Page 29 of When the Living Fall

The kettle whistles, and I move to pour us two mugs of tea. “His name’s Buddy. I rescued him from some dregs who had no business caring for animals. Poor guy had been through enough. I don’t know if they’re responsible for his missing eye, but he’s been my most loyal sidekick ever since.”

“Hey, Buddy.” He lays down on the floor and rolls over, stretching out. She laughs and scratches his belly.

“He’s a good boy.” I pour the tea, watching Zoey and Buddy bond. His eyes close and his tongue lolls out in bliss.

“The goodest boy,” Zoey says with a laugh.

Settling at the table with my tea, I launch into the full story. Everything from the dregs to the cities we passed through, every wild, hair-raising encounter. Her eyes widen with every word, and she inches closer until she’s sitting next to me at the table with her teacup warming her hands and Buddy lying across her feet.

When I get to the part about the three guys and tell her everything, leaving nothing out, including why I ran andthen when they came after me, her hands slam down on the table, causing Buddy to flinch. “No way. All three of them?”

Her face is incredulous, her gaze locked onto mine while she hangs on my every word.

“Yep.” A slow grin tugs at my lips, and I slump back against my chair. “But I’m still mad at them. I think they’re still mad at me, too.”

Her brows knit in confusion. “But they chased you through rotter infested lands and killed dregs. One of them ripped a rotter’s spine out from the front of its throat because it got too close to you. Another one made sure the bathroom was safe before you used it. Sounds to me like they’ve forgiven you.”

I take a long sip of my tea. “Max, I didn’t know…something about his brother. What they went through. From his point of view, I abandoned him like his brother did. I wasn’t thinking about that.”

“But the angry one sent you away,” she points out.

Setting my mug on the tabletop, I lean forward and plunge my face into my arms. “That’s what confuses me. I think it confuses them, too. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

A silence stretches between us for a minute before she speaks again. “They’re here though?”

“Yes,” I nod before sitting up. “Well, outside the walls, over the hill, and up the road. I figured they’d be shot on sight. That’s not something I want to risk, no matter how I feel about them.”

Zoey’s eyes cloud for a moment, then she nods in understanding. “Yeah, I can see that. Richard’s been a little…extra cautious lately.”

“Yeah, he was always wound tight even more since the Nathan betrayal.” I lean back in my chair again, crossing my arms. “I’ll still talk to him. Those guys aren’t anything like Nathan. Not even in the slightest.”

Her lips tighten, her fingers curling around the mug. “What if Richard says no?”

A heavy silence hangs between us. I shrug, looking away. “I was going to leave with them, but…I’m still deciding.” My mind drifts back to Griffin, Max, and William, with the intense looks in their eyes before I left.

Zoey doesn’t seem surprised by this. “Because you’re still mad?”

I nod.

“Girl.”

“At the very least, I need to get some medical supplies out to Griffin. Or see if I can sneak the doctor out to him. The one who’s not a dick.”

“Help him, for sure, but at least ask around. Maybe even talk to some of the townspeople first, before going to Richard. There are some things I found out while you were gone?—”

A knock at the door startles us both and ends the conversation. Zoey rises to answer it, emitting a low whine of disapproval from Buddy, but she ignores him. She throws me a cautionary glance, and my heart sinks.

The murmur of voices and footsteps drift through the quiet space, growing closer. I take a steadying breath as a figure appears in the doorway.

“Emily,” Richard says, his tone carefully neutral as he takes me in with a steady gaze.

“Richard.” My voice feels small against the tension filling the room.

A faint smirk tugs at one corner of his mouth, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’ll admit, it’s something to see you back here. And I hear you brought some supplies?”

“Zoey’s insulin. I got it back.”

His brows shoot up. “Back? As in…”

---