Page 73

Claire

S unlight streamed in through a crack in the curtains, searing my eyes, and I groaned and rolled over onto John’s side of the bed. Even though I was always up early nowadays, I didn’t think I’d ever be a morning person like John was. He actually enjoyed getting up at daybreak every day, the maniac.

I smiled. He’d woken me at dawn and made love to me again, slow and tender, before tucking me back into bed with a kiss, telling me to sleep in. The Claire that had just met the gruff man on the rooftop could never have imagined he’d turn out to be so sweet.

Then again, she’d have a heart attack if she knew he was now her husband.

So would most of the people I grew up with, I thought, and my mind drifted to Asha.

I wondered where she was, or if she was even still alive.

I doubted it, and somehow—even though she’d betrayed me so completely—I mourned her.

I should’ve hated her, but I couldn’t find it in me to do it.

She was the last piece of my old life, and she’d died trying to get back to that life we’d lost. Not so different to how I’d been when I first entered the Wasteland—ignorant, insolent, and pitiable.

It was unfathomable how much of a difference simple kindness could make, how it could change the course of a life. It was the reason I’d survived—the reason that everyone in the Valley survived. Kindness was the root of love, and created bonds that could not break, even when tested.

Whatever had happened to Asha in the Wasteland, she never found kindness…

and it had broken her in a way that couldn’t be repaired.

It didn’t excuse her actions, but it made me understand them.

I’d been saved from the Wasteland and from myself; she had not, and by the time I’d found her again, it was too late.

She’d never stopped thinking of herself as an outsider, never accepted her new place in this ever-changing world.

But I had. And someday, I’d forgive myself for not being able to save her.

I let out a long breath, trying to return to the present. The last couple days had been so joyful. I threw my legs over the side of bed just as the bedroom door opened and John appeared.

“Morning,” he said with a sweet smile. He held a plate of eggs and toast, and my stomach grumbled audibly, making him chuckle. “Brought you breakfast.”

He sat down on the bed next to me, handing me the plate. I gave him a quick kiss, then proceeded to demolish my food.

“You’re a saint,” I said between bites, and he laughed.

“Figured you’d be hungry after last night. And early this morning.”

A faint flush rose to my cheek, and he caressed it, grinning wolfishly. I finished eating, then set the plate aside and climbed onto his lap to kiss him properly.

“And late this morning?” I murmured, pushing him onto his back as I straddled him.

“Round three will have to wait,” John said, amused, looking up at me. “I’m taking you on our honeymoon today, remember?”

Truthfully, I’d nearly forgotten in the flurry of activity yesterday, but I beamed.

“Where are you taking me? ”

“It wouldn’t be a surprise, then, would it?” John replied with a grin. “Pack your things, and bring something to swim in. We’ll be gone a few days.”

After packing supplies, we hiked for most of the morning to get out of the Valley.

Thankfully, it was another beautiful day under the warm June sun.

We walked arm-in-arm as much as we could over the rough terrain, chatting and enjoying one another’s company.

With everything that’d happened in the last few months, it was nice to be alone together in the peace of the forest. It felt like our first days together, when we were getting to know each other for the first time.

“Still no clues on where we’re going?” I asked for the third time since we’d left. “Come on. You have to give me a hint.”

“No hints. And besides, it’s noon now—only a couple more hours till we’re there.”

I groaned, and John grinned.

“You’ve gone soft on me after these months at home, huh? Have you already forgotten what it’s like to walk all day?”

“Forgive me for not wanting to relive that joyous period of our lives,” I replied dryly. “I like being a homebody.”

His smile softened into something tender. “I like it, too. A lot easier to get through the day knowing that I get to come home to you.”

“You’re just trying to sweet-talk me so that I’ll forget that my honeymoon thus far has involved a six-hour hike.”

He chuckled. “Maybe.”

I backed up against a wide oak tree, pulling him with me. “You’ll have to make it up to me. Somehow.”

He caged me in, resting his hands against the bark on either side of my head.

“Is that right?” he said, his voice lower and huskier as he leaned in, his lips inches from mine. “Maybe I will.”

His lips brushed mine lightly, tempting me.

I fisted my hands in the fabric of his shirt and pulled him in, slipping my tongue into his mouth.

He groaned and pressed me hard against the tree, stroking his tongue over mine and kissing me deeper.

His knee pressed between my thighs, and his hands came up to hold my face.

He kissed me until I was hot and breathless and eagerly rubbing myself against him, and then… it all suddenly stopped.

John backed away, a small, teasing smile on his handsome face.

“We’re making good time,” he said. “Let’s keep going.”

I shot him an outraged look. “You did that on purpose.”

He laughed. “Obviously. I like seeing you all hot and bothered. Now come on.”

“Tease,” I grumbled.

The rest of the hike was mostly uphill, and by the end of it, I was covered in a thin, unpleasant coat of sweat.

Finally, we reached the summit of a cliff, where a small log cabin was mostly concealed amongst the brush.

It blended into the scenery, with ivy snaking over its worn walls and trees looming overhead.

John went ahead and unlocked the door with a key he’d brought.

Inside was a simple, one-room cabin with a stone fireplace, a woodstove, a small kitchenette, a dining table and two chairs, a sagging sofa, and a big, comfortable-looking bed that dominated the space.

It was sparse but had a homey feel to it, with a few framed photos on the walls of places I’d never seen: a leaning tower; a large, red canyon; and a massive, horseshoe-shaped waterfall.

“Granny and Granddad built it, back during Old World times,” John explained.

“A place for them to get away from Summerhurst every now and then. We visited in the summers as kids. They eventually started letting anyone in the Valley use it, and over time, it became tradition for new married couples to come here for their honeymoons. I thought it’d be nice for us to do that, too. ”

He gave me a somewhat apprehensive look, as though he somehow thought I might not like holing up alone with him in a beautiful, isolated spot for a few days.

“That’s a great tradition,” I said with a smile, touching his arm. “If it’s empty most of the time, how’s it so clean?”

He chuckled. “Danny and I rode here a couple days ago to give it a good clean-out while you were at school. Put clean sheets on the bed, chopped some firewood. I wanted to make it nice for you.”

My heart squeezed, and I kissed him.

“Thank you, darling. I love it. ”

He beamed. “And you haven’t even seen the best part yet.”

We dropped off our bags before John led me back outside and through a small copse of trees, to the edge of the cliff.

My breath caught as a large lake came into view, forest sloping all around it, crisp blue sky against greenery.

The cliff jutted out over the pristine blue water, and in the distance, I could see a narrow swath of sand that met the water’s edge. It was breathtaking.

John grinned at my awestruck expression. “Pretty great view, huh?”

“You can say that again,” I replied, blinking. “Might be even prettier than the Valley.”

“With the lake here, we can go fishing and swimming if you like. You’ve never been to a beach, have you?”

I shook my head.

“It’s a small one here, but we can hike down and picnic there tomorrow.”

I smiled at him. “Sounds perfect.”

We stared out over the water for a moment, enjoying the afternoon sun.

“And now,” John continued, “we can get back to what’s really important.”

Without warning, he hauled me up over his shoulder just like the night before and carried me back toward the cabin as I squeaked and laughed.

“You can’t just throw me over your shoulder anytime you want!”

“Oh, really? Because it seems like I just did, princess.”

He gave my backside a swat, and I laughed as he walked through the door of the cabin.

“Put me down!”

He flopped me onto the bed with a big, goofy smile, then covered my body with his.

“Should I make it up to you now?” he murmured.

“Nothing to make up for,” I replied breathlessly, and the world fell away as he kissed me senseless and slid his warm hands into my shirt.

I stood at the edge of the cliff the next day, staring out over the lake as I waited for John to finish packing for our hike down to the beach.

The steady chorus of birdsong and the gentle swooshing of the breeze made me feel more peaceful than I’d felt in a long time, erasing the chaos of the last few months. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply.

For the first time in a long time, I felt safe.

I’d escaped the cult’s clutches, and with Asha gone, they had no way to find me again.

Even if Asha’s betrayal had been a setback in the Valley’s acceptance of outsiders, I’d proven myself to them.

I’d earned my place there, and now I was finally home.

I had friends. I had a family. I had everything I’d been looking for my whole life.

The sorrow of losing my sister was still there, still aching, especially since she’d protected me one last time, even when she was in so deep with the Order that it endangered her. But Holly, like Asha, had made her choice, and I’d made mine.