Page 18

AUTUMN

M ars greets us when Jace and I return to the campsite.

“How’d it go?” He turns around to look at us, and his leg knocks another plastic water bottle over and it rolls into the flames. “Oh, shit. We really need to find some fireproof water bottles, or we won’t have any left.”

“Or you can stop knocking them into the fire every other day,” I say with a teasing smile.

Caspian looks up from where he’s feeding wood into the fire. “The checkpoint was a bust. Nothing but old bones and rats.”

“Same,” I say, settling down beside the fire and pulling Mars’s flannel tight around me.

The walk back was long and quiet, with Jace lost in whatever thoughts he keeps locked away, and me not wanting to push after everything that happened.

The firelight flickers against our shelter’s broken walls. The scent of smoke and ash mixes with the faint tang of melted plastic from the bottle Mars knocked in.

Caspian doesn’t stop watching me, but his attention feels different tonight. It’s less haunted. More grounded. His gaze actually meets mine now .

He curls up near the fire with his hoodie pulled up halfway and his sleeves pushed to the elbow while he methodically feeds twigs and logs to keep the flames strong.

His hair hangs down past his jaw and his pale blue eyes still track me when I move, but there’s a warmth there now that wasn’t there yesterday.

The sun’s almost gone, but this time, the dark doesn’t seem to bother him as much.

Jace sits a little farther away, leaning against a far wall with his arms folded and distant. Shadows flicker across the scar that slices through his brow, and I can’t help but wonder what he’s thinking.

“You okay?” Caspian asks, looking at me.

“I’m fine,” I lie.

He tilts his head with skepticism flashing in his pale blue eyes. “You’re not.”

Before I can respond, Mars drops onto the ground beside me with a huff and tosses something soft against my chest. I fumble to catch it, then look down at the chocolate bar in my hands.

“We found a small treasure,” Mars says with a grin. “Don’t worry. I made sure it’s the least disgusting one.”

“Sounds delicious. I’m sold already,” I say.

Caspian raises an eyebrow at Mars. “You mean the one that’s least expired.”

“Exactly.” Mars puffs out his chest with pride.

The smile that tugs at my lips is reluctant, but I can’t resist being touched by their thoughtfulness. I brush dust off the wrapper and feel a warmth settle in my chest that has nothing to do with the fire.

We trade updates on our searches. Real updates, more than mere grunts and shrugs about our failures.

Caspian and Mars found an abandoned gas station that was stripped of anything useful except for a few melted candy bars and a rotter they had to put down. When it’s my turn, I share what happened at the train station .

“The sign didn’t match the symbol on the fabric, but while we were searching, someone with a gun found us instead,” I begin.

The mood changes in an instant. Mars’s playful grin fades, and Caspian’s eyes darken. Jace’s jaw clenches and he looks at me like he’s waiting for me to mention his fire trigger, but I won’t betray him like that.

“And you let Mars ramble on about nonsense?” Caspian asks.

Mars cuts in. “Melted chocolate isn’t nonsense. Now, purple, how do I find this guy?”

“Unfortunately for him, Jace took care of him,” I add, with a small smile in Jace’s direction. “There’s nothing left for anyone to find.”

Surprise and relief flicker across Jace’s face and his shoulders relax a little.

“Then the place got overrun with rotters, so I rigged a small explosion to clear our escape route.” I try to keep it casual, but I catch the way their eyebrows shoot up.

Mars lets out a low whistle of appreciation. “An explosion? Damn, purple.”

“Seems about right for you,” Caspian says.

“How many socks did you use for that one?” Mars asks with a grin, then glances down at Jace’s boots. “Wait, Jace still has his full sock collection.”

“Collection? You’re the only weirdo who has favorite socks,” Jace scoffs.

I laugh and shake my head. “No socks required this time. Only luck. Found an emergency flare, and some conveniently placed gas leaks.”

Caspian stares at me with something that looks like awe mixed with concern. “You created an explosion to escape rotters, and you’re only mentioning this now?”

“Why are you more surprised about the explosion than the sniper? Purple, next time you’re going first when we have storytelling. Why didn’t you tell us this sooner?” Mars asks, feigning hurt.

Jace shrugs. “Must’ve forgotten.”

The casual way he says it almost makes me snort with laughter, and even Caspian cracks a small smile with a shake of his head.

Mars stretches his legs out and nudges mine with his boot, making me laugh more when I see it’s the one with the missing sock he cares so much about. “So. Sniper, train station, explosion, and a guy getting his face eaten off. Sounds like a solid day.”

“Oh yes. Classic apocalypse,” I deadpan.

Caspian’s smile fades and he frowns at Mars. “He had a gun pointed at her head.”

That sobers Mars in an instant, and Jace’s hands clench into fists at the memory. I shift, fingers twisting in my lap. “He knew who I was. He said I got away and someone was looking for me…but I’m not sure if he meant me or my sister. We couldn’t get any answers once the rotter fell on him.”

Caspian tilts his head to see me better. “He didn’t say who was looking for you?”

“He mentioned G.L., whoever that is,” I say.

Mars frowns. “I don’t know what that means.”

“Not yet,” Jace says.

Silence creeps in again, stretching too long until Mars reaches over and peels open the candy bar wrapper for me. He hands it back with a grin and a bump of his elbow against mine. “Eat. You’ve got that ‘traumatized but cute’ look again.”

I scoff, but the moment cuts through the tension.

Mars leans back on his elbows, and squints up at the dying light of the sky. “You get attacked by a sniper, blow up a train station after trying to blow up half the city, and nearly kissed by death. What’s next? ”

I raise a brow and take a bite of my chocolate. It’s too sweet for my taste, but I eat it anyway. “Are you offering to take me on a danger tour?”

He grins and looks up at me. “Only if I get to be the final boss.”

Caspian snorts and shakes his head.

“Final boss of what?” Jace asks, but when Mars waggles his eyebrows at him, he rolls his eyes and looks away, muttering something I don’t catch.

Mars shifts. This time, when his shoulder bumps against mine, it lingers. “Seriously, though. Are you okay?”

“I won’t be if you guys don’t stop asking me that. But on a serious note, yes, I’m fine. I’m a girl with chocolate, after all.” I hold out my half-eaten chocolate bar in offering.

He shoves it back toward me with mock offense. “I fought two possums and a rat for that thing, all for you. You better eat every bite.”

My eyes widen. “You’re joking.”

Caspian scoffs. “Don’t worry. All he got was a splinter when he snatched it off the shelf too fast.”

Mars lifts his thumb to proudly show off the small red spot where he pried the splinter out after. “It really hurt, though.”

I laugh and grab his hand, then press a kiss to his thumb with a dramatic flourish. “Better?”

He freezes, and for a moment, his usual smirk falters. His eyes go wide, black as obsidian in the dancing firelight, and something sharp and wild flickers behind them. His gaze drops to my lips. I pull back, suddenly aware of how close we are.

Too close, but also not close enough.

Maybe.

I’m not sure anymore.

Across the fire, Caspian watches. His expression is unreadable, eyes tracking the space between me and Mars .

Mars’s gaze lingers on mine, heat sparking between us. That’s when it hits me. This isn’t just survival anymore.

It’s more.

A lot more.

What the hell am I getting myself into?

The fire’s down to embers now, its red-orange heart flickering among the coals.

Jace is back at the car, pretending it deserves his full attention. I’m convinced all he does is bang things around without trying to fix anything. He crouches near the rusted heap that I doubt has many more days left in the engine.

Every now and then, I hear the metallic clink of something getting wrenched. The hood creaks when he leans over. His shoulders are taut beneath his shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and tension that carves into every inch of him.

Caspian pokes at the fire once more, then rises. “I’ll collect some more firewood before the sun goes down. Try not to set off many more explosions while I’m gone.” He flashes me a smile before turning to leave. His long frame glides away until he disappears into the shadows.

Mars shifts beside me and leans in close. His voice is barely louder than the faint crackle of the fire. “What’s going on with you and Jace?”

My pulse skips. “Nothing.”

“Mm. Didn’t look like nothing. Did he carry you out of that train station like some soldier in a romance novel?”

I roll my eyes at his ridiculousness, then glance at him. “He told me to stay away. He said getting close would only hurt me.”

Mars frowns. The playful tilt of his mouth falls into something more serious. “Do you believe him? ”

“No, but I don’t know how to convince him otherwise. Something happened to him to give him that mentality, and I suspect it has to do with fire.”

Mars’s expression softens. When he shifts closer to me, I can feel the warmth of him radiating against my side. His breath brushes the side of my neck, making me shiver. “Want to mess with him a little?”

My brows arch. “Mars, what are you?—”

“What?” His tone is light and teasing. He pulls back a fraction and grins at me like he’s innocent. “What do you think I mean?”

“…What do you mean?” My voice is cautious. Not because I’m afraid, but because I’m not sure I want him to stop. Our kiss flashes through my mind.

He doesn’t answer. Instead, he shifts again, moving closer. Then his hand moves, and before I can catch my breath, he lifts one of my legs and drapes it across his lap like it belongs there. Like I belong here. My breath stutters as he shifts me, guiding me to sit fully on him.

The heat between us sparks in an instant; it’s undeniable. He’s hard beneath me, and suddenly I’m hyper-aware of every inch of contact.

His fingers trace lazy patterns against my skin. The touch is featherlight, but every pass leaves fire in its wake. My stomach flips so much, it deserves a gold medal.

Mars grazes the inside of my knee, then his hand drifts higher so his knuckles are brushing the soft skin of my inner thigh. It’s not even a full touch, not really, but it’s enough to make my heart feel like it might break through my chest.

“You shaved recently?” His voice is dark with amusement.

My hands rest on his shoulders to hold myself up, and I gape at him. “Mars.”

His black eyes sparkle with mischief. “I’m just saying. You’ve got sinfully soft legs in the apocalypse, and I feel like that should be acknowledged. Loudly, and frequently.”

My cheeks burn and I shift in sudden discomfort, but his fingers press into my skin to hold me in place, and he lets out a low groan. My pulse races. I worry he might hear how hard my heart is working to break free from its cage.

I shake my head and try to ignore the heat between us. “You’re ridiculous.”

When he looks up at me, all humor and playfulness are gone. “I don’t joke about smooth skin. Especially not on someone I’m sworn to protect.”

My breath stutters. A thick fog settles over my mind. He continues rubbing soft circles into my skin. This man is trying to kill me.

“Remember the choice you gave me?”

I swallow and try to push away the fog. “You never answered, but I guess you’re my guardian angel.”

Although right now, he’s acting more like my grim reaper. I’m pretty sure this man’s touch alone could kill me. Or make me beg.

He shrugs. The motion is casual, even as his hand stays right where it is, still teasing me. So close, yet so far.

“Technically. I mean, I pulled you off a rooftop…after dragging you onto a rooftop…and scaring you off a rooftop…then almost getting you killed a few times. At least some of those weren’t on a rooftop.” His touch moves half an inch higher.

I huff out a laugh and try not to squirm, even though I really want to. Oh, I so badly want to squirm right now. “So what, is that our thing now? On and off of rooftops? You’re going to give me a real fear of heights at this rate.”

Mars leans in closer until his lips hover over my ear. “Autumn, you took my breath away…” his lips curve against the shell of my ear. “And you blew up my world.”

A laugh bursts from my chest before I can stop it. It’s a full-bodied sound, something I didn’t know I needed until it was already out. “You’re the worst.”

Mars grins wide, proud, and far too satisfied with himself.

Across the fire, Jace stands and tosses a wrench onto the ground with a sharp metallic clatter. His jaw is set like stone. He doesn’t say a word when he turns and stalks off into the sunset with his broad shoulders rigid.

My smile falters, and I watch him disappear past the edge of the firelight until he’s swallowed by shadow, and something inside me aches.

I’m not sure which burned hotter. The fire Mars lit in me, or the storm Jace always leaves in his wake.

Mars rests his forehead against my shoulder with a sigh. His fingers squeeze my thigh for a moment before letting go.

“Well, that killed the moment,” he says with a dry sigh.

I slide my leg off Mars’s lap. “I should sleep. We both should.”

He doesn’t stop me. His eyes follow me with something between yearning and restraint, but he says nothing.

I move a few feet away and curl up near the fire, wrapping my arms around my knees. The night settles in around us.

I try to sleep. But with fire in my veins and storms in my head, rest feels a thousand miles away.