Page 32 of Her Shadow

“We’ll go and see the captain together. I can explain everything.”

“I don’t think too much of your captain, Kara. I really don’t. And I don’t care anymore. About her. About them. I tried my hardest. Fuck them.”

“Please don’t say that. You care about me, Sam. Maybe we can go and join your people at some point, but I can’t manage it right now. I can’t. I’m not ready to stay out here in the wild. Not full time. Maybe later, down the line. What do you think?”

“I think I can’t go back. That place isn’t for me.”

But I’m for you, aren’t I?” Kara said with a faint smile on her face.

“You are. Yes. Or at least I thought you were.”

“Please,” Kara pleaded. “Please come back with me. I’ll take care of you,just like you took care of me. I can’t lose what we have. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, I’ve ever loved. You’re everything to me, Sam.”

As the two stood there, there was tension between them, but Sam couldn’t deny her feelings towards Kara.

“Yes, what we have is sacred, Kara. You’re right. But the first sign of trouble, and I’m out of there. I want to make it perfectly clear. We’ll try it your way, and if they fuck up again, we'll do it my way. That’s my condition. I want to love you unconditionally, but that’s my condition.”

Kara’s hand lingered on Sam’s cheek, and Sam allowed herself to lean into it. The rough calluses on Kara’s fingers felt strangely comforting.

“I was so scared,” Sam admitted, her voice trembling with the weight of emotions she had kept buried. “Not just of turning into one of them, but of losing you, too.”

“You’re not going to lose me. I’m here, Sam. I’ll always be here.”

Sam closed her eyes. She felt as if she’d been pulled back from the edge she had been teetering on since she’d left Fort Haven.

For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of their breathing. The world had quieted.

Sam opened her eyes, her gaze meeting Kara’s. “I’m glad we’re not fighting,” she mumbled. “Look at the state of me. I’m covered in blood and guts. In your shoes, I’d have turned around and run back to the settlement as soon as I laid eyes on me.”

“I know,” Kara giggled. “I thought about it.”

Sam realized just how close she had come to losing the one person who mattered.

“If we get back to the settlement, at least I can keep away from the infected for a while,” Sam said, her voice cracking. “I didn’t know what to do. I panicked. Jesus, it’s awful out here. I need to rest up. This wound is fucking stinging like crazy.”

“Things are going to be different. I promise you that,” Kara reached out to Sam’s hand, leading the way back.

“You know, the whole time I’ve been away from you, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Meeting you changed everything, and I was truly heartbroken when I thought I’d lost you.” Sam wiped her eyes.

“I understand, because I love you so much, Sam. I always will, and I promise from now on, I won’t let anything, or anyone, tear us apart.”

Sam smiled, squeezing her hand before pulling her closer to kiss Kara.

“I love you, too. Please don’t ever break that promise.”

And with that, they made their way back to Fort Haven, ready to fight their way back to happiness one step at a time.

The End.

EPILOGUE

ONE YEAR LATER

Kara stepped into the shower, feeling the rush of hot water cascade over her skin.

The heat hit her body, loosening the knots of tension in her muscles. Steam swirled in the air around her, thick and heavy. She sighed in relief. She stood still for a moment, letting the water drench her hair and run down her body in rivulets, washing away that day’s grime. Her fingers massaged her scalp as her thoughts drifted inevitably to Sam.

Her heart fluttered, almost skipping a beat, as she pictured Sam's strong, protective hands and the way they held her close at night, her fingers tracing the lines of her body. It always felt as though Sam was mapping out the curves and planes of her skin, learning her all over again every time they touched. Kara held her breath as she felt her own hands slide down her stomach, the slickness of her wet skin guiding her motions. Her fingers dipped lower, teasing herself, imagining that it was Sam there with her instead. It started the same way it always did between the two of them—the deep pull of desire and the undeniableattraction they felt for each other even after a year of shared life in Fort Haven.

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