Page 31 of Ronan

“Yeah, okay, that’s fair, but back then I didn’t know it was real. This changes everything.”

Thick silence settles between us, my mind racing over the miles to the decaying house where I stowed Cameron away. Something akin to shame roils in my stomach, wanting to provide him with more than a run-down shack.

A nagging doubt gnaws at my insides as I question what worth I’d have in his life. Out there, I have nothing to offer beyond brute force and combat skills, and while they’ll be useful in protecting him, they aren’t enough. He’s the one who’s scavenged his way through life, smart and cunning, and me?

Nothing but a mindless warrior.

Inadequate in what I would bring to his life.

But when I consider that the last time I saw him could be the final time, something ancient and primal claws at my insides, bellowing its rage at my inaction. It’s a raw, physical agony, every fiber of my being screaming in protest with a need to ravage the world until I find him. A demand to scour every hidden hole and quiet corner of the planet until I’m sure he’s safe… take my snarky, sarcastic human and tuck him away where he can’t be found or hurt.

It’s irrational, illogical… and overwhelming.

An entire life spent in unwavering routine and rigid structure, and now it surrounds me like a cage, my arms against the bars and my feet itching to escape.

“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?” Elas asks, and I refocus on him and narrow my eyes at his goofy grin. “You get this love-struck look on your—”

He ducks as my half-empty water bottle hurtles towards his head, barely missing its target. “Shut up before I kick you out,” I growl, but he only smiles wider.

Chapter 11

Cameron

My eyes flutter open to the sunlight streaming through the window, the throbbing in my forehead milder than I could’ve hoped. Score one, Cameron. The warmth of the sun on my face is comforting, but not enough to pull me from my slumber, so I tug my jacket over my head. It was late when Ronan left last night, and despite the exhaustion of my body after the day’s events, I couldn’t sleep.

Every time I closed my eyes, our interaction played on repeat in my mind.

Had I really been about to kiss him? And not just a chaste thank-you-for-the-prison-break peck, but akiss.One leading to lips and tongues and hands in places they have no business being with a monster.

I mean, it makes sense, right?

He saved my life and risked his own for my freedom, and asked for nothing in return. The rush of affection I’d felt towards him was only natural after what he’d done for me. A biological manifestation of my gratitude, and certainly not a physical responseto his gravelly voice in the dark. One hundred percent not a reaction from the swell of his chest under my palms, or the dull ache in my core as I caught his sweat-heightened scent.

Hello, denial—it’s been a while.

Laser focusing on everything that happened between me and Ronan has done nothing to answer the questions in my mind. If anything, time has only amplified them until my head is a jumbled, confused mess.

A broken spring from the couch jabs me in the side as I groan my frustration. It smells faintly of mildew and soil, but even though it’s lumpy, it’s far more comfortable than the hard, grimy floor.

“This is a mess, Boomerang,” I moan, and she shifts beside me. I don’t have to see her to know she’s lying by the couch, resting her head against the old fabric as she stares at me with her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth. “We should go, right? Hit the road and never look back?” Even as I say it, my stomach twists in dread at the thought of putting even more distance between me and Ronan.

A shadow looms over me, and I peek from underneath my jacket to find her hovering there, a droplet of drool hanging precariously close to my face. “Alright, alright,” I grumble, pushing her away just in time for that slobber to plop onto the floor instead of my chin. “I’m up.”

Disorientation hits me hard, the unfamiliarity of the house jarring. The uncertainty of where I am or how safe it is makes me extra cautious… and uncomfortable. All I know about my location is how long it took Ronan to drive me here, but even that tells me nothing without knowing our speed. I don’t know which direction we travelled, or if the path was a straight line.

Double checking each window for movement, I make two sweeps through the house before letting Boomerang outside into the faint dawn to relieve herself. Birds chirp in the distance, and the scent of damp earth is comforting as I sit back and breathe in the morning’s quiet calm.

My heart tugs as I notice a protein bar and fresh clothes set on top of Ronan’s pack, like he knew I’d be too overwhelmed to go digging through it this early. I chew in silence, wincing at the sting from my split lip and tongue, then whistle for Boomerang and wait for her to come bouncing inside.

The house is filthy, and it doesn’t appear that much has been touched since it was abandoned. From the state of things, that might’ve been several decades ago. “Want to see what we can find, girl?”

For hours, we scavenge, digging through crumbling old cabinets and hunting for hiding spots under beds and sofas. I dust my hands as I survey our pile of treasure—a few intact glass bottles, a backpack with minimal moth holes, a leather belt, and a decent sized knife that needs sharpening. There’s a cabinet full of canned goods, but even with the lids still holding pressure, botulism isn’t something I want to risk today.

“No point in wasting the daylight.” Boomerang tilts her head at me as I glance at the afternoon sun high in the sky. “Come on, let’s go hunting.”

The first thing we locate is a water source, although I’m disappointed when I determine it isn’t safe to drink without boiling first. Still, it’s more than I’ve had in many camping spots. The bloody, filthy clothes from yesterdayturn the water a faint pink as I wash them, hanging them over a branch to dry.

I glance down at the clothes Ronan brought me, another of those annoying fluttery sensations rising in my chest. The leather pants fit well, although this humidity causes my legs to sweat underneath the thick material. A tad small, the cotton shirt shows my belly when I lift my arms, but it’s clean and comfortable.

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