Page 113 of Hollow Valley

“What about Stella and Fae?”I asked.

“We’ll talk about it with Stella, and with Edie and Fergus,” he reasoned.“She won’t be alone, no matter where you and I go.”

“And you’re okay with all of that?Is this really what you want?”I asked.

“All I’ve ever wanted is to be with you and make sure that our family is safe.”His expression turned solemn, his eyes imploring.“But you can’t do this again, okay?I know you were scared and hurting, but you can’t just go running away from me like that.I chased after you this time, but I won’t do it again.”

“I’m sorry for leaving the way I did,” I reiterated, because it was all I could do.“I won’t do it again.”

He smiled and kissed the palm of my hand.“So what now?”

My stomach rumbled and answered for me.“Now we get some breakfast and figure out what to do next.”

“Sounds perfect.”

He squeezed my hand once more before letting go.With a contended sigh, I pushed back the covers and swung my legs over the edge of the bed.Boden sat up and stretched his arms above his head, blinking away the last traces of sleep.

He offered me a soft smile as we stood together.“Oh, but there is one more thing.”He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a pair of simple silver bands – a larger one for him, a smaller one for me.

“Are those our rings?”I asked, tears filling my eyes as I remembered when Boden had first obtained them.It had been the winter after my brother died, and he’d wanted something tangible that bound us.

“Yeah, I brought them in case…” He trailed off, suddenly unsure.

“Thank you.”I closed the distance between us.He slid the ring on my finger, and I slid the ring on his.“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”He kissed me deeply and wrapped his arms around me.

With the morning light filtering through the window, we readied ourselves for the day ahead.Boden rummaged through his bag for a cleaner shirt while I quickly brushed the tangles from my hair and pulled on my boots.We exchanged quiet smiles and a few whispered words, and I couldn’t believe how much I’d missed him.

We headed out of the inn, and we were walking down the boardwalk when Boden pointed to a young man in faded coveralls.“Is that one of the Cold Shore guards there?”

The logo on his arm – the drop of blood over the earth – was the dead giveaway that he worked at the outpost, but I didn’t recognize him.Over the past weeks, I had the displeasure of getting familiar with the guards that worked the watch tower, like Stensrud and a few others, but this one I had never seen before.

“I think so, but I don’t know him,” I said.

“Maybe he’ll be more helpful than the others,” Boden suggested.

I shrugged.“It doesn’t hurt to try.”

As I approached him, I called out, “Excuse me.Can I talk to you for a minute?”

He glanced around uncertainly, but he stopped and offered a perplexed smile.“What can I do for you?”

“I’ve been trying to get into Cold Shore for ARK testing, or at least just talk to someone, but the guards at the gate have been giving me the run around,” I explained.

He nodded knowingly.“Yeah, that’s what they do.It’s in their training procedures to keep outsiders on the outside.”

“You seem a bit friendlier,” Boden commented.

“I’m more of a courier, so I get to be,” he replied with a smile.

“So, can you help us?”I asked.

“I can take down your names and talk to my superiors, but I don’t really have any sway in who is let in and who is sent away.”He reached into the pocket of his overalls, pulling out a small notebook and pencil.

“Well that’s more than the other guards did, I guess,” I said.“My name is Remy King.”

His pencil was poised over the paper, but he froze and looked up at me in disbelief.“Remy King?Seriously?”

“Yes… why do you sound so shocked?”

He looked over at Boden.“You wouldn’t happen to be Max King, would you?”

“What?No.”Boden narrowed his eyes at him.“Why would you ask that?”

“How do you know who Max is?”I demanded.“How do you know me?”

“Sorry.”He shoved his notepad back into his pocket, and he held out his hand like he meant for us to shake it.“My name is Dmitry Popov, and my father has been studying your blood at Cold Shore for years now.So yeah, I think we can find a place for you.”