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CHAPTER FIFTEEN

AVA

The gag-worthy feeling settled as Gyrik rubbed my back and hugged me close. I could tell from the slant under my feet that we were on the top of the wall and not solid ground, but I hadn’t lifted my head yet. Mostly, I was giving my stomach time to settle. But I also was giving my thoughts time to settle as well.

I was pretty sure Gyrik had just confessed to liking me before we got out of the truck. Why else would he say he wanted to be more than friends? I wasn’t new at the dating game. I knew it could mean he wanted sex. And wanting sex wasn’t synonymous with liking someone. But the way he’d been nervous about me making friends and how excited he’d been when I’d asked him to live with me suggested he wanted more from me than just sex.

My pulse, which had been settling, jumped again.

“I won’t let you fall, Ava,” Gyrik said against my hair. “Ever.”

Comments like those were prodding me to give Gyrik a chance. As in a real chance, not just a one-night stand to satisfy my unrelenting curiosity about what sex with Gyrik would be like.

Probably mind-blowing.

“Ava?”

I even liked the way he said my name.

Lifting my head, I met his worried gaze. Whatever he saw when he looked at me seemed to reassure him, though, because he relaxed his hold just a little and nodded toward the homes stretched out before us.

The view was breathtaking from the top of the wall. It stretched as far as I could see. Nestled within the wall, the homes weren’t lifeless or covered with snow as they’d been in Shakopee. Smoke curled from chimneys, and people walked around between the houses.

Actual people…moving around like life was normal. Yet, there were hints it wasn’t. At least, not the version of normal I once knew.

“It’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be,” I said after studying it for several minutes. “Is that a cow in someone’s yard?”

“Yes. We have a few cows here, but most of them are in Unity. Look there.” He pointed toward a couple walking hand in hand down a street. The woman was human, and the guy was like Gyrik. “That is Mya and Drav. Would you like to talk to her about which home we can use?”

“Sure. Now is as good of a time as any.”

Gyrik picked me up and stepped straight off the wall. My stomach somersaulted, and I barely suppressed my scream.

He landed in a jog that didn’t stop until he reached the couple. The man looked a lot like Gyrik and like the other two had. All grey skin, pointy ears, and cat-like eyes, but long hair, unlike Gyrik. The eyes were a little different too. With the amount of green in his, they reminded me of something more reptilian, which was a little unsettling.

Realizing I was staring, I shifted my gaze to the woman’s.

“Sorry. I’m still trying to process everything.”

She smiled. “It does take some getting used to. But you look like you’re doing all right.”

Her gaze shifted briefly to Gyrik, and I looked up at him too, realizing I was still in his arms.

“Can you put me down, please?”

He did so but a little reluctantly. It was sweet, just like his panic in the truck had been.

I smiled at him then turned to the woman whose permission we needed to live together.

Holding out my hand to her, I said, “My name’s Ava, a recently discovered survivor who accepted Gyrik’s invitation to check out your community. You’re Mya, right?”

“I am.” She shook my hand. “And I’m glad you’re here. Are there more in your group?”

“She was living alone,” Gyrik said.

“Alone?”

“Alone and oblivious, apparently,” I said. “I only discovered what had happened a few days ago.”

“What? How? No, wait. I think this conversation needs to wait until we’re inside. It’s still not warm enough for me out here.”

She gestured toward a side street, and we started walking.

“You wouldn’t have liked where Gyrik found me, then,” I said. “It snowed the day we left. He had to run in front of the trucks so we knew where to drive.”

“I’m glad we didn’t get that much snow.” She glanced behind us. “Are those your cats?”

I looked back and saw Bauts and Dax surrounded by other fey who were petting my boys.

“They are.”

“Good. We need more animals around here. They’re not fixed, are they?”

“Pete is. Repeat isn’t. He was too young before all this happened.”

“That’s great! We have a girl cat here who needs a boy cat.”

She turned up the sidewalk to one of the many houses and opened the door. No lock. Just an opened door.

“So, my cats get to stay? Does that mean I can too?”

She laughed as the big grey man behind her helped her out of her jacket inside. Her baby bump was noticeable enough that I did a double-take.

“Just about five months now. It’s hard to tell how much time has passed. We haven’t been great at tracking the days.”

I glanced from her to the big man beside her.

“Yes, he’s the father,” she said. “And I’m not the only one.”

A little of the shock and concern I felt must have shown because she quickly held up her hands.

“No, no. I don’t mean that he’s fathered a lot of kids. I mean, I’m not the only woman pregnant with a fey baby. There are a few other women like me. I’m the furthest along, though.”

My relief that I hadn’t joined some kind of harem was palpable.

“Oh. Congratulations then.”

She laughed and motioned to the couch.

“And I think you’re going to fit in well whichever community you choose.”

“I get to choose?” I asked, sitting beside her. “I thought housing was assigned.”

“Eh, only for the people who we think won’t make the right choices for themselves or might cause trouble.”

“How do you know I won’t cause trouble?”

“Because you’re with Gyrik. Not just with him but treating him like a person.”

I glanced at Gyrik, feeling sad again as I recalled the mistreatment Zach had told me about.

“Now tell me your story,” Mya said. “How did you not know what happened?”

We sat in the living room, and I retold everything from saying goodbye to my family to shutting myself off from the world so I could finish my project to discovering Silver Bay to Gyrik showing up during my final bathroom run.

“How did you not panic? When I first saw Drav, I was close to having a heart attack.”

“I think I was just so happy to know I wasn’t alone that I hugged first. It helped that it was dark out and I couldn’t see him clearly. It was a little bit of a shock when he walked into the cabin, though. The underlying panic was there but more because his differences proved what he was saying was true.”

“So you were panicking more about the end of the world than the fact you were meeting a fey face to face.”

“Pretty much.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out the picture of my family, which Gyrik had thankfully not washed. “Any chance these faces look familiar to you? It’s my mom, grandpa, and sister.”

She looked at the picture—really looked—and then shook her head. “I’m sorry. They aren’t. But we can pass that picture around. Actually…” She trailed off, lost in thought for a moment. “That’s a really good idea.”

“What is?” I asked.

She focused on me again. “I’m not sure how much Gyrik’s told you; groups like his are searching for more of us.

“Your reaction to Gyrik was an exception to what they’ve come to expect. Humans greet them with fear and hostility. So far, you’re the first one the groups have found who has accepted their invitation. Maybe if we had pictures of all the survivors who are here, waiting for their loved ones, more might be willing to join, or we might actually reunite people.”

“I’ll admit that I was a little worried about leaving with Gyrik and his group. Not because I was worried about Gyrik specifically but because four strangers were promising me a safe haven after telling me the world had ended. It sounded a little too good to be true.”

“And when something sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” she said in understanding. “Would pictures have helped?”

“I don’t know. They would have if I’d seen my family in them, but if not, I probably would have still hesitated. I guess it depends on the types of pictures that were taken.”

She looked at Drav. “This should go both ways. Not just pictures of people here but people they’re looking for too. We should talk to Brooke and see if she’s willing to make sketches of missing family members. The next supply group that goes out should watch for instant print cameras so we can take pictures of the people we find out there too.”

I watched Drav stride toward the door and glanced at Gyrik, unsure what to do. Was that a hint we should leave?

Before I could ask, Mya said, “You’re welcome to stay for lunch and meet more of the residents here in the Tolerance community. Or if you’d rather have Gyrik take you for a tour, that’s fine too.”

“I’ll take Ava,” Gyrik said, setting his hand on my shoulder.

Mya grinned. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

Because she wanted me out? Still unsure, I stood.

“If you’re looking for open houses here, there are a few on the west side. Personally, I’d avoid looking for a place in Tenacity. It’s overcrowded, and although June and Matt cleaned out the really bad apples, it’s still a tense environment over there. If you want a place that’s more harmonious with the fey, stick to here or Unity, our newest community. They have a lot of unclaimed homes there.”

“That’s the one with the greenhouses and fields, right?” I asked.

“It is. Are you interested in being a farmer?”

“My grandpa was really into gardening. I have a few binders filled with the seeds he collected over the years. He made notes about hardiness and yield. He was really into it and liked to talk about it. I wouldn’t mind trying to put some of that information into practice. No guarantee I’d be any good at it, though.”

“You won’t know until you try. And this is the perfect time for it. I suggest heading there first.”

I nodded, stood, and held out my hand. “It was nice to meet you, Mya.”

“You too. Thanks for accepting Gyrik’s invitation. I hope you two find a house you like in Unity.”

Gyrik took my hand and led me to the door where Drav spoke to another fey. I smiled politely at both of them as they stepped aside, allowing us to leave.

Once we were a good distance away, I looked at Gyrik.

“I can’t tell if that meeting went well or not. Were we just kicked out?”

He blinked at me.

Where was Zach when I needed him?

“Nevermind. What do you think of Mya’s idea of checking out Unity to find a house? You’re still willing to live with me, right?”

The idea of snuggling with Gyrik every night appealed to me…a lot. And if a few more impromptu explosions happened because of it, my ego wouldn’t mind the boost. He was easy to talk to and easy to be around. His teeth had surprised me a little, but he really did have a heart-melting smile when he let it free.

And most importantly, I felt really, really safe with him around. And appreciated. And cared for.

I realized I’d already started the slow fall, which hadn’t been very slow. I really liked Gyrik.

As I waited for an answer, the tips of his ears darkened. I needed to ask Zach what that meant.

“Yes, I want to live with you, Ava,” he said finally.

My smile was so wide it strained my cheeks.

“Perfect. Let’s find Pete and Repeat and head over there. You know how to get there, right?”

“I do.”

As we walked back toward the wall, I noticed how many people were walking around and how many of them weren’t human. Men just like Gyrik wandered between the houses. I saw one walking a cow on a leash.

“Well, that’s something new,” I said. He made eye contact with me, and I waved.

Gyrik caught my hand, and I fought not to grin.

“Pete and Repeat are there,” he said, pointing down the road.

My two cats were twining around the legs of a group of gathered fey. One would occasionally squat down to give a cat a pet and stand again when the cat walked away.

Still holding my hand, Gyrik led me toward them.

Pete saw me drawing near and abandoned the group to stroll my way. Gyrik released my hand so I could scoop Pete up and give him the smooches he enjoyed.

“We are going to Unity and will need an escort,” Gyrik said while I rained my love onto Pete.

Several of the fey stepped forward. Gyrik nodded and took Pete from me to pass off to one volunteer. Then I was in Gyrik’s arms again, fighting against the urge to gag as he jumped over the wall.

At the top, he paused, which gave my stomach a moment to settle while the others jumped down by the trucks. Bram and Zach, who were still unloading with some other fey, called out greetings, and I watched how they interacted. The way the fey responded was more reserved but still familiar and friendly.

“Are you ready?” Gyrik asked.

“I am. Thank you.”

His arms tightened around me, pressing me firmly against his chest, which helped me feel a little more secure when he stepped off the edge. After he landed, he smoothed his hand down my back as I clung to him.

“Thank you,” I mumbled into his chest, not yet ready to let him go.