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“Mmhmmm.”

“Do you want me to do that again?”

“Yes. Please. Don’t stop.”

Before Amos resumes his torturous thrusts, he whips his head back toward the door and shouts, “Give me one hour to pleasure my wife in the way she deserves. One fucking hour. Then you fuckers can have our attention.”

Wife. The title still throws me off, even though we’ve been married for weeks now. When Amos and I rejoined the fall solstice party, my mom immediately saw the ring on my finger. Of course she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. Word spread around so quickly. Thirty minutes later, Jeremy ran over to us. Apparently he was also an ordained minister in the before and had married a few couples at The Valley.

When Amos proposed, I honestly didn’t think we’d really get married, that it would be more of a symbol. In that moment, with the idea of marriage a real possibility, Amos and I couldn’t say no. We didn’t want to say no. Hell, we’d basically already said “I do.” Jeremy married us that very night. It’s not legit in the way marriage used to be. We didn’t sign any official paperwork. But we are married. Amos and I are husband and wife.

The reminder of our vows to each other fuels my love for this man who is plowing me as if it’s the last time he will ever be inside me. I raise my hips to meet his, needing to feel him deeper. Reaching out a hand, I gently caress the stump of Amos’ left arm, causing him to shiver, but he doesn’t lose focus.

Amos’ forehead smashes against mine as he comes undone, his breaths becoming shallow.

“I love you Amos,” I say, my lips brushing against his. My words shatter what’s left of his control. In one final thrust, Amos finishes inside me. Knowing I still haven’t come, he quickly replaces his dick with his fingers, curling up into that spot he knows drives me wild.

“I love you, Lori.” His words are soft and sweet, a contrast to the hard and fast motion of his hand. I begin my spiral into oblivion, welcoming the out-of-body feeling I’ve become addicted to. A feeling only Amos can produce. A feeling I only ever want to share with him. My husband.

As promised, Amos and I are showered, dressed, and heading out of our room an hour later. Jonah and Olivia are waiting for us outside our building. Without a word, they turn on their heels to escort us to the other side of campus. The silence and seriousness of their steps makes me anxious.

“What’s happened?” I ask, breaking the tension.

“Not here.” Jonah whips his head around quickly, giving me a warning look.

“An hour ago you were ready to pound down our door. Just tell us what’s going on,” Amos barks at Jonah.

Jonah stops abruptly, Olivia halting after a few more steps. Just as Jonah starts to speak, Olivia interrupts him. “It’s a sensitive matter that would best be discussed behind closed doors. Please, let’s just get to the conference room now.” In a quieter voice, Olivia turns to Amos and says, “The safety of our community could be at risk.”

Amos doesn’t respond with words but with a force of authority. He steps in front of Olivia and Jonah, taking the lead as we walk to the health center where all leadership meetings are held. This time, I’m allowed to join. All the leaders of The Valley are waiting in the conference room when we arrive. Their faces are painted with worry. The rest of Amos’ commanders stand in the corner, arms crossed as if they are bored.

Norman is the first to speak, saying, “So nice of you to finally join us, Amos.”

“Shut the fuck up, Norman. It isn’t every day we have a wedding. Let them enjoy their honeymoon phase while they can.” My mom looks ready to slice Norman’s face off.

“What if we were being attacked? Would you be so understanding if our general was late in commanding his men because he wanted to stick his geni—”

“Give them a break!” Jonah shouts. I spin around to see him fuming. I have never seen him so angry. “The safety of this community might be at risk, but no one is attacking us. Amos and Lori have been through hell. They deserve some peace, especially on their day off.”

Norman has the decency to look ashamed as he bows his head in apology and steps toward the conference table to take a seat. Anna, Jeremy, and my mom follow him to the table as Amos takes my hand, ushering me to sit as well. Amos then motions Andrew, Lucas, Olivia, Kyle, and Jonah to sit then asks, “What the hell happened?”

Kyle clears his throat before explaining that he had returned from patrol early this morning with a survivor he’d met on the outside. “This guy passed all our checks. But he must have known what questions I would ask him. Hell, I found him being chased by a horde of biters, so how the hell was I to know he was one of Dr. Tuwile’s fucking Praetorian Guards?”

“What?” Amos and I shout in unison.

Jonah answers next. “I was on duty at the gate when Kyle returned. I recognized Matthew immediately, but he didn’t see me. I instructed Kyle to bring him to the holding room. That’s where he is now.”

“Who is keeping watch at the holding room?” Amos asks.

“Kelly and Ryan, sir,” Olivia answers in her official soldier voice.

Amos nods his approval, then turns to Jonah. “You are sure this guy didn’t get a good look at you? He thinks he has fooled us?”

“Positive.” Jonah looks so worried, like he knows something more. My suspicions turn out to be right when he opens his mouth to speak, but no words come out.

“Jonah, what is it?” I ask.

“Doctore has been looking for you, Lori. He suspected you’ve been hiding in one of the survivor communities. That’s why he sent out his Praetorian Guard to hit those places months ago, to smoke you out. The Valley was the only community he didn’t know about. So he’d send out individual guards hoping one of them would stumble across someone from The Valley, someone that would take pity and bring them exactly where they’ve been trying to get to. I think that’s what Matthew is doing. Infiltrating.”