Page 47

ZOEY

T he brightly lit room hums with quiet movement.

The air is thick with the scent of antiseptic, sweat, and blood.

Survivors spread out, and chatter bounces off the walls.

The shuffle of boots echoes against cracked tile, punctuated by the occasional hiss of pain as wounds are tended to.

The smell of damp concrete and antiseptic mixes with the metallic scent of blood.

I press an ice pack to Cole’s swollen ankle and watch while his jaw clenches in irritation.

He grumbles. “It’s not that bad.”

I glare at him. “Shut up and let me take care of you.”

He exhales through his nose before surrendering with reluctance. He doesn’t argue further.

His leg stretches out in front of him. The bruise is already darkening around the twisted joint. He’ll be fine, but it’ll take time, which means he won’t be making the trek to my colony any time soon. Looks like we’re stuck here for now.

He reaches up to press a gentle touch to my cheek, the one with the bruise from Eugene. The touch melts away my glare. “I should be the one taking care of you. I’m sorry we couldn’t get to you before he did this. ”

His words bring a smile to my lips and I place my hand over his and squeeze. “We all made it out alive and in one piece. I’d say that’s a win. Besides,” I turn my head so I can press a kiss to his palm, “now we have matching bruises. We’re like twinsies.”

The seriousness in his expression fades, giving way to a laugh. The first laugh I’ve ever heard from him. He shakes his head, speechless.

Avery stands nearby, speaking quietly with Jace about securing the building, while Damon and Benji move through the remaining dregs. Their sharp eyes sweep over the room, making sure no one is secretly plotting against us.

They’re on edge. After everything that’s happened, I don’t blame them.

Emily drops into a chair beside me and Cole’s hand falls away to give me some friend time. Emily rests a gentle hand on my knee. Her amber eyes flick over my face, scanning me like she still doesn’t quite believe I’m real. “You’re okay, though?”

I nod, my throat thick with emotion. “I am now.”

She lets out a sharp exhale and shakes her head. “I never stopped looking for you.”

I tighten my grip on her fingers. “I know.”

Emily shakes her head, and frustration tightens her expression. “I should have come back sooner.”

“What do you mean?”

She glances around, then lowers her voice.

“After William finally found some medicine, and I got better, I realized something felt off. The guy who told me you weren’t here…

he was weird. I don’t know how to explain it, but it didn’t sit right with me.

The way he rushed me out of here was like he was hiding something. ”

Benji, who’s been silent behind me until now, clear this throat and pulls his chair closer to join the conversation. “That’s because he was. ”

Damon sighs and stands behind me before reaching out to squeeze my shoulders. “We heard you. We all heard you.”

Emily stiffens. “What?”

Benji nods. Guilt flashes across his face. “We heard you calling for her. We were locked up at the time, but we heard everything.”

The color drains from Emily’s face and she looks like she might be sick. “Then why didn’t you yell for me?”

Benji’s expression hardens, and he rubs his thumb along the length of the scar on the back of his hand.

“Because Eugene had a knife to Zoey’s throat.

” His voice is rough and filled with quiet fury.

“If we made a sound, he would have killed her. He even threatened your life if you came too close.” He looks at me with a sad look in his eyes.

“Golden girl’s neck is too pretty. Red isn’t her color. Unless it’s someone else’s.”

Heat creeps up my neck and I give him a smile, which he delights in.

“Oh, she’s blushing! Haven’t seen that for a while. Well, that color red is good on her, too.”

Emily’s fingers tighten around mine in an almost painful way. “I was right there?”

Benji nods and answers for me. “Yeah.”

Damon’s grip on my shoulders tightens, then loosens when I let out a small squeak.

“Sorry, blondie.” His thumb traces the ghost of the path along my throat where Eugene’s knife had been that day.

“Eugene’s unpredictability was his biggest weapon.

If we had made a move, it would’ve been a massacre.

He would have killed Zoey, and we probably would have killed ourselves getting out of those damn cells to get to him. ”

Emily presses her free hand to her mouth with a gasp. “I didn’t know.”

I squeeze her fingers. “None of that is your fault. You found me, Em. That’s what matters.” My voice cracks, but I don’t care. “It’s like we always said. We would never give up, and we would always find each other.”

She lets out a sharp exhale and blinks back tears before pulling me into a tight hug. Damon’s hands fall away from my shoulders. “I will never stop looking for you, Zo.”

I swallow against the lump in my throat and wrap my arms around her in a hug. “And I’ll always find my way back to you, Em.”

She pulls away, and her gaze sweeps over the dregs scattered through the large rooms. There’s something strange about sitting here so soon after Eugene had me trapped next to him while he forced my men to tear each other apart. It’s only been hours, but already feels like a lifetime ago.

Avery moves around the room, checking on every single person. His men help him tend to the wounded. Thankfully, every single one of us survived. It still amazes me that we pulled that off.

Emily’s eyes narrow. “So, what’s up with all these guys?”

Avery joins us. He stands tall with his arms crossed over his chest. “They’re mine now.”

Emily arches an eyebrow and scans the room again. “Yours? All of them?”

Avery smirks, then nods toward me. “And hers.”

I blink. “What—what?”

Avery tilts his head. “They pledged their loyalty to you. Didn’t you notice?”

I stare at him in disbelief. “I didn’t ask them to.”

“You didn’t have to.”

My mouth falls open, but before I can figure out what to say next, Jace chuckles and steps up beside me. “You earned it.”

“How?”

Jace shrugs. “Because you refused to leave us behind, even when it meant risking yourself. You cared about us despite everything we’ve done.

That alone is more powerful than force.” Then he turns a smirk to Avery.

“We’ve never had a leader like that before.

Might even be more loyal to her than to you. ”

Avery scoffs and shakes his head. “Watch it.”

Jace grins.

When the tension in the room settles, I glance down at my bare, aching feet. I spot a pair of boots near a guy who’s passed out, and I sneak over and snatch them up. They’re too big, but I don’t care. Shoes are shoes. After all, they took mine away, so it’s only fair.

After lacing them up, I take a few awkward steps and wobble. Avery, who’s been watching the whole time, speaks up. “You look ridiculous.”

I give him a playful scowl. “I look practical.”

Avery shakes his head, then turns to face the others nearby. His gaze sweeps over their feet, assessing, before he lands on one particular man. “You there. Small feet. Give her your boots.”

The man blinks. “Uh, what?”

Avery’s voice drops to a tone that brooks no argument. “Now.”

The man grumbles, but he pulls off his scuffed but better-fitting boots and tosses them to me. I swap them out and lace up my new perfectly snug pair and grin up at Avery. “Satisfied?”

“Much.”

A sudden boom shakes the walls, and I stumble. Avery catches me and pushes me to stand under the nearest doorframe, using his body to shield me. I twist my fingers into his shirt and hold him close. “Was that an earthquake?”

“No. That was something else.” The air trembles with the aftershock. Dust rains from the ceiling. Everyone freezes, but Avery is already moving, reaching for one of the guns on the table. “That came from outside.”

Max grips his gun. “We need eyes on that. ”

We race up the stairwell, our boots pounding against the steps. I reach the rooftop first, followed by Emily, Avery, Max, and Jace hot on my heels. The storm clouds have broken and the rainy haze has lifted to reveal a massive fire in the distance. Thick billows of smoke twist into the air.

“No, no, no. Not again.” Memories of my old colony going up in flames flick through my mind like a grotesque movie and slam into me like a sledgehammer.

Emily loops her arm through mine, pressing close.

She’s thinking the same thing. My fingers ghost over the scar tissue on my side, hidden beneath my clothing.

Dark, thick smoke curls into the sky, mesmerizing me.

Jace hands me a pair of binoculars. “You might want to see this, boss.”

I lift them to my eyes and scan the area, then I see what he means. A woman with vivid purple hair moves near the flames.

Autumn.

I lower the binoculars and shove them into Emily’s hands. “Tell me I’m seeing things.”

Emily lifts them, then lets out a breath. “It’s her. Autumn.”

“We have to check it out,” I say, and Emily nods. “I can’t leave Cole.”

Emily grips my arm. “I’m not leaving you again.”

Jace steps forward. “Then let me go.”

I hesitate. “Jace?—”

He gives me a confident grin. “Relax. I’ll take a few good men with me. We’ll find out what she’s up to, and what that explosion was about. Besides, if it has anything to do with Eugene’s warning to you, then we need to investigate it as soon as possible.”

I chew my lower lip, then give in and nod. “Be careful.”

Avery turns me to face him and places a kiss on my lips. His touch on my jaw is soft and gentle. “You’re going to make a wonderful queen.”

I wrap my arms around his waist and lift my chin to kiss him before looking up. “What about my home?”

His dark hair falls into his pale blue eyes when he grins down at me, and heat curls low in my belly. “Oh, firecracker. Who says you can only have one?”