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That was putting it mildly. But I didn’t want Claire to worry about any of that.

She had enough on her plate without digging up history that was best left buried, and I’d just gotten her to really trust me completely.

I couldn’t risk that. Couldn’t stand to have her look at me the way she used to—as a brutal savage.

Not when she was so genuinely proud of me.

Not when I’d been thinking about asking her to marry me.

I hadn’t found the right moment yet. We hadn’t had much time alone together other than our stolen romp in the utility shed, and she deserved better than a proposal in front of an old water tank.

I’d never thought much about getting married before, but the thought of Claire being my wife made me happier than I’d ever been.

“Who wouldn’t be keen on you?” Claire asked, amused. “Tall, dark, handsome. You swear like a sailor, but other than that, quite the gallant gentleman.”

I laughed. Gallant gentleman was not how anyone would describe me, whether they liked me or not.

“What gave me away? The cyberpunk hair or the leather jacket?”

She grinned and gave me a kiss. Kimmy, on the other hand, shot me a pointed look across the campfire that said she didn’t approve of me not answering Claire’s question. We’d had words about this in the last few days, but my answer was the same: too fucking bad.

“I’m excited for the Valley,” Claire murmured.

The firelight made her eyes sparkle, and her pale, perfectly smooth skin almost seemed to glow.

Not for the first time, I was hit by how gorgeous she was.

As a compound resident, the implant she’d had since birth had turned her from an already-attractive woman into a knockout beauty.

It made her look almost uncanny—like she couldn’t quite be real .

“It won’t be easy,” Kimmy said as she cleaned her rifle. “You need to be prepared, Claire. You won’t be trusted or liked. You’ll need to keep your head down and stay alert.”

I sighed as Claire’s face fell. We still had a long trip ahead, and we needed to focus on what was in front of us. Or , a voice in my head nagged, you just don’t like seeing her scared.

“Would…I mean, do you think they’ll hurt me?” Claire asked in a small voice.

I’d put a bullet in anyone who tried , I’d promised her.

“No,” I answered firmly. “Of course not.”

“You don’t know that, John,” Kimmy said impatiently. “We have no idea how they’ll react because no outsiders have been allowed since we were little kids. You know that Jameson won’t make it easy on her. Or on us, for that matter.”

I shot Kimmy a warning look. “Jameson will do what he always does: bitch to the council about how unfair it all is, then when he’s outvoted, bitch about how unfair that is. Rinse and repeat. The guy’s all talk, just like Granddad said.”

“Maybe,” Kimmy said, but she looked frustrated. “His boys are trouble, though. They always have been.”

She wasn’t wrong, unfortunately.

“Who’s Jameson?” Claire asked, looking back and forth between me and Kimmy.

She bit her lip in that way she did when she was anxious, and my instinct was always to protect her. I reached over and tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Nobody important,” I said gently. “Old drama from our grandparents’ time. Not for you to worry about.”Kimmy huffed. “What happened between them—”

“—is ancient history,” I cut in, irritated. “And it was when we left. We’ve been gone nearly two years now, so who knows what’s changed since then.”

“Exactly!” Kimmy burst out. “We have no idea. All I’m saying is that Claire needs to tread lightly and be aware of threats. Even if the council is understanding by some miracle, that doesn’t mean there aren’t those who would take things into their own hands if opportunity knocked. ”

I opened my mouth to argue some more, but Claire laid a hand on my arm.

“It’s alright,” she said softly, then gave Kimmy a brief nod. “I appreciate the warning, Kim. I know it’ll be difficult; I wasn’t trying to diminish that.”

Kimmy crossed her arms. “Good. It’s just…the more I think about it, the more worried I get. Now that we’re finally headed home, shit just got real for me.”

Claire smiled weakly. “I know the feeling.”

It was uncomfortably quiet after that. I sensed Claire’s worry and hated that there wasn’t a hell of a lot I could do about it. Finally, Kimmy announced she was going to bed and crawled into the tent. Some part of me knew her warning was valid, but I still watched her go with irritation.

“You should get some sleep,” Claire said, moving in to lay her head against my chest. “It’s my turn to be on first watch.”

I caught her chin in my hand and tipped her face up to me. Her expression was guarded.

“Don’t be afraid,” I said in a low voice. “I’ll look after you.”

“I know,” she replied with a nod, then traced my bottom lip with her thumb. “But who will look after you, Wastelander? I don’t want to bring misery down on you.”

“You won’t,” I insisted. “I can take care of myself. So can Kimmy. It’ll be fine.”

She didn’t look totally convinced, but at least she relaxed her shoulders. I kissed her goodnight and headed for the tent. Our busy days meant that Kimmy was already asleep. I crawled into my sleeping bag and stared at the ceiling.

I just wanted to keep my Claire safe. The Valley were my people and my problem. Whatever happened, I’d deal with them myself.