in Colton was relentless. It could not be tempted from its goal. And right then he was protecting the pack members.
“We will beat them.”
I offered him the same confidence in return, and I had to believe that good would prevail. Surely the great gods who controlled the balance would not let evil completely wipe out the worlds. The intensity of the emotions in the Ford’s cab dissipated as the back door was flung open and a bunch of females climbed inside.
Colton was out of his side in a flash, and managed to not only gently toss his pixie mate into the front seat beside me, but also to help the rest in.
On our way, sweetheart.
I’d felt Brace’s concern during my emotional breakdown. He had no problem with the closeness between Colton and me. Our melding bond didn’t allow much room for jealousy. Besides, he could see and feel my emotions, and even if he joked about it at times, he knew that Colton was a brother to me and that there was no other male in any of the worlds that could take his place. Jealousy was a cancer which ate away at love and friendships. We would not allow it in our foursome.