Page 29

AUTUMN

T he first thing I feel is warmth, and it’s not from the fire. It’s from him. Mars.

His chest is a furnace at my back with his arm draped over my waist and his fingers splayed warm over my stomach beneath my shirt. His breathing is slow and sleepy, and I don’t want to wake him. He’s so sweet when he sleeps. Especially when he’s not fighting for his life.

I close my eyes and just let myself be, for once, in this broken world. This is the first time since Summer was taken that I’ve woken up without fear sitting heavy on my chest, worried they would come for me next.

Across the dying embers, Caspian sleeps with his back against a concrete wall.

Luna traded me for him overnight, curling against his side with her head resting on his thigh.

One of his hands rests in her fur, as if he’s been petting her before falling asleep.

It’s strange seeing them both so comfortable with another.

They’re good for each other. The sight makes me smile.

Maybe they both needed someone to trust again.

My gaze drifts upward to where Jace sleeps on top of the car.

One arm is flung over his eyes and the other dangles off the edge with the scrap of fabric we’d found hanging from his fingers.

Even in his sleep, his body looks tense, ready to spring into action at the first sign of trouble.

Though, it’s nice to see him sleeping for once.

The world is still broken. My sister’s still missing. But here, in this moment, I’m not running or fighting for my life. I’m here, cocooned in warmth and safety among these three men who’ve somehow become my protectors, and maybe even something more.

Mars shifts behind me, and I feel the soft brush of his lips at the curve of my shoulder before I even register he’s awake. “Morning,” he whispers, his voice still rough with sleep.

“Hey,” I smile.

Neither of us says anything for a second, then he breaks the calm silence. “You okay?”

I nod against his arm that’s doubling as my pillow.

His fingers brush against the bare skin of my stomach. “I mean it. If you’re not…”

“I am,” I cut in with a soft smile. “Thank you for your concern, but I really am.” I turn in his arms to face him.

His jet-black hair is tousled and sleep-mussed.

There’s a bruise on his jaw I hadn’t noticed before.

Probably from whatever happened between him and Jace last night.

His eyes, his pitch-black eyes, are so soft when they look at me.

He brushes his thumb slowly across my cheek. “You sure?”

Without thinking, I kiss the center of his palm. The way his thumb brushes my cheek after makes my heart stutter. “Yes. Last night was…good.”

His mouth lifts into a crooked smile. “Good?”

I raise a brow. “You want a rating?”

His grin spreads. “Only if I’m getting five stars.”

I don’t get a chance to answer. In one smooth motion, Mars tightens his hold around me and shifts us both so I’m straddling his waist and lying flat against his chest. I can feel his heart thudding beneath my palm, our mouths close enough that our breath mingles in the cool morning air.

The sudden movement pulls a giggle from my throat. The sound surprises me. It almost doesn’t feel like mine.

“Five stars,” I confirm, pressing a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth. “What about me? Do I get a rating?” Heat creeps up my neck. “Wait, no, don’t answer that. I mean…never mind.”

Mars’s eyes soften as he tucks a strand of purple hair behind my ear. “Sweetheart, I’d give you every star in the night sky if I could.”

My laugh catches in my throat. The way he looks at me in that moment warms me all over and makes my chest ache in a different way. The sheer sincerity of his words is almost too much to handle.

From across the camp, Luna lifts her head, ears twitching at the sound I made. Her ears twitch again before she settles back against Caspian with a contented sigh.

I lean in and kiss Mars before sitting up and brushing my hair back from my eyes. Morning light softens the sharp edges of the world, but it’s still hell.

At least this time, I’m not alone in it. Not anymore.

We find a pharmacy mid-morning, much to my relief.

Jace had been up before dawn, already poring over the clues we found, ready to continue the search with or without me.

He’d worked himself into such a frustration that he passed out on the car before the sun came up, but the moment he woke again, he was ready to get moving.

Now that we’ve found proof Summer was alive, he seems almost as desperate to find her as I am, but in a more controlled, tactical way that’s unmistakably Jace .

The pharmacy sign hangs crooked, half its letters missing. Most of the windows have been smashed in, and the front door swings in the breeze like it’s waving to us. A rusted welcome to disappointment.

Mars offers to go in first, but I shake my head. “I’ve got it.”

After Jace and Mars fought, they’d gone back to the bunker together to make sure we didn’t miss anything. They’d found medication bottles with a faded pharmacy label. The name was barely legible, but it matched this location. It could be nothing, but right now, it’s all we have, so here we are.

The place is mostly stripped. Shelves are bare and prescription bottles scatter across the floor. It’s almost as empty as the shell of a small storefront we’ve been camping out in. I push past the dust and twisted metal, stepping over debris as quietly as I can.

Jace moves with me, sticking close to my side.

His eyes constantly sweep our surroundings, his hand never straying far from his pistol.

He hasn’t said much since his fight with Mars, the one that left them both matching bruises, but I appreciate his unwavering commitment to his promise.

I fully believe we’ll find her, and that’s all because of these guys and their refusal to give up, even when I have.

“Look for anything with the same markings as the scrap material,” Jace says. He’s taken the lead today. “Labels, paperwork, anything. Doesn’t even have to look like the scrap or that jacket. Anything mentioning a bunker, G.L., or, hell, just anything that looks like it could be something.”

Caspian scrunches his nose when he looks around, mutters something about water damage, and heads toward the back of the pharmacy.

His boots leave prints in the thick dust, and I frown when I notice the state the interior is in.

There must have been a burst pipe long enough ago that it finally dried out, but there’s some clear damage .

Mars finds a few packs of gauze and what might be antibiotics. His gaze shifts to my shin that’s still covered with a bandage, and I realize with a start that this isn’t only about following a vague lead. It’s also about patching me up.

Before I can call them out on their little plan, there’s a soft creak behind the far counter that doesn’t belong to any of us. I raise my blade.

Luna, who’s been padding quietly alongside me, freezes. Her ears prick forward, and a low, rumbling growl builds in her throat.

A cautious voice drifts over. “Summer?”

I freeze. My heart stutters, then races double-time.

Luna’s growl intensifies as a young woman steps into view from the back hallway with her hands raised. She’s maybe my age, an inch or two shorter, with fiery red hair tucked under a hood and almond-shaped eyes that track me with unsettling familiarity.

Jace shifts into high alert, his hand moving to the pistol on his hip. Luna positions herself in front of me with her hackles raised and teeth bared.

“You know Summer?” I choke out. My fingers absently graze along my Gemini tattoo. “Do you know where she is?”

The woman frowns, her eyebrows drawing together. “Wait. No. Not Summer.” She steps closer and tilts her head to really get a good look at me. Recognition dawns in her green eyes. “You’re her sister, aren’t you? She said she had a sister.”

Jace shifts closer to me, his body angling slightly to put himself between me and her. My grip tightens around my blade. “Who are you?” I ask.

Her expression softens, but Jace’s body remains as rigid as ever. I feel Mars and Caspian moving into position around us, forming a protective triangle with me at its center .

“My name’s Lucy. I knew Summer, though briefly.” Her gaze drops to my exposed wrist where my Gemini tattoo is on full display. “Guess that confirms it. You really are her sister. You look so much like her.”

“What do you mean, you knew Summer? How?” My voice cracks with desperate hope. I don’t recall Summer ever mentioning anyone named Lucy.

She hesitates, glancing between the three men surrounding me.

“How?” Mars repeats for me, his voice dangerously soft. His chest presses to my back, one hand settling at my hip. Protective, possessive.

Lucy shakes her head. “I was with her only a short time. I didn’t know what happened to her, but my brothers might. They hear things. They know a lot about what goes on.”

“Your brothers?” Mars’s hand tightens on my hip. “Who are they?”

“They help people,” she says. Her eyes dart toward the exits. “Survivors. They help survivors get to safer places. They might’ve picked up on something about your sister.”

“What kind of safer places?” Jace cuts in, his voice hard with suspicion. “And why would they know anything about Summer specifically?”

Lucy’s eyes narrow. “Because they keep tabs on everyone who passes through. And someone with purple hair is bound to get on someone’s radar.”

Jace takes a half-step forward. “How do these brothers of yours ‘help’ survivors?”

“I can’t say for sure, but I’ve seen it myself. They’ve found dozens of struggling people and gotten them to safety.”

“Where exactly are they?” Jace presses on.

“I can take you to them.”

“No,” Jace snaps. “Not happening. We’re not going anywhere blind. ”

“I didn’t say now,” Lucy huffs. “I said they might help. That’s all.”