Page 24 of Hunt Me (The Skulls #1)

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Fauna

I ’ m holed up in an empty office block turned safe house for The Skulls, and we're acting like there's some newfound friendship between us. Well, Vishrut is anyway.

Ruaridh might have a different idea. The way I could feel the daggers that he was shooting Vish ’ s way whenever he would take a step towards me was clear for me to see.

Ruaridh has also made it obvious he will not let me out of his sight when Vish is around.

It ’ s either down to some weird sudden possessiveness or that he does not trust his men.

Or me.

Trust was never something that came quickly for me and I ’ m not about to change my ways just because one guy ate me out in a shower and another smiled my way for fucks sake. No matter how nice that shower was and how much I want another one, I ’ m not caving to my body ’ s needs.

I ’ m need to get out of here, away from these two.

The girls need me to.

‘ It ’ s going to be dark again soon. Would you like to come, and we'll sort out a spot for tonight? ’ Ruaridh asks, grinning suggestively, ‘ Or if you would prefer, you can sleep on top of me since you were such a fan of that position last night. ’

Memories of last night come flooding back to the forefront of my mind, and I can ’ t help but cringe. I ’ d managed to avoid any embarrassment I may have felt about my drunken confessions, but now it is hitting me like a brick wall.

‘ It ’ s been a hard winter, you know. I ’ ve started to question if each one will be worse than the last. That humanity will keep evolving into these disgusting beings and that there ’ s truly no hope anymore. That I will never sleep properly again. ’

As if by some irony, personally coordinated by the apocalypse gods themselves, I ’ d had the best time curled up on Ruaridh ’ s lap, despite it only being short.

Last night, we both drank our fair share of alcohol, but that hasn ’ t changed things for me in the past. Isla and I used to sneak plenty, and one of us always managed to stay up for the watch no matter how bleary-eyed we were.

Drunk or not, we knew we would at least be able to warn the other, and then maybe we ’ d at least have some level of a fighting chance.

‘ Don ’ t act like you weren ’ t begging for some human affection.

I thought you might have burst into tears if I hadn ’ t given you a cuddle.

’ I taunt Ruaridh back, knowing full well that the volume of my voice is just loud enough for Vishrut to hear.

And the returning laughter from the other side of the room confirms it.

‘ You can ’ t be letting other people in on our secrets, mischief. You will wound my reputation as a crazy brutalist. ’ His facial expressions convey a feigned hurt, and to add to the act, he brings a tattooed palm up to rest across his heart.

I roll my eyes at his theatrics — such a drama queen.

‘ Don ’ t worry, Ru, we all know you ’ re a big cuddly bear just longing for some affection, ’ Vish hoots.

Suddenly, a tin of beans is launched across the room, hitting Vishrut with a thud.

‘ Ah you fucker! You could have at least thrown an empty can. ’

‘ Serves you right, ’ Ruaridh grumbles. ‘ He ’ s such a fucking wind up. ’

‘ Not ma fault you walk around like a pining puppy dog waiting for ya girl to show you –‘

Ruaridh moves towards Vish.

‘ Okay, okay, ’ Vishrut practically squeals as he throws his hands up in surrender. ‘ I ’ m leaving. ’

Despite knowing that I need to leave, and having left the girls alone without a word from me, I still can ’ t shake the warring emotions within me. An alien emotion I haven ’ t felt in possibly my entire life has begun stirring within me, and if I don ’ t cut it out now, it might never leave me.

‘ C ’ mon, ’ the palm of Ruaridh ’ s hand gently presses against my lower back. Respectful in its placement and not too demanding with its force.

It would be rude just to leave right now, especially after they have just fed me. I ’ ll help them set up for the night, and then I will sneak out; it ’ s the least I can do.

Mind made up, I follow Ruaridh to the opposite side of the room noticing a hidden door and a dark passage behind it.

A hidden passage should never come as a surprise these days, nor should the inevitable terror that accompanies it.

Younger me, pre-apocalypse Fauna would be all over this shit, running around the building playing hide and seek with my dad.

My head would fill with all types of possibilities, and not a single one of them would be remotely close to any of the realities I have faced when coming across a hidden passage in real life.

Almost every single time I have come across one there has been some fucked up creep hiding behind it waiting to do all sorts of shit to you. Shit that has caused countless sleepless nights amongst the group.

I can still hear Millie ’ s screams from the other side of the closed door.

‘ You alright? ’ Ruaridh asks, seeing that I ’ ve stopped following him.

‘ What ’ s in there? ’

‘ It ’ s where we sleep. ’ Ruaridh ’ s confused look volleys between me and the door, then his features soften, and realisation dawns on him. ‘ Oh. ’

I stare.

At least he ’ s not stupid enough to not understand why no matter what him and Vishrut have done for me today I will not be going through a suspicious as fuck looking door to possibly my death or worse.

‘ And it wouldn ’ t help if I promised nothing weird is behind there? ’ He offers, eyes imploring.

I shake my head.

‘ Aye, I wouldn ’ t believe me either. I think there are some sofas on the next level up; we could go there for the night instead. ’

‘ Why don ’ t you just use those anyway? ’ I ask, suspicion continuing to rise inside of me.

‘ There was a time when the city was really fucked up. I mean fucking bad. I know it ’ s not all sunshine and daisies now, but it's a lot better than it used to be. ’ He leans back against the wall as he speaks.

‘ For a while the city was overrun by all types of psychopaths. You ’ ve probably seen it firsthand too; that cities tend to be the perfect meeting spot for the worst types of people. ’

I nod. That is one of the main reasons why it took us so long to get here; we had avoided cities as much as we could on our way up North.

But then Isla fell pregnant and we knew Glasgow would be one of our last chances to get any vital equipment and knowledge that we might need in helping her and the baby before we find somewhere to settle in the highlands.

‘ Well, it was rife here. One of the reasons we chose a stadium to settle in was that it had big walls and shutters that we could reinforce to keep them out. Guards were stationed to keep watch, and only those who were strong enough would go out and get resources. Quickly, it became apparent that we couldn ’ t just survive inside the stadium.

Attacks became more frequent, and people started to get hurt.

Not to mention how terrified some of the group were. ’

‘ Yeah, I ’ m sure the big band of burley Skulls were shaking with terror at night. ’ My response is sarcastic, but I don ’ t know how to feel about what he ’ s saying.

‘ You actually think it ’ s just us in there?

Do you know how big that stadium is, the capacity it has?

’ He laughs, and the sound causes the hair on the back of my neck to prickle.

‘ I thought you ’ d be smarter than that, little deer.

Monsters are not born; they are forged by pain and terror.

And what is more cataclysmic than watching your loved ones tortured and killed?

We, The Skulls, became monsters to protect the ones we love, at least the ones we have left.

’ He grimaces. ‘ That is the only reason we are still alive, and ninety per cent of those lowlifes are dead and nailed around the city. It was us or them, and we will always choose them, no matter the sacrifice to our souls. ’

Ruaridh ’ s words connect with me in a way that is deeper than he could ever know or I could ever find the words to express. He kicks his foot off of the wall behind him and stalks towards me, bringing his hand up to capture my cheek in his palm.

‘ And something in your eyes, in the way you watch me and Vish, tells me you understand that statement to the core. The only difference is that some may have seen a monster when they looked into your eyes as they met their end, all I see is a warrior — a woman I am in complete awe of. ’

Ruaridh ’ s gaze has me unable to look away; the intensity of it has me captivated in his grasp.

‘ Er, thanks? ’ I offer, as my cheeks heat to a volcanic level.

Fucking thanks, is that the best I could come up with?

Thankfully, Ruaridh makes an amused sound at the back of his throat, his thumb soothing as it rubs a final circle across my cheek. ‘ You never need to thank me for telling the truth, little deer. And I will always tell you the truth until the day I die.’

Chapter Twenty-four

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Ruaridh

I am starting to recognise the tell-tale signs Fauna lets off; how the soft pink blush on her cheeks is one of a harmless sort of embarrassment, as if she ’ s been caught out.

The deep red hue that spreads up her neck is a sign she ’ s uncomfortable, and the discomfort accompanying it is more concerning than the embarrassment she seems to show with a small wrinkle of her nose.

That sort of embarrassment is evident when she is lost in thought, as if she is daydreaming about something she has done and is experiencing second-hand embarrassment from her memories.

I love watching her when she is lost in thought. I ’ ve found myself waiting in anticipation more times than I can count for her nose to wrinkle. It is adorable.

Her neck, now reddened with emotion caused by the prospect of approaching that passage, is not.