Page 4 of Kingdom of Tomorrow (Book of Arden #1)

Another scream preceded a series of grunts and groans.

The crowd surged into action. Bicyclists sped away.

Citizens with enough extra trills to rent a motorized vehicle burned rubber, some swerving to avoid pedestrians, others crashing into people and parked cars.

People on foot hurried to the nearest light stand—a steel pole stationed at select street corners, topped by a cluster of pritis stones, the only thing capable of repelling a maddened.

Right now, the golden light projected by the pritis offered the only safe haven, but available spots were filling up fast. I tried and failed to force my legs into motion. Gurgling sounds left me.

Thankfully, Shiloh understood my dilemma, swept me off my feet, and sprinted to a luminous sphere. He scored us a spot in front of the crowd, standing me up to ensure both our bodies fit within the glow of illumination.

I clutched his hand, my gaze darting. Air hitched in my lungs when I spotted the infected.

A teenager with wild eyes, a manic expression, and torn, blood-soaked clothing.

He scaled the Rock with ease, displaying unnatural strength, incredible speed, and a strange, otherworldly mix of fluid grace and human awkwardness.

Every few seconds, he paused to lick the stone and shout “Look at Soal. Love Soal!”

A lord and lady lay unmoving on the ground beneath him, crimson rivers pouring from beneath each piece of armor. A pool of death formed at the base of the Rock, and I cringed. The Madness turned even the most docile of citizens into gleeful killers.

The boy stilled, sniffed the air, and swung his eyes to me. His lids narrowed while his lips curved up, and I had to fight back a tide of vomit. Fear was their favorite meal, and I’d just become his next appetizer.

He zoomed my way at a pace I could barely track. My lungs ossified, and I lost the ability to breathe. To move.

Shiloh yanked me against his side, pressing us both against the people who huddled behind us.

The maddened paused where the light of day met the unnatural pritis glow, a mere inch from my face. Shaking, I pressed deeper into Shiloh’s chest.

“Love Soal, destroy Cured ,” the boy hissed at me. “You are Cured .”

A hot tear rolled down my cheek.

“Hey, hey. Concentrate on me, Arden.” Shiloh cupped my jaw and lifted my head without breaching the dividing line, seizing my gaze.

His tender, unafraid expression made the situation slightly less terrifying.

“I’m here, and I won’t let anything happen to you.

Okay? Since we’re not budging from this spot, there’s nothing the maddened can do to hurt us, which means there’s nothing to worry about. ”

“Y-yeah. Okay,” I rasped. His words made sense. And yet the infected was right there .

“My turn to balance the scale and share something about myself.” Shiloh brushed the pads of his thumbs over my cheekbones, so gentle. “Anytime I was scared as a little boy, my mom told me to hold on to her and together we would squeeze lemonade out of lemons.”

“Did you?” I’d longed to taste a lemon for years. And a strawberry. A peach. An apple. Most of all a fig. Fruit only the incredibly wealthy could afford, and then only in limited quantities. “Make lemonade, I mean.” Whatever that was.

A bemused light flickered in his eyes. “I’m not actually sure. But it always helped me feel better. So you just hold on to me, and together we’ll make lemonade.”

The maddened continued to prowl before us, agitated and desperate to get his hands on me but unwilling to penetrate the light.

“Yeah, okay,” I repeated, a bit calmer. My breathing slowed until Shiloh’s sandalwood scent registered.

I inhaled slowly, rational thought returning.

I’d come across many of the infected throughout my life.

Witnessed horrific deeds and savage attacks.

But I’d survived every encounter. I would survive again.

The maddened spotted a woman and her child at the other end of the street, the pair trying to sneak to a light stand. With an inhuman growl, he flew over, tackling both. Laughing, he pummeled the mother with his fists.

“Look at Soal. Look! You are Cured .” He dragged her by the hair and lifted her face to the Rock. The most sickening sounds spewed from his mouth before he licked her face and purred, “ Love Soal.”

Shiloh didn’t hesitate. He released me and bounded over. A new flood of fear engulfed my being as he ripped the mom free from her crazed captor and tossed the teen onto the road.

A moving vehicle slammed into the infected.

He rolled over the ground but quickly jumped to his feet.

Despite a plethora of broken bones, he walked, jogged, then sprinted toward the unconscious, bleeding woman the medic now guarded with his life.

The two males crashed together, and a ferocious battle ensued.

Though I quaked, I couldn’t tear my gaze away.

Shiloh held his own, but he was no match for someone unfazed by any wound.

Soon, my new friend would be overpowered.

He was already slowing, his strength dwindling.

He needed help or a weapon, but for the good of all, only those in the military were allowed to carry guns and blades.

Realization slapped me harder than before. I, the girl who didn’t like handling a knife in the kitchen, was to be one of those soldiers.

I whimpered for a thousand different reasons.

An echoing whimper came from the woman’s daughter. Oh, dear goodness. The little girl struggled to her feet while moving forward, intending to reach her loved one, no matter the consequences. No, no, no. I couldn’t let her succeed. She would put herself and Shiloh in worse danger.

Before my brain comprehended what I intended, I followed Shiloh’s path, grabbed the girl, and hustled her toward the light. She fought me, and I stumbled, almost losing my hold on her.

The infected noticed us and forgot the medic. “Love Soal, destroy Cured .”

A surge of adrenaline quickened my pace. Almost there ...

The maddened raced over and swiped out his arm. His fingers snagged in my hair, pulling me back. I began to fall but—

Shiloh tackled him, allowing me to dive into the light with the girl. We huddled with the others, her struggles over. I attempted to slow my breathing as I’d been taught. In, out. In, out.

I’d done it. I’d helped the child. A sense of accomplishment straightened my spine.

Three heavily armed lords and a knight rounded a corner and rushed to take charge.

I watched, transfixed, as the knight slammed into the combatants, who were grappling each other for dominance.

Shiloh stopped fighting, allowing a lord to press the end of a weapon to the back of his head while the knight immobilized the maddened with a metal net.

I imagined myself among their ranks, capable and confident in my ability .

.. and okay, yes, I kinda liked it. Hardly seemed possible, though.

A voice rang out over a speaker. “You have been exposed to the Madness. As mandated by Ourland law, you are remanded into custody to undergo immediate testing for the safety and well-being of the public. Until you are cleared, you have no rights. Say you understand your lack of choice as I have explained it.”

“I understand,” Shiloh responded, calm.

I closed my eyes for a moment. Poor guy. I’d been there, done that.

The little girl vaulted from my arms and raced toward her fallen mama, only to be snatched by a lord. I didn’t move, my gaze on Shiloh, who peered in my direction. His calm never wavered, his eyes seeming to say I’m good. There’s nothing to worry about. I wish our date had a better ending.

I wished the same. For a little while, I’d enjoyed the peace I usually only found in gardening. All because of a sweet, brave medic who might spend the next year of his life withering away as he combated a disease he’d acquired while aiding a helpless woman.

Life wasn’t fair.

“If you had no physical contact with the infected, leave,” the cold, commanding voice declared. “If you had contact, stay where you are and wait for a lord to speak with you. Be advised, security footage is being reviewed now, and we will hunt you down if you lie.”

I hung around to inform a soldier the maddened had touched my hair, but I was quickly dismissed.

With no other choice, I walked away. I kept my gaze on Shiloh until the last possible second.

He no longer had a weapon pointed at his head, but he was kept seated on the ground, with his arms cuffed behind his back.

If only I could tell him I wished our date had ended better too. That I prayed he was right and we bumped into each other again someday.

When I turned a corner, he vanished from sight. Saddened, I set a course for home.