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Chapter Twenty-five

N ate finishes the morning by giving me a more thorough tour of the house. Pointing out security features like the reinforced doors and smash proof windows, as well as taking me on a walk through the wild meadow that surrounds the house and showing me the overgrown but thriving vegetable patch. As promised, he ends the tour in the library, where he insists on changing my bandages and putting my arm back in a sling. Then he makes up for it by cocooning me in a blissfully comfortable armchair next to the window, with a pile of books on the table beside me, waiting to be read. I spend the rest of the day reading and dozing in between chatting with one or more of the guys as they rotate through the library. We talk about everything and nothing and they pamper me with food and hot drinks until I’m bursting. Then they usher me into the dining room once again and we eat a huge hot dinner. They let me help clean up this time and Chase and I end up having a water fight in the kitchen sink. When I squeal for help as he overwhelms me in dish sudsy water, Nate charges into the kitchen like a superhero and sweeps me off my feet, carrying me bridal style through the house as Chase pretends to brag about my defeat, loudly, to Hunter, as they follow close behind.

Once upstairs Nate draws me a bath and they leave me to soak in peace. When I finally manage to peel myself from the tub, the water is getting cold and there are two warm bodies heating my bed. Nate and Hunter sling their arms over me as soon as I climb over Nate and nestle between them in the deliciously warm bedding. I can’t help but run my hands tentatively over each of them as they kiss me goodnight, but they don’t push. Hunter just groans and nips my lip before ordering me to sleep. As usual with these guys, my body obeys without protest.

This sets the tone for the next three days. The guys seek me out wherever I am and we talk for hours about our lives before the dead. The guys follow my lead in all things, playful when I want to be stupid, teasing when I want to flex a little of my newly re-found fire and quiet supporters when I have a low day. On the fourth day of lazing around, I bring up the subject of their mysterious group as we sit around the kitchen island after lunch.

“So, how far is your group from here?” I ask curiously, wondering why they haven’t met us already, if this is a safe house the guys frequent often, I would of thought they might check up on us.

The three of them share a look before Chase answers.

“About two days walk. It’s a hard trek though, the mountains get pretty rough from here out.”

“Oh, ok. Does anyone know we are here yet? I mean I’d have thought someone would be looking for you by now…” I let the question trail off, clearly implying I want more information.

“No one will come looking for us, sweetheart.” Hunter scoffs, his mouth kicked up in a smirk that drives me crazy. “They know better than that.” He adds cryptically. I must make a frustrated noise because Chase smooths his hand down my arm in a sympathetic gesture that gives me goose bumps.

“We work alone a lot of the time Angel. They all know to leave us be when we are out here because it’s dangerous for them to follow us. We go further than any of their other scout teams dare and to do that we need to be able to move without restrictions.” I make a face at him and he smiles, brushing is hand up my arm aging. “You are not a restriction Angel.” He continues when I scoff in disbelief “You are everything we didn’t know we needed. You are what we were looking for.” I melt into him, offering up my lips for a kiss, an offer he takes up immediately.

“So, ahem. Scout team?” I ask after Chase thoroughly distracts me for an embarrassingly long time.

They share another look between them. It lasts a lot longer than the first. Finally, Nate breaks the silence as he throws up his hands.

“For god’s sake we might as well just tell her. You know Isabella is just going make a scene out of it anyway.” I try to blink away the red haze that descends over my vision at the mention of another woman’s name on his lips, and focus on the fact they seem to be not telling me something important. “The community that we come from is a little bigger than we first said.” Nate continues, seemingly oblivious to the fact I’m trying to reign in my urge to stamp each of them with a tattoo of my name. Preferably on their foreheads. That is, until Hunter comes to stand behind me, running his fingers through my short hair and pulling me back to lean against his hard body. Allowing me to relax against him and forget about Isabella. For now. “We are one of three teams that venture out. The teams are sent out to search for survivors, and bring them back to meet the council. Once they meet the council, they are either allowed into the community, or we take them far, far away and leave them behind.” Nate states, as though reciting the rules for a kid’s game.

“Wait so your community sends you out to find people and then give them hope for a better life, let them see what they could have, then just dump them back into this nightmare if they don’t measure up? That’s cold, guys.” I state. Although I’m not as repulsed by the information as I should be. Simply stating what should be obvious.

“The people that don’t make it through the council’s judgement, don’t deserve a better life sweetheart. To be honest, the council is too lenient, in my opinion. They allow people that shouldn’t get a second chance to stay, and we often have to clean up their mess.” Hunter says darkly, and I twist my head to look at his expressionless face, before turning back to Nate. I grip Hunter’s hand where it rests on my shoulder and give it a reassuring squeeze. I have no doubt what he means by cleaning up messes and I want him to know I’m ok with it. Just like they are ok with all of me. I feel his tense body relax against my back the tiniest bit and smile.

“As I was saying,” Nate interrupts, “we are part of those scouting teams. We go out and find people, but we also go out to cull the dead and map areas of high infestations. We rarely find someone worth taking back to the community, so we hardly bother with recruitment anymore. When we find places of interest, like Jacobs compound, we usually spend a few days mapping the area and, if we feel the inhabitants pose a threat to us or our society, we inform the council and eliminate them. We are the only the scout team that doesn’t routinely bring back people for the council to judge.”

“So, you guys judge the people you find before they get to the council? You are the judge, jury and executioners?”

“Yes. We find it is easier this way. And it means we don’t have to bury people we know when someone unworthy is granted access to the community. It is much harder to kill someone when they have been accepted into the fold. Too many people around all the time to pull off a clean murder.” Chase adds in cheerfully, “Plus there’s really only so many accidents that can happen before people get suspicious.”

I bark a laugh at his down-cast expression, as if murder should be easier.

“So, what makes them unworthy?” I question.

“Oh, the usual. Unwarranted violence, animal cruelty, child molesters or a general cunty attitude, I guess. Oh yeah, murders and serial killers and stuff.” Chase replies deadpan and I laugh again, giving him a pointed look. “Oh, we aren’t classed as murderers. More like vigilantes?”

“Ah, of course. I always loved an antihero.” I say, fluttering my lashes at him in an exaggerated motion. He laughs and leans over to kiss me again, but Hunter snaps his hand forward and face palms him away.

“Less distracting, idiot.” He huffs at Chase as he struggles against his palm. Turning back to me Hunter asks “Are you ok sweetheart? I know this might be a lot to take in.”

I think it over and realise that yes, I am ok. I know one hundred percent that the guys in front of me would never hurt someone who didn’t deserve it. They were built to protect, and if that protection requires deadly force, then that’s what they will do.

I lean back into Hunter and gaze up into his dark eyes. I give him a grin and simply state. “I trust you guys.” And I do. I trust them to take care of me and to not be the villains in my story. They can be the villains in everyone else story, just as long as they stay the heroes in mine. I say as much to them.

Nate leans across the kitchen island to grab my hand and bring it to his mouth. He gives me a panty melting smile that warms his ocean blue eyes and makes my brain go fuzzy.

“I knew she was perfect.” Chase murmurs to Hunter. Then, “Told you so.” He says smugly. Hunter pushes him off his stool with a clatter that has me jumping and Nate roaring with laughter.

“Just one more thing.” I say before I get completely side-tracked by them all. “Who is Isabella and why would she make a scene out of telling me any of this? It doesn’t seem to me like this is that big a deal.”

The laughter and shenanigans cut off abruptly and it’s Hunter that answers in a cold, dead voice.

“Isabella is a member if the council. She likes to make our life as hard as possible. She was one of the original survivors that we saved from the government refuge. She would make a scene out of telling you because you will be only the third person we have brought back in the two years since we started going out. It has been over a year since we brought anyone back so she is going to be all over you. She also thinks our method of… operation is questionable and she loves nothing more than trying to make us uncomfortable.”

“And, you know, not many people would be as cool with us killing off the dregs of society as what you are Angel.” Chase points out helpfully. “She’s going to think she has some leverage over us now, with you in the mix. She will think that someone like you, someone from outside the community, couldn’t possibly understand all that we do and why. She’ll want to twist your view of us.”

“Add in the fact that she has been after Hunter since the first day she arrived at that camp, and she is going to be very interested in moving you away from us.” Nate adds in with a smirk in Hunters direction.

Hunter growls at Nate and swings me around to face him as I stiffen in his arms.

“Isabella is a power-hungry harpy, Angie. She wants us in her power and has for a long time. While we are not members of the council, the three of us have each been offered a seat multiple times and we have a heavy amount of sway in what happens within the community. And while it might be true that she has been trying to add me to her harem, sweetheart, there’s not a damn thing on this earth that could take me away from you, least of all another woman. I need you to believe that.” He tells me earnestly, leaning in to touch his forehead to mine as he stares into my eyes. When I take a deep breath and nod, he pulls me up into his arms and kisses me stupid. Plundering my mouth and making me forget my own name, let alone hers.

When he finally releases me, my legs are a little wobbly and he has to hold me up.

“Well, we could always just kill her if she makes any trouble for you Angel, seeing as you don’t seem to mind the odd justified murder…” Chase states nonchalantly, raising an eyebrow at me as I gape at him. I absolutely mind murder that is done in my name. I mean, not all murder done in my name. But some. Petty murder. Before I can say anything though, he bursts into laughter again and I follow suit, completely unsure if he was serious.

With the tension broken, Nate starts to gather plates and Chase steals me from Hunter’s arms to go check on the vegetable garden that he has been trying to weed. And just like that my worries disappear and I get lost in the day-to-day routine of our private slice of heaven. The problems with the council can wait for another day as I lounge, relax and heal for a few blissful days with my guys.