Page 60 of Serpent In White

Darian runs his fingers through his hair. “Wait two minutes after Cam and I go, then you can sneak out the back door. If you wish…”

I feel the hopelessness on my face as I stare up at him. He understands my reservations, and his thoughts are nothing but sympathetic.So perfect… Such a good man.

His head shakes as he walks to the door, but I jump up from the bed to stop him just before he can open it. I pull his arm until he spins around, his face etched in uncertainty. I’m feeling it myself. I don’t know what to do with these feelings… I’m not sure what to do aboutus.

But that doesn’t change how badly I need him, which is what I try to convey with my kiss, my lips caressing his, slowly drawing out hushed pants and sighs. His large hands come up my chest, then my neck, and he holds my jaw, kissing me deeply; such a profound feeling I can’t believe I went nineteen years without experiencing it.

I told you… I was waiting for you, my King.

I think I’ve been waiting for you, too… Prince Abdiel.

It’s gotten a bit chilly tonight, not entirely peculiar since it isn’t technically summer yet. But the sharp breeze is bringing everything into perspective.

Glancing down at the lifeless form on the ground, my vision swims with memories.

When I lift my hands, I see blood on them. But when I blink, it’s gone.

I didn’t do this… There’s no way.

Did I?

Pulling the small pipe out of my back pocket, I light it with the old familiar Zippo I’ve had for twenty-five years. The American flag on it is all worn out and chipped. I like it.

Sucking smoke into my lungs, I hold it. I hold on to it as long as I can until I physically can’t anymore, breathing the rest into the air. Lights twist and dissolve before my eyes, colors and shapes dipping into my vision. The forest is humming, and I kneel next to the body, head tilting, waiting for some answers.

I’ll find them, one way or another.

The whirring sound of an ATV engine grows nearer, and my stomach flips.Darian’s almost here.

I wonder what he’ll make of all this as I reach out and poke the body. It’s not fully cold yet, despite the drop in temperature.This happened recently.

For a moment, just a split second, the man’s head turns and his eyes connect with mine. They’re all red, possibly popped vessels or something…

You’re the one, he says to my mind, and I flinch.You’ve caused this.

It’s the only way.

The ATV pulls up a few feet away and I shake my head, blinking hard as I pocket my pipe. When I reopen my eyes, the man’s face is back in the dirt. Where it belongs.

Darian stomps over to me while I stand, then turns over his shoulder to Jasper who drove him here and barks, “Perimeter.”

Jasper nods. “Yes, sir.” Then he hops back on the ATV, driving off to go converge with the rest of the Tribe and do a perimeter check.

The fact is that we don’t know this person. He isn’t part of the Regnum, meaning he snuck onto the Expanse. And then got himself killed.

“What do you think?” Darian asks me, out loud for some reason, which I find interesting. As if he doesn’t already know what I’m thinking.

“My guess would be… ballsy hiker who decided to go for a mountain outside of the travel guides,” I tell him, leaving out a few key points he already knows.

“That’s it?” He leers at me, and I shrug.

“What else do you want me to say?” I squint at him. He seems strange right now, and I can’t put my finger on it.

“Alright, then. Just take care of it and make sure no one finds out,” he grumbles, fidgeting in place.

“I’m sorry.” I fold my arms over my chest, facing him. “Did Idisruptyou with this unexpected dead body on our mountain?”

He glares at me, jaw tightening visibly. “I was busy.”