Page 51 of Redemption
“Fucking hell, would you just stop and let me explain!”
“No! You said you worked for them! The same fucking bastards that took the guys and tried to get me, too.” Her gaze turns vengeful, all the wrath contained in her body spearing right into me. “Tell me the truth. Are you just going to hand me over when we get there, then? You know, since you work for them and they obviously want me?” She grits her teeth, looking down her nose with searing condescension. “It would be all too easy, wouldn’t it? The woman who used to love you to pieces. Who waited for you for fucking years. You knew you could gain my trust eventually. Use it to have me follow you right into their trap like a fucking lost puppy dog.” She snarls, her teeth bared as tears cascade down her cheeks. “Fucking. Bastard.” With renewed energy, she kicks her legs and screams, grunting and moaning as she tries to fight me off. Her dog is on me as well, barking and nipping at every inch of me she can get ahold of. Fuck, they’re making too much noise. If they both keep this up, they’re going to lure every damn thing in this vicinity—alive and dead—right to us.
I need to stop this.
Pressing into her, I walk us over to a large tree, my larger body bracketing hers against the trunk. After confirming she’s not going anywhere, I secure Alessandra’s arms with one hand between us while I lift my other to cover her mouth. She still screams like a fucking banshee, but at least it’s muffled for the time being. Her eyes, on the other hand, are practically screaming at me with heated vengeance.
“Hate me all you want, but you need to listen for a fucking second. How many times do I need to tell you it’s not like that? I don’t want you in the same time zone as them, let alone within their immediate vicinity, but you’ve already made up your mind about the matter.” She starts to squirm in my arms again, forcing me to tighten my hold on her. “You gonna be good?!” My wordsare a low, threatening grumble against her ear. “Or do you want to draw every dead thing right to us and letthemsort our shit out?!”
At my menacing tone, her dog stops dancing around me and chooses to stalk me instead. Her jowls lift, revealing her vicious snarl and sharp teeth, as her growls echo in the silent air. The hackles on her back lift and bunch, signaling she’s ready to attack me and protect her owner, but I can’t stop. They both need to calm down, one way or another, or we’re all dead.
Looking the dog square in the eyes, I taunt her back, willing her to back down and take me as the dominant one in the group. At first, she doesn’t surrender, doesn’t let up the fight she has to protect her human, but I’m a patient man. I’ve waited years, devoted my life to someone I walked out on and rightfully hates my guts, but I’ll never stop fighting for this beautiful woman in my arms. Whether she wants me or not, I am hers and will wait for her until my dying breath if need be.
The dog prowls closer, inch by inch, until I raise a single brow and growl right back, forcing her surrender under my dominating gaze. It must work because she pauses mid-step, her tail lowering behind her. Alessandra’s fight ebbs away as well, probably curious about her dog’s sudden change in aggression.
But, as new sounds filter in around us, I realize it’s not in response to me.
Our gazes turn simultaneously to the side, where scattered growls erupt in the near distance, getting closer and closer to our position, their approach faster than we can outrun.
Fuck.
At least we’re in the forest where the trees provide plenty of coverage and deterrents. They might not even come through this particular trail we’re on, but theyarecoming in ourdirection, and I’d rather take every precaution we can before they’re on top of us.
I slowly pull my hand from her mouth and whisper, “Stay quiet... and very... very still.” With a shuddering breath, she listens, as does her dog when I signal to her with a wave of my hand. I unzip the front of my ghillie suit and lift my arms, pressing them both up against the tree on either side of her head and surrounding the three of us with the muted darkness my suit provides.
It’s not the most pleasant, I’ll admit. For months, I’ve made sure to marinate the fabric in zombie innards to mask my scent. Last thing I wanted was to get caught up in a horde again without some sort of escape or, at the very least, camouflage. But God, if I don’t feel at least a little remorseful that she, once again, has to have her nose full of the acrid smell and her tongue covered in the horrendous, nauseating taste. To save her from the torment, I press a little closer, allowing her to smell me instead of my suit.
The snarling horde marches closer and closer, our combined heart rates picking up at their imminent proximity. I’ve been in this type of predicament before, but after I created my ghillie suit, I’ve been able to remain within feet of them, and even amongst them, undetected.
Until today.
They continue their charge towards us, the lingering stench of my camouflage not doing a damn thing to deter them. Shit. Why isn’t this working? Is it because I’m covering more than just my scent? Is it because of her dog? Fuck... Think... Think...
“Oh.... No...,” she whispers, the words shaking with terror as she speaks them.
I tilt my head down, getting closer to her ear as I whisper, “What’s wro—” Suddenly, the faint smell of copper creeps into my sinuses.
Blood.
Shit, is she hurt? Could she have nicked herself on a tree branch when she tried to run away? That would definitely attract the horde right to us.
“It’s my... my....” She doesn’t finish, her breath catching on every word, but we don’t have time for this. They’re only seconds away.
“You’re what? We need to cover up the scent of wherever it is you’re bleeding from. Tell me where you’re hurt so we can conceal it!” I urge, quickly and just slightly above a whisper, but it’s already too late. They’re here... looking for the source.
I see them through the gaps in the suit’s mesh. Not many, maybe seven or eight, but it’s enough to cause trouble if we give away our hiding spot. We don’t speak. We barely breathe, holding still and silent against the old tree.
Her eyes dart up to mine, dread filling them, her entire body trembling with fright as she reaches a shaky hand down between us. A moment later, her hand returns, but her fingers are covered in blood.
My brows furrow before my eyes go wide with recognition. If this is what I think it is, there’s no stopping it anytime soon. With the tiniest of movements, she nods back at me, confirming my theory.
A branch snaps directly behind me, a heavy, low growl following after another threatening step. I pinch my eyes shut, taking a deep breath to stop myself from reacting too quickly and drawing the entire mass right to us. Instead, I press myselffurther into Alessandra—a feeble attempt to cover the scent that’s already ensnared them to us.
And then I feel something I didn’t think I’d ever feel again.
The tentative touch of Alessandra’s hand crawling up the side of my leg almost ruins me. The gasp of pure elation from the pressure of her fingers on me after so long is barely contained even as my dick kicks at the unintended attention. My focus wanes as I lean into the touch, remembering all those days and nights we couldn’t keep our hands off one another, but, with barely a whisper, she brings me back to reality as she asks, “How many?”
Not trusting my voice that’s almost definitely going to give away my lust-filled thoughts and draw even more attention to us, I use my fingers, tapping against her waist seven times with my answer. She gives a minute nod of acknowledgment in return and then blows my fucking mind.
