Page 60 of Come Fill Me

Halfway down it, he caught up with her, his hand gripping her upper arm. “Hey. What do you think you’re doing?”

Liz turned to him. “Let me go. Please. I have to go back now.”

He regarded the hall past her and the area behind them. They were still alone. Rather than acknowledging what she’d said, he pulled her toward Jacob’s room.

“Zeke, no.” She fought him as best she could, pressing the balls of her feet into the floor, slowing his pace.

At last, he stopped, sucked in a deep breath, then swept her into his arms.

“Dammit, Zeke.” She punched his shoulder.

“Stop it,” he growled, bringing her back into Jacob’s room. He kicked the door closed with his foot and let her down.

She staggered back, her legs hitting the bed. On it was a tray with lunch for two—plates heaped with fresh fruit, what looked to be turkey sandwiches, coffee, milk. The tall glasses clinked against each other. The utensils jiggled.

What in the hell was this about? Zeke expected her to start eating in here to keep her away from his brother and their people? For how long? Did he honestly believe his clan would ever accept her or that Jacob was going to back down and be a good boy?

Not about to debate the subject, Liz headed for the door. Just as quickly, Zeke grabbed her arm again. “You’re not going to win this fight,” he said.

“Neither are you.” She pried his hand from her and faced him. “I have to go back. Now. This very minute.”

“No.”

She glared at him. “You can’t stop me.”

“I just did.” He planted his hands on his lean hips and got so close Liz could smell coffee on his breath. “What’s this about?”

“Isn’t it obvious to you?”

“Would I be asking if it was?” His frown deepened as he noticed the metal prong and the shade she’d removed. “Did Kele try to bother you while I was gone? Did she say something through the—”

“I heard you and Jacob arguing, Zeke.”

Surprise and then concern erased his irritation. Still, he shrugged. “So, we fight. Big fucking deal. Brothers do that all the time.”

“Not over me. I won’t have it.”

“Liz.” He gave her one of those puppy-dog looks that said she was overreacting then reached for her.

She sidled away. Zeke followed. Liz kept backing up until the bed got in her way again. The glasses chinked.

“Keep doing that,” he warned, “and there’ll be more milk on the tray than in your glass.”

“I want to go back to my father. Listen to me,” she said, interrupting him. “I don’t belong here. I’m the enemy. The men don’t trust me, and the women resent me, especially Kele.”

“She’ll get over it. They all will. They know you healed Jacob and me. You’ve seen to the children.”

“That doesn’t make me one of them, Zeke. Keeping me here isn’t going to change that or fix this mess.”

“It’s not a mess. I’ll take care of everything.” He cradled her face in his large hand. “Trust me. Please.”

Liz wanted to resist, but his hopeful smile and gentle touch defeated her. She sagged into him, her fingers gripping his tee. These last moments together were all they had, and Liz couldn’t deny herself that even as she continued to argue. “This isn’tgoing to work out.”

“It will.” He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back. “You’ll stay here with me and my people. We’ll find your father, and we’ll bring him here to be with you.”

“What?”

“Don’t leave me,” he begged, pulling her back into him, wrapping his arms around her. “You’ll never make your father safe by returning to Carreon’s stronghold. He’ll always use him to keep you in line, at least until he finds someone else in your clan with the same healing powers you two have. It’s inevitable for that to happen. The only way both of you can have a future is here.”

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