He stepped closer to me and I felt myself automatically step back, my spine hitting the solid roughness of a tree trunk. “I can tell you don’t believe me.”
“I believe you,” I said quickly and softly as he stepped even closer. I felt warmth seep through me as he stepped even closer.
“I can show you, if you want me to,” he said, his lips a brush of skin on my jawline.
I shivered. “I don’t think that’s necessary,” I said, my voice shaking.
He chuckled lightly, his breath so light on my skin. He trailed light kisses right under my ear, down my neck, across my collarbone. I could hardly breathe. I felt my arms rise as if they had a mind of their own, and my hands latched onto his waist.
“Do you want me to stop?” he whispered, against my neck. He kissed it again, this time with more pressure, right on my pulse.
I felt another shiver go up my spine, and my fingers clenched tightly around him. He had asked me something, a question. I couldn’t remember. I was in a fog being this close to him. He stepped even closer to me, his body aligned with mine.
His lips were dipping closer to my collarbone, and I felt the breath catch in my throat. He was so soft and warm, and close to me, and I still couldn’t figure out why he was doing this.
“Do you want me to stop now?” his soft voice said again. “Do you feel beautiful?” His breath tickled across my check, where his lips were hovering right above my own. “Because you are so beautiful.”
Beautiful and terrifying, I thought, just like my dream.
“Ash?” I said, my voice barely more than a whisper. My heart was pounding so loudly. I had finally calmed it down from the chase, and now it was acting up again, but in a crazy, wonderful, stupid way.
“Yeah?”
“Stop. Please. Just stop, okay?” I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling tears spring at the corners of my eyes.
He pulled away, shock on his face. “Z…”
“Stop calling me Z,” I snapped, pushing myself off the tree. I walked around him. “And don’t touch me again.”
He didn’t say anything. Instead, he just followed me as I started to pick my way through the brush, wanting to head back toward the highway. The chase through the forest had thrown my direction off, and once I found the highway, I would be righted again. We had at least a day or two until we reached Constance, and I wanted to make it. I was determined to make it to my mom’s house, alive, with Ash.
We were already in Nebraska. We were already so close.
“Zoey?” Ash asked, after a couple of hours walking.
“What?” I spat out. I caught the wounded look on his face before it disappeared and felt my annoyance disappear almost immediately. It wasn’t his fault we were in this situation. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault.
“Do you…do you think your mom will be there?”
It was the question I had been asking myself ever since we had left my dad behind in Iowa. We hadn’t heard from her since we escaped Manhattan, and there was no way to get in touch with her. For all I knew, Constance was overrun by Awakened. For all I knew, they had already taken care of my mom and stepdad.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I don’t know anything. All I know is that my dad wanted me to go to Constance, to my mom, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
I swallowed hard, holding back tears. “That’s what he wanted. He wanted me safe. That’s all he ever wanted, and I’m going to be safe, for him.”
“I’ll help you,” Ash said, softly, “I promised.” His eyes met mine. His face was a dirty mess. I could barely see his features through the dirt and grime but his eyes shone through, and I believed him. He had promised my dad just before he died. I knew that he intended to keep that promise.
“I know,” I whispered. The trees were beginning to look sparse. I knew we were getting closer to the highway. I paused for a moment, orienting myself, and started to head west again. We were only walking for a few miles when we spotted a sign. I headed over to it, hurriedly. I traced the letters that read “Constance 100 miles.” I nearly cried. “We’re moving faster than I thought. We’re so close.”
Ash smiled, slightly. “You can tell. The forest has disappeared. It’s so flat.”
“Welcome to Nebraska,” I said, drily.
“Z, a car is coming,” Ash said, suddenly alert. He grabbed my hand and started pulling me toward the field, but it was too late. The headlights of the car hit us, lighting us up before we could make it far, and the car slowed.
“Hey! Hey! Hey, wait, stop!”
Ash continued to run, but I pulled back, turning around.