Page 42 of Resurrection (Devil Dogs of the Apocalypse #3)

I keep the fire small, just enough to place one of Jax’s cast iron skillets over it, and allow the water to boil for a few minutes before setting it aside to cool.

Each of our packs is stocked with food options, so I open mine and start hunting.

The package of instant coffee practically leaps out of my pack—probably knowing just how much we’re all going to need its awesomeness this morning—and lands in my lap.

Diving back in, it doesn’t take long until the distinct rectangular shape and plastic feel of a package I know very well finds my grasp.

Luckily, the military deemed us worthy enough to offer breakfast offerings in MRE form, and Jax’s prepper ass decided to hoard and pack every single one he had left for our lovely stroll to salvation.

I lift the package, smiling at the label.

While many despised this particular bag, it was one of my favorites: The Veggie and Cheese Omelet.

Fully packed together in all its brick-like perfection, the veggie and cheese omelet is a testament to modern engineering. Eggs, in their most natural form, are not supposed to resemble building materials, but this beauty could probably hold up a steel building.

Functional and delicious.

At least to me, anyways.

The other perk about this particular MRE: it is fully fucking loaded, ready to make breakfast its bitch and provide plenty of nutrients for all of us. One by one, I pull out the contents.

The ever-tasty cinnamon scone. Beautifully dehydrated granola with powdered milk and blueberries.

Crackers with scrumptious apple butter. French vanilla cappuccino instant powder.

.. because we’re fancy like that. Salsa verde to add a bit of zest. And of course, the absolute cherry on top of this rustic buffet, the veggie and cheese omelet.

I set out the pouches, opening the granola with blueberries and dumping its contents into my metal canteen holder. It’s not a bowl by any means, but it’s round and holds shit well, so who the fuck cares? A little water goes a long way, and before long, boom, cereal... with actual blueberries .

It's like I’m a fucking wizard.

The scone is ready-to-eat, so I set it to the side and move onto the omelet.

Theoretically, a person could eat this cold; just pick the brick up and take a bite like a caveman.

Add a little hot sauce. Fucking delicious.

But I have to think of everyone else this morning, and I know this isn’t a crowd favorite.

So I’m going to try my best to make it at least taste edible to the not-so-weathered palate.

In other words, Aly.

Alrighty, let’s turn this yellow slab of hardened mush into gourmet eats.

The scent hits me as soon as I tear open the wrapper, sending me back to a time long ago, covered in dirt and grit, surrounded by brothers in arms doing everything we needed to just come home.

Upending the package, the entire concoction falls into the cast iron in a dense heap. It barely even falls apart.

That’s quality, right there.

I add in a little water from the amount I purified earlier, sloshing and dispersing the yellow chunks enough so it resembles scrambled eggs. After a minute or so, voila. Breakfast.

They’ll never know the difference.

A contented sigh drifts past my lips as I look down at our meal.

It’s not much, but hey, at least it’s not bugs.

I guess I could always forage outside for some dandelion greens—there’s a fuck ton of them right outside the door—maybe some wild arugula, and make a kick ass salad.

That’s pretty much what spring mix is anyways.

I don’t know. We’ll see how far this takes us.

Switching out skillets, I prep some instant coffee, mixing the fancy cappuccino mix in with the good old-fashioned grounds. The smell instantly rouses the two sleepyheads, and draws Cole’s attention, their collective groans echoing in the barn.

“Fuck... Yes... Coffee...arrrghhhhmmmph... Fucking hell... Shit... Oh God,” Aly grumbles from her makeshift bed, stiffly rolling out from her sleeping bag and stumbling blindly over. Her arms stretch out in front of her as if the smell alone is directing her to the source.

I’ve already filled her canteen holder with her dose of spicy bean juice by the time she reaches me, but as her hand lifts with a silent plea for her morning jumpstart, I hold it just out of reach, choosing to fold her into my arms, cradling her close, before giving it to her.

“Oh my gravy, I love you so much,” she groans after taking a long sip. “Fuck me, this is exactly what I need.”

I press a smile against her shoulder. “I’ve got what you need right here, sweetheart.

” She shivers at my lowered tone as my words caress her neck, her skin pebbling at the sensation, her hips swiveling enticingly.

“Breakfast of champions,” I whisper into her ear just before I bite the lobe softly.

She gasps as my hand dances along her side, her back arching against my chest as her eyelids drift closed.

“Enough to fill you... right... up.” Her moans drift around us as I punctuate the words with a teasing thrust only to pull back, confusing her when I lift a piece of the scone and press it to her open lips.

Cole chuckles from the entrance at her perplexed response.

Brows furrowed in confusion; she takes a bite.

Her initial reaction lasts only a moment before she sighs around the pastry, presumably enjoying its taste, and smiles, pecking my cheek before turning back to the fire, just now noticing the rest of the meal I prepared. “Wow, you did all this?”

“Yes, ma’am. Gotta keep the family fed while the chef’s away and Daddy’s playing guard dog.” I lift my chin, indicating to Jax and Cole.

“Daddy, huh?” she asks.

No time like the present to have a little fun with it. “Hey, Daddy!” I call over to Cole.

He turns his head, a smirk pulling at his lips. “Oh, we’re doing this now?”

“She started it.” I point to Aly, expecting her to gawk at the displaced blame, but she simply smiles in response.

“I’m ok with Daddy,” she teases, turning her gaze to Cole with heat in her eyes. “You suit the role anyways.”

“That’s my girl,” Cole flirts back, looking her up and down. “But you, pup... , I still haven’t properly gotten back at you for telling me to ‘sit’ and ‘stay’ back at the lake house when I was a broken lump of shit.” He lifts a finger and points to his temple. “Steel. Trap.”

Oh fuck....

“Uh...Any who,” I start, trying to get Cole’s threatening gaze off of me by any means possible, “Breakfast?” I grab the plastic spork from the package and reach for the eggs.

Gaze never wavering from mine, he walks over, bends down, and takes his coffee in one hand while grasping my wrist with his other.

With steady movements, he lifts, bringing my hand to his mouth and wrapping his lips around the bite of eggs balancing on the spork I’m still holding.

He chews then swallows, the lump in his throat jumping and drawing my gaze with the movement.

My mouth goes dry as my jaw drops to the floor, completely stupefied but entirely and surprisingly turned-on.

“That’s more like it,” he says, confident dominance filling his tone.

Then, with a wink and a kiss to Aly’s forehead, he ambles back over to the door, resuming his post without another word.

Oh... I’m fucked...

◆◆ ◆

Jax eventually rose from the dead to join our breakfast party, agreeing that we should hunker down for the day to make sure we weren’t being followed.

In the meantime, to curb our boredom, we decided to rummage through all the old shit left in the barn to see if there was anything we could use in the days ahead.

“Hold up. Check this out,” I move back over to the other side of the barn, shining a light on something very large but covered. Dust goes flying everywhere as I pull off the tarp, revealing two motorcycles.

“Well, now, would you look at that. Find any keys?” Jax asks as he follows behind, a freshly made canteen holder full of coffee in his hand.

“Got ‘em right here.” I lift my fingers to show off two sets of them. “Found ‘em on a hook by the front doors earlier. Think they’ll work?”

“Only one way to find out,” Jax says. I hold a set of keys out for him to take but Jax shakes his head. “Nah, man, I’ve never driven one of these.” He turns his gaze, tipping his chin to Cole behind me. “You? ”

Cole nods back. “Yeah. Been a while but shouldn’t be a problem. They have gas?”

I unscrew the cap and nod. “About a half a tank on this one.” Doing the same to the other, I respond, “And... about the same over here.”

“Alright. Let’s try ‘em.”

He comes over and, together, we mount the bikes, putting the keys into the ignitions.

With loud, echoing roars, they both spring to life.

“Fucking yes!” We let them run a minute or so, but then quickly turn them off, conserving whatever gas is left in them for when we leave.

“And lucky for us, they each have bitch seats, so we’re good to go in the morning. ”

“Bitch seats?” Aly scoffs just as Jax interjects.

“Uh… What? I’m not sitting back there.”

“Where else are you gonna sit then?” I retort, giving him a very obvious side-eye. “You just said you can’t drive one. And Cole and I can, so time to bitch up, bro. Which one you wanna cuddle with?” I throw in a couple of enticing hip thrusts against the seat.

Jax just shakes his head, grinning at my antics, then looks between the two of us, weighing the lesser of his two evils. He doesn’t get to ponder his options too long as Aly speaks up first.

“I’ll take the one that Hawk’s on. It’s prettier,” she says point blank.

I smile large and proud at that but it’s the truth.

The one Cole is on is big and has these awesome bags on the sides of it with some fringe, but beyond that it’s just plain black.

Boring. No pizzazz. The one I’m currently straddling, on the other hand, is fucking huge, and looks like someone splattered paint all over it like a Jackson Pollock, only in all neon colors.

It’s bright and colorful and just screams fun.

Yeah, it screams me. And Aly loves riding me. This is a no brainer.

I can see it all now. Both of us, screaming song lyrics into the air as we ride into the sunset, the wind sweeping through our hair, Aly wrapping her arms around me, her hands constantly touching me, teasing me the entire trip.

Fuck. Riding with a boner is absolutely no fun at all, but for Aly?

For the promise of what I’m gonna do to her when we finally get to Tryon? Fucking worth it.

“Fine. I guess I’ll… suck it up and ride with Cole,” Jax relents, sighing as he looks over the bikes again. “Probably have less of a chance of dying than with Hawk driving.”

“Hey! Take that back! I’m a great driver!”

“Sure you are.... At driving me crazy.” Jax looks down to Sadie, whimpering at his side as she looks from him to the bikes. “Where’re are we gonna put her, then? Can’t exactly strap her to my shoulders or stuff her in a backpack.”

At her name being called, Sadie perks up, her head tilting to the side as she whimpers again. It’s almost like she knows the bikes might be a problem and is worried she’ll get left behind. But that would never be the case. We could never leave her, she’s a part of the family too.

“Oooooh, don’t worry Sadie girl,” I coo, dropping down to her level and giving her scratches behind her ear. “You can ride with us.” Her tongue flops out the side of her mouth, showcasing that perfect Sadie-girl smile.

“And how, pray tell, are y’all gonna accomplish that? There’s no room,” Jax asks, waving his hands between the two bikes.

I scoff at his blatant lack of faith. “Yeah… on your bike. But check this shit out.” I move the tarp a little more to reveal a side car attached to my motorcycle. “Tada! I know I’m fucking amazing. No autographs please, it’s my day off,” I say, waving my arms like the fucking awesome magician I am.

“Alright. Ok. Fine. You win,” Jax replies, throwing his hands up in defeat but smiling nonetheless as he helps me uncover the rest of the bike.

He takes another assessing look at them, and then his watch.

“Fuck it... Wanna leave today instead of tomorrow? With these, it’s only about another hour or so to Tryon and it’s still pretty early. ”

One by one we look to each other and see our future. The possibilities. An hour can bring a lot of shit, but it can also bring us to safety. Our new home. The end of our journey. We can finally rest.

The decision is simple as we each nod, smiles, laughter, and excitement filling the air around us .

Finally. Fucking finally, things are starting to look up. With these babies, we’ll be able to fly all the way to Tryon Palace. Nothing’s gonna be able to catch us.

No zombies.

No assholes.

Nothing.

It’s about damn time something went our way.