Page 21 of When the Living Fall

Her voice wavers at the end, almost breaking, and a sharp ache twists in my chest. I didn’t think it was possible to feel worse, but here I am, hitting new depths of feeling like shit. This woman has carried so much alone, and all I’ve done is add to her burden.

Another tear slides down her cheek, and I lean in to catch it with my lips and wipe it away with a kiss. My mouth hovers over her soft skin, my breath causing her to shiver when I whisper. “I’m sorry that happened to you, Emily. And that they still haven’t seen how much you’re worth forgiving. There isn’t a single person on this Earth who deserves a lifetime punishment for trying to help another human being.” I pull back enough to meet her gaze, her eyes wide and shining. “Any place that makes you feel that way sounds like a miserable place to be.”

She lets out a short laugh. More of a huff than anything, but it’s a start. “Well, you’re not entirely wrong,” she says, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

I lift an eyebrow, intrigued. “Tell me more.”

“When I wanted to go out to find insulin for Zoey, notone person offered to come with me. That’s why I went alone. I even overheard a couple of them whispering, saying I wouldn’t come back. The only reason I’m going back there now is for Zoey. Physically, it’s safe there, but being surrounded by people who wish you gone…it wears on you.”

“Em…” My blood boils, her story igniting a fire that I want to use to bring justice. I want to find every single one of these people and make them see what she’s worth. No, better than that. I want to burn the entire colony to the ground. Rid the world of everyone who ever so much as thought one cruel thing about her. My grip tightens around her shoulder, and I take a breath to rein it in, my fingers flexing against her skin.

“But you came after me,” she continues, a soft warmth spreading across her face in the form of a tiny smile. “The three of you—you chased me down in the middle of the night, through a forest and a sea of rotters. Even if…even though the betrayal still stings, I’m so tired of feeling alone, of feeling like no one wants me. It’s been like that so long, to where I’d rather hurt myself before giving someone else the opportunity.” The small smile fades. “I probably did that with Griffin.”

The ache in her voice crushes me. I concentrate on my breathing and calm myself down, so I don’t crush the fragile bones in her shoulder. Then I lean in, kissing her softly, gentle at first and then with a firm tenderness, every ounce of anger and promise woven into it. When I pull away, I cup her face in my hands, waiting for her eyes to focus on me so she catches every word and the intensity of which I mean them. “You are wanted, Emily. So much more than you know. I’ll make sure you feel that every single day, if you’ll let me. Hell, even if you don’t let me—I’m still going to show you, because you’re worth every second.”

A true smile breaks across her face, lighting up herfeatures, and I can’t help but memorize it. The way her eyes crinkle, the hint of brightness that overtakes every trace of sadness until there’s nothing but joy and warmth. Anything that makes her smile is worth remembering.

“I have something for you.” I reach into a small pouch at my side and pull out a makeshift harmonica. It’s rough, but it’ll do for now. “It’s not the best, but I figured you might want to learn to play, if you still want to.”

Her smile only widens. “I’d love to.”

“Good. It’s not as great as the real thing, and I sort of…lost mine. If we can find an abandoned music store, I’ll make sure we get you a proper one.” I guide her fingers to the correct places on the harmonica, showing her how to hold it, my hands lingering on hers while she tries out a few notes. The sound is softer, a little rough around the edges, but it works, and her pride shines when she gets the hang of it.

“This is amazing.” She beams, looking at me with a mixture of pride and something warmer.

“You’re amazing,” I say, and her smile stretches even wider. Then I glance at the sun that’s in a new position in the sky, and realize we’ve lost track of time. “We should head back; I’m sure the other two are wondering if we left them behind. I’m surprised they haven’t come barging over yet.”

Her smile dims, and I want to kick myself for breaking the moment. “You’re right. We’ll need to find a car if we want to make it to the colony soon. Griffin will not make it on foot the whole way, and every day we’re delayed…”

I nod, understanding the unspoken words. Zoey needs that insulin. Whatever I feel about that colony, Zoey has to be worth all of this for Emily to keep risking herself. Maybe I can get Zoey out first, and then let Max loose for his own special brand of playtime on the rest of them.

Standing up, I offer my hand. She takes it and allows me to pull her to her feet, but she falters, her hand pressing against my chest to steady herself. She tilts her head backand meets my eyes, her voice soft. “Thank you…for everything. For not giving up on me.”

I brush a stray strand of hair from her cheek with my knuckles. “As I’ve told you, Emily. You’re worth it.” She blushes and I grin at the faint tinge of pink that spreads across her cheeks. “So, does this mean you’re ready to forgive us?”

She tilts her head with a blush. “You, maybe. Almost. I still have some things to sort out.”

My arms slide around her, pulling her into a hug. I kiss the top of her head, breathing her in. “I can work with that.”

As we make our way back to the temporary camp where Griffin and Max should still be waiting for us, she stops short. I reach for both my gun and my knife on instinct, tucking her against my side, ready for anything.

Her words come out muffled against my ribcage that I’m crushing her against. “Oof, easy, William. I only wanted to stop and look at this tree.”

Looking around to make sure the coast is clear first, I lower my weapon and take in what she’s pointing at. “Is that…tree sap?”

She grins with excitement. “Yes. It can work as a sort of bandage in a pinch. Not ideal, but it’ll help with something like this. Let me see your arm.” With gentle motions, she takes off my makeshift bandage to reveal the nearly healed wound, and then spreads the sap over it. The coolness soothes the ache, and she looks up at me with hope, which is something I haven’t seen on her all too often. My chest swells with pride that I somehow inadvertently helped with that. “Do we have anything to collect more of it? It could help Griffin a lot until we can find something better. Dammit, why didn’t I grab better supplies while I had the chance?”

“Smart thinking,” I say, grinning too, while digging through my pockets.

15

EMILY

William and I make our way back, his hand wrapped around the small container of sap I gathered. My anger with Griffin still simmers, but knowing I can help keep him alive, at least until we reach the colony, brings a small sense of relief. His wound looked bad, and while I may want him to suffer for the hurt he caused me, I don’t want it to be like this.

Then there’s Max. I haven’t spoken to him yet. I don’t know where his head’s at. He wasn’t there when I woke up, and he was busy taking out rotters when I ran into William. Talking with him is going to be the hardest of all. The last thing I expected was to fall for my ex’s brother. I could never have imagined that the one who hurt me was the same person who hurt Max so deeply.

William’s voice breaks through my thoughts. “There’s something I want to ask of you,” he says, his eyes fixed straight ahead. “I hope it’s not too much.”

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