Page 1 of Born to Bleed

Chapter One

THE GATHERING AROUND HIM was one big, attractive lie. An illusion, meant to convince people that things could be happy, safe, calm. Maybe for a moment, sure, but long term? In this world? Not possible. There was no real calm, no real escape.

People could gather around the fire, nestle against their loved ones, laugh at jokes and enjoy freshly grilled meats and vegetables, but the threat still loomed in the shadows, just waiting for a chance to attack. To remind everyone why it was so dangerous to relax, to let their guard down.

Hayden didn’t have time to relax, nor the desire, and he damn sure wouldn’t be caught with his guard down.

Instead, he observed.

Human nature, after all, was fascinating.

He watched the way people related to one another, their quirks and mannerisms and body language. The way it shifted between interactions and depending on who they were near. He tucked all that information away in the back of his head for later. The human mind was an intricate filing system, every thought, memory, feeling, and experience being tagged and thrown in, filed away but never truly lost. Some people were just better than others at remembering where they filed certain tidbits of information.

Hayden excelled at it.

Hence his position in leading the Resistance. Lead strategist, head of intelligence, voice of reason. He bore many titles.

An arm brushed against his own, and he looked down to see Anna, with her choppy blonde hair and high cheekbones. She still wore a damn UNR uniform, despite his offers of clean clothing and the fact that she’d defected months ago, begrudgingly assisting the Resistance for several weeks now. Beyond the fact that she wore the enemy’s name across her arm, it irritated him on a personal level. Why, he wasn’t quite sure.

“Brooding by the fire?” she teased.

He grunted. “I don’t brood. I observe.” He’d already learned several things in the time he’d been out here. Things that could prove useful in the days to come.

Anna rolled her eyes. “Semantics.”

Laughter and chatter filled the silence that hung between them, dancing through the air and feeding into the lie that this was a safe place for people to gather and socialize and enjoy themselves. There were no safe places anymore.

Anna knew that, too. She never relaxed, never let her guard down. She saw the danger lurking in the shadows.

Everyone else? That was a different story.

Hayden and his brothers may have done too good a job in providing for their people, because they were far too jovial this night. Sure, it was mild for this time of the year, but they made the most of that fact with reckless abandon.

That’s why people like Hayden existed, though. To keep others safe. So safe, it seemed, that they forgot about the danger waiting around the corner.

The woman at his side lifted her arms, stretching to each side, and then patted his shoulder, sending a wave of heat through him. “I’m heading to bed. See you when I see you.”

That was… oddly cordial. Anna was a lot of things. Sexy. Conniving. Infuriating. But cordial, she was not. “Tomorrow,” he agreed, eying her suspiciously.

“Sure,” she winked. And then she walked off. His eyes stayed glued to her until she turned a corner, escaping his line of sight.

He rolled his shoulder, returning his gaze to the crowd around him. So many new faces since they’d taken the Central Stronghold and freed all of its citizens, which meant so many new secrets to learn.

So why, instead, did his mind linger on Anna? Anna, and the way her hair fell crookedly over her bright eyes. Anna, and the way her lithe body moved with disarming grace. Anna, and her fiery attitude that only made him more intrigued by her. Anna, and the way she’d brushed up against him, sending heat scorching through his veins. Anna--

Wait.

Anna… brushed up against him. Twice.

She’d come to the barbecue, walked straight over to him, brushed against him, and then quickly left. Anna always acted a bit… peculiar. Purposefully vague, overly flirty in a sarcastic kind of way. He’d gotten used to the way she was, even enjoyed it from time to time. But she’d approached him. Touched him.

If it were anyone else, Hayden might have assumed they were afraid, or shy, perhaps even toying with him a bit.

Not Anna.

Their relationship was combative on its best day, vitriolic more often than not. Her being pleasant toward him was all wrong.

He stalked back to his office, something telling him to make his way there before checking in on her temporary home. The moment he got there, he quickly understood Anna’s odd behavior.

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