Page 58

AUTUMN

T he building groans in front of us. Flames lick high into the sky, turning everything inside to blackened wreckage. It’s over.

The rotters are dead. The brothers are dead. Even the cages are empty and burning. But the smoke still burns my throat, even out here in the open.

I stand near the edge of the broken street with my guys close by.

Caspian leans against an old car with his head tilted back and his eyes closed like he’s willing the shaking in his hands to stop.

The gray of his t-shirt is almost unrecognizable through the soot and blood.

Jace stands a few feet away, watching the fire with a blank expression, his jaw clenched so tight I can almost hear the grind of his teeth.

The bandage on his arm has come loose, and fresh burns mark his hands from the rescue.

Mars leans against the hood next to me with his arms crossed and his smirk soft but tired, the black fabric of his shirt torn at the shoulder.

We made it.

Luna circles back to us after checking the perimeter, her fur matted with ash and blood. She sits at my feet, pressing against my leg .

The women we freed are scattering and disappearing into the night.

Some run without looking back, while a handful of others stand around, too dazed to move, staring at the flames.

A few of them stay close, huddled together at the edge of the street.

One glances back at me with an expression mixed with gratitude and grief. I nod at her, which is all I can offer.

I shift closer to my guys. The meaning of this moment settles into my bones, and I need to be close to them.

Caspian opens his eyes and catches me watching him before giving me a small nod.

Jace glances my way. His eyes soften for a second before turning back to the fire.

Mars hooks his thumb in his belt loop and tilts his head, giving that familiar crooked grin.

I move in and wrap my arms around myself, feeling raw and burned out.

“What do we do now?” Jace asks, his voice rough from the smoke. “Those papers I tried to save…they had coordinates. They were all we had to find Genesis Labs.”

I shake my head and let out a long breath. “It doesn’t matter where we go, as long as we stick together.”

Mars’s eyebrows rise, and Caspian’s lips twitch into the ghost of a smile.

“We’ll find another way,” Caspian says. “There are always clues, we just have to figure out where to look.”

Movement in the smoke has me glancing up to see Lucy.

She stands apart, near the corner of the building with her hands clutching her throat.

Her eyes meet mine. For a second, all we do is stare at each other through the haze, and I see the look of utter heartbreak in her eyes.

Her fingers brush against her throat before placing her forefinger in front of her lips and then turning and running. No words. No goodbyes. Just gone.

“Do you think she knew?” Mars asks. “Lucy, I mean.”

I think about it for a moment. “No. Something tells me she wouldn’t have survived this long if she did. ”

The fire crackles and the heat still bites at the edges of my skin, but it’s over. I feel Caspian’s hand brush my back. Mars’s arm slings over my shoulders, pulling me in against his chest.

“We should find somewhere to rest,” Jace says. “Get cleaned up. Figure out our next move.”

“Somewhere without fire or rotters,” Caspian adds.

“Or brothers with a God complex,” Mars quips.

I lean into them and close my eyes, surrounded by their warmth.

For the first time since losing Summer, I feel something unfamiliar settle over me.

A sense of peace, belonging, and even safety.

“What about that colony you wanted to drag me to? Aren’t there some people waiting for you to come back with me? ”

Jace grins, which looks a little odd on him, but I love it. “That sounds perfect. I think Luna might even have some friends there.”

Luna presses against my legs, as if she understands.

I lean into my guys and close my eyes.

We made it.

The world is still broken, but we’re not.

The walls of Zoey’s colony rise out of the dust like weathered sentinels.

It’s simple, made out of salvaged wood, corrugated steel, and patched fences; materials that would have been unremarkable before, but now represent safety and community.

It’s not much, but it feels like something substantial in a world that’s lost its substance.

There’s a full colony inside those walls, people who have been through hell from what they have told me during our incredibly long walk to get here.

It took us three days with stops for food, sleep, and some private time getting to know each other that almost always ended in having to fight a rotter before we could climax.

If we keep this up, I’ll really be seeing this apocalyptic world in a whole new way, and I’m not sure how I feel about that.

The last stretch of road hums beneath our boots when we crest the hill, with loose gravel crunching with each step.

The sun dips low behind us, casting everything in a warm honey-gold that softens the harsh edges of this broken world.

Sweat cools on my skin as the evening breeze picks up, carrying with it the scent of cooking fires and something green.

There are actually gardens growing within the walls.

Summer and I had tried growing some vegetables, but we could never stay in one place long enough to see them through.

Luna trots beside me, her coat finally clean after days of carrying all that ash and blood. Her nails click in a rhythm against the pavement, her nose working in overdrive to catalog all the new smells and unfamiliar humans and animals I’ve heard about.

We’re met at the gate, which creaks open with a sound that’s both welcoming and cautious.

Zoey stands in front of us, silhouetted against the glow of lanterns being lit behind her as dusk deepens.

Her eyes are sharp, but soft around the edges, like polished steel, though a stunning blue color.

I met her once, and she was kind to me. Gave me medical supplies from her meager stash after losing everything.

She’s the same as I remember. Fierce and strong, like she’s holding this place together with her bare hands.

Maybe she is. The guys told me about her and what happened before they went searching for me.

I’m not surprised by how she wound up on top of this place.

She’s stronger than the world gives her credit for.

Even though she’s here, it’s Emily who spots me first. Her face lights up, the lantern light catching in her eyes, and before I can blink, she’s rushing forward and pulling me into a hug so tight I nearly stumble.

The scent of lavender clings to her hair.

An impossible luxury that somehow makes perfect sense here.

“I was about to head back to my own colony, but I’m so glad I stayed one more day,” she says, her voice muffled against my shoulder, her warmth seeping through my clothes.

I let myself lean into it, let the warmth of the hug settle into my chest. It’s nice, and it’s different from being hugged by one of my guys.

This one is almost like being hugged by my sister.

The thought brings a pang, but I push it aside.

This is a moment for a new beginning, not old grief. I’ll sit with my grief later.

Once Emily sets me down, introductions are easy. Voices meld into a comfortable hum of connection. I’ve met Emily twice before when she was going through her own shit, so it’s nice to see she made it through alright. Her smile comes easier now.

Jace, Mars, and Caspian all shake hands with the others in the colony, nod heads, and give the occasional threat to anyone who even looked at me with extra interest. Their voices mix with the background sounds of life, things I haven’t heard in a long time like pots clanging, a guitar being tuned, and even joyous laughter.

I catch the way Zoey’s eyes linger on us.

They’re not judging, but they’re curious.

Watching how close we stand, how our edges seem to blur together, how Mars’s hand finds the small of my back without thinking, how Caspian’s shoulder brushes mine with each shift of his body, and how Jace’s eyes always find me even across the space.

Luckily, this place isn’t built on normal.

I see the way Zoey tends to Cole, the way she crouches by his side, adjusting the brace on one of his legs, her touch lingering with a tenderness that speaks volumes.

Her fingers work deftly, and when she finishes, her palm rests on his knee a moment longer than necessary.

The way they look at each other shows there’s silent communication between them .

Then she rises and shares an intimate kiss with a possessive Damon, whose arm wraps around her waist as if to say she belongs right there.

The kiss is neither hurried nor performative.

It’s the comfortable, deep kiss of people who know each other’s rhythms, who fit together through practice and patience.

His thumb traces small circles at the base of her spine, and when they part, his eyes follow her with a heat that hasn’t dimmed with familiarity.

Moments later, she exchanges a flirty smile with Benji that could melt ice.

Her hand traces down his arm in a way that leaves goosebumps in its wake.

I can almost feel the electricity between them from where I stand.

Then she falls into a heated embrace with Avery, whose hands frame her face like she’s the most precious thing in the world.

Then their lips meet, speaking volumes in silence.

The way they move around each other is like a dance they’re perfected, each step complimenting the others. There’s no jealousy, just love multiplied. The air around them seems charged with something rare and valuable.