Page 16 of Before Their After

I glanced her over once more. Reallystudiedher this time. Inspected every inch of her being as she watched, letting me see what I needed to. She kept one arm down at her side, the other on her hip, leaving herself vulnerable to my scrutiny. A small smile graced her lips. This time, however, the smile was kind, pure. Honest. Screamed an honest woman. Pure hearts never got you far these days, but what did I have to lose from finding out what she had to offer?

“How many of you?”

“No more than a thousand,” she answered, shrugging as she considered a passing thought. “Though that’ll probably change when Jax gets back tonight. He was tracking a decent group a few miles east for a while.”

Peering behind her, I wondered if she did in fact have someone accompanying her. If she did, they’d kept themselves well-hidden during our interaction. No one was there. Moments passed, and I listened for any hints. The only response was the crashing of waves and nature in the distance. Not sure who the hell Jax was, I loosened my posture, deciding to see where this next phase in life had to offer me.

“You can bring your stuff with you.” Amaia chuckled, taking a few steps back and leaving the backpack at the cave entrance. “There’s more food in there. Try not to eat it too fast or you’ll make yourself sick. I’ll be back in a day. I need to make some arrangements.”

“I didn’t say yes,” I called after her, watching her disappear around the corner and out of sight.

“Yes, you did,” Amaia’s voice chimed over the angry waves below the cliff side. “Maybe not right now, but your mind will change by the time I get back.”

I considered following her for a moment. A brief moment, but nevertheless, considered. Spooking her was the last thing I wanted. Amaia hadn’t been kind necessarily, but she was forward in her intentions. I respected that. Respected her for offering me the opportunity. She was right, I hadn’t decided to go with her yet. Physically. But mentally, I was there. Ready to accept whatever the future looked like.

Women had enough to worry about in this world—a man following her along the coastline didn’t to be another. I wasn’t sure how she would respond to that or the kind of magic she had, but I knew what I had and I didn’t want to hurt her. The joyous youth that remained in her eyes stroked that hopeful string in my heart that had lain dormant for God knows how long.

No. That wasn’t true. I did know. Since London died.

Maybe it was her spirit speaking to me, driving me to follow my heart again when I’d long abandoned it for my head. I could trust Amaia. And now I would need her to trust me. If Monterey was truly a place meant for me, she would come back. No matter how agonizing the next twenty-four hours would become.

On the ninety-third day alone, I found my forever home.

She came back the next morning. The sun’s position blinded me as my eyes cracked open. Her shadow crawled across the cavern wall. A tall man stalked behind her, his eyes shifting about. It took him a few moments before they passed over me. I shot up under his intense stare. Sharp, hazel eyes hovered on mine. We remained locked in a stand-off, the threat passingbetween us clear:Hurt her and die. I nodded in reassurance. There would be no threat from me.

He cleared his throat for a false pleasantry. “How are you getting on?”

“See, I told you it’d make a good hideout,” Amaia said, splitting the tension.

“I’m not sure a cave where you can spyinwithout them knowing is a good hideout.” His vowels stretched while he tripped over other portions of words, making it hard to place his accent. If I had to guess, he’d been in the country for a while before the bombs went off.

“Oh please, I never would’ve found this place had I not followed him from the wharf.” She paused thoughtfully, stopping in front of me with a container in her hand. “Also, fire is always a bad idea unless you’re desperate.”

The familiarity with which she communicated with me was not overlooked. When she spoke to me, it was as if we were long-lost friends. Now in the group of three, she moved between the red-haired man and me with relaxed shoulders. His attention on me was unwavering though it was clear he tracked each of her movements.

“She’s a wee hardheaded. Apologies for the intrusion lad, ready to go?” His use of slang clued me in, though now that I looked him over, it was obvious.

My silence persisted despite my best wishes. It was overwhelming being around others after spending so much time alone. While I hadn’t been out there solo as long as others and it was only two of them, it still felt like a crowd.No, you made your decision. Stick to it.

Amaia cleared her throat, offering a small smile. Today she’d come more casual. Her hair was down, the dark curls falling in front of her face, and she sported shorts instead of cargo pantsto accommodate the heat of the day. She hadn’t lost the small armory around her body, however.

“This is Jax. My friend I told you about yesterday. We trust him, okay?” With a gentle push, Amaia placed the container against my chest. Her gaze shot toward the ground as she peered in Jax’s direction. By the way his freckled face reddened at his name on her lips, ‘friend’ didn’t seem to be the right word. “For your little friends. Thought you should probably stop eating them.”

For the first time in ninety-eight days, I laughed. A small, inaudible laugh, but a laugh nonetheless. It had been ninety-three days since London died. Ninety-five since I’d accepted she might not get better. And ninety-eight since she fell sick.

You can’t put yourself through this again. This is wrong. Leave in the night. Stick to the shadows.

I shook my head, wrestling with the thoughts and doing my best to discern logic from fallacy. The facts. All I needed to do was focus on the facts at hand. The rest I could deal with once I had all the information I needed to make an informed decision. That would mean seeing the place firsthand, really looking into what they had to offer. Amaia and Jax seemed healthy enough. Clean. Well put together. More importantly, there was a peace in her eyes that I hadn’t seen in over a year and a half. Since the world ended.

“If your home is safe, why do you need a hideout?” I questioned, circling back to her first observation when she arrived.

Jax cracked a crooked smile. “Because she’s got a few screws loose.”

A sharp, childlike chuckle escaped Amaia as she stepped toward Jax and shoved him playfully. “No. Because one can never be too prepared,” she said, her tone shifting back to one ofauthority. “Sometimes you end up shit out of luck. A stocked up hideaway can prevent that.”

“You must have resources to spare if you can stand the risk of someone else taking it.”

Amaia shrugged while Jax released an amused snort like it was not a big deal that it was. Resources were slim. Every calorie counted. Leaving something for the next person may end up causing your own death.

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