“That, I cannot say,” Bert said, his left shoulder lifting slightly in a shrug. “Dr. Cylon was just one woman, and she had worked for long enough to get quite a system under her belt. They will be weak without her. What happens after this is hard to say.”
I stood up. “I just…I need a moment.” I turned on my heel and walked out of the kitchen. I pushed my way out of the swinging screen door and took off down the porch and across the lawn. I stopped right in front of Bert’s truck. I wanted to kick it, but I was afraid a well-placed kick would rip off the fender, so I resisted. I lifted myself into the back and plopped down. The sun was streaming down on me, and I leaned backward, soaking up as much vitamin D as I could.
I was worried. Everything seemed to be coming to an end, a conclusion. We found what we were looking for. Sanctuary was real, and it was a place where we could be together and be safe. I was tired of watching people die, and I was tired of being hungry and running for my life. I was ready to stop.
But Sekhmet had left me wary of trusting anyone in the world besides Ash. Razi Cylon was evil. She had wanted to better the world but had gone about it the wrong way. She forced me into her world, examined me, pushed me and used me. She kept Ash hungry and cold, and she had treated Liam like a toy.
My heart squeezed painfully at the thought of Liam. I had no idea where he was now or if he was even alive, but I had to hope. I would always hope that he would be okay and that he would make it to Sanctuary.
“Hey there, beautiful.”
I sat up and looked down at Ash. He had his hands buried deep in the pockets of his jeans, and I could see a small sliver of skin peeking out between the white hem of his shirt and pants. “Hey,” I answered.
He grabbed the edge of the truck and hauled himself into the back with me. His face contorted as he did so, his hands going to the bandage underneath his shirt. The truck bed creaked as he made his way over to me and sat next to me. I slid closer to him, his arm falling across my shoulders. It felt so weird from him to be close to me as he was nuzzling my neck, yet it felt like it was supposed to be like this all along. “Are you okay?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know,” I admitted. There was a bit of movement out of the corner of my eye, and I jerked. A butterfly flew across my face, passing over the truck, and continuing on its way. I sat back, trying to calm my heart. “Well, maybe, I’m not okay.” I looked up. His eyes met mine, unwavering, so trusting. “But I will be.”
“Yeah, yeah, I think you will be,” he said, his other arm coming up to wrap around me, pulling me tighter to him.
“What do we do now?” I asked him. “Sanctuary?”
He paused for a moment, the gentle rise and fall of his chest soothing to me. I pressed my cheek against him, more than willing to just fall asleep there. “It’s what we came to Colorado for,” he finally said.
“What do you think we should do?” I pressed him, feeling anxious.
“Zoey,” he said. I pulled back and shifted myself so I could look at him. “I trust you. You’ve gotten us so far already, farther than anyone else could have. I think we should go to Sanctuary, but the decision is ultimately up to you. I’ll follow you wherever.”
My lips came down on his, hard and fast, and he responded eagerly. After a few moments, I pulled away, my breathing heavy. “I think we should go too,” I whispered. My hands were wrapped tightly around his neck, and I was breathing everything that was him, everything that made him Ash. “I just want you to be safe.”
He smiled, and I felt the pull of his lips against mine as he did so. “Okay, we’ll go,” he whispered back. “We’ll be safe.”
I barely let him finish when I pulled him back to me. I had waited way too long for this, and now that I knew, now that I would never question it again, I didn’t want to ever have to waste a moment with him. I could feel a laugh in the back of his throat as he responded, but I didn’t pause, not even for a moment. I climbed in his lap and swept my tongue along his jawline, causing him to shudder underneath me. His hands were at the hem of my shirt, his fingers spread against my bare back.
“I love you,” I said, hurriedly, pulling at his shirt.
“I love you,” he said, pulling me closer to him. I felt him harden underneath me and a wave of pleasure swept through me. My fingers fumbled at the button of his jeans, and he laughed. “Um, Zoey?”
“What?” I said, as my lips found their way down his neck.
“Ah, uh,” he groaned, his eyes closed. A small smile escaped my lips, and I rolled my hips into him. He let out a low growl and grabbed my arms. “Zoey,” he pleaded.
“Ash,” I teased him, running my hands through his hair. He needed a haircut, but I liked the longish look on him. He reminded me of some of the emo boys I had been obsessed with my freshman year of high school, and it only turned me on more.
“Zoey,” he said, his voice low against my cheek. “As much as I would love to continue this, maybe we shouldn’t do this in the truck bed, in Bert’s truck bed within easy viewing of his front window.”