Claimed: Faction 3: The Isa Fae Collection Read online

  My lips crept up into a smile. He was sexy when he was tough and protective.

  “Do you want to take this to a vote then? Is that what this is?” Peter cocked his eyebrow upward. “Stay, go; live, die. It’s all the same.”

  “Just…wait…” Tone tapped some interior working with the edge of the screwdriver. The radio crackled to life; the sound was startling, the crackle of radio silence. The sound of no signal. I hadn’t heard that noise in years, thanks to digital radio and computer technology.

  Tone sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and fidgeted with a nob on the front. His brow furrowed down with each turn, each movement. He was looking.

  And, from where I sat, my ears were straining to here the same. Something, anything that let us know we weren’t alone.

  No hope.

  I blinked. That wasn’t what I wanted to hear at all, I wanted words like safe zone or survivor. Even something as simple as radiation free.

  Tone adjusted the knob again, just a fraction of an inch, and the words sounded clearer, yet, at the same time further away. It was like the broadcast was coming from a hole: Multiple points of impact across Wyoming and eastern South Dakota. Casualties numbered in the tens of thousands, no hope for survivors within the blast zones.

  “Did you see that?” Peter’s voice sounded distant, almost as much so as the radio broadcast.

  Tone held his hand up and shushed him. “Wait, there has to be something else.”

  If you can hear this broadcast, please stay where you are. Help will not come to you until radiation levels have lowered to a sustainable state. Do not leave your homes. Do not leave your communities. If you can hear this, there is no hope.

  I glanced at Soleil.

  Her eyes fluttered for a brief moment and then she shook her head. “They’re wrong.”

  Peter’s arm jerked to the side, nearly knocking the radio off the table. His eyes were wide, panicked; his eyes were transfixed on something in the distance. He struggled, grasping the edge of the table with both hands, and dragged himself to his feet. “They’re back.”

  I whipped around, almost careening into my sister, and looked out across the open field next to our park. Our tender vegetables, our ripped up alarm system—and a man. A lone figure.

  He was meandering, not walking with much purpose or intent. From the distance we were, I could see he had something slung over one shoulder and, in his opposite hand, a large walking stick.

  He’d seen us. There was no doubt in my mind that he was making a beeline right for us.

  And…yet…there was something familiar…

  “Avi.” Lyta took several steps back from the table. “Tell me you have a gun, you’ve got something to stop him.”

  “I’ve got guns, sure, but I haven’t had bullets in almost eight months.”

  “Fuck.”

  Soleil stood up. I could tell her gaze was locked on the man as he walked, the way his shoulders were pushed back and his spine ramrod straight. Her jaw went slack.

  “Wren, you and Soleil take Peter inside. Tone,” Avi leaned over and switched off the radio. “I want you ready.”

  “I always am.”

  I turned to help Peter—but my sister didn’t move. She was standing still, her hands clasped at her waist. Prim and proper as always, sweet and unblemished. And fucking standing still. “Soleil. Come on.”

  “Impossible.”

  I held my hand out to her. “We need to go. I mean, unless you want some freak to come and hurt us again. I can’t go through that again—and fuck you if that’s what you want.”

  Avi swept his arm around my waist and pulled me away from her. “Come on, Wren, you need to get back. If it’s another from that group, he’s probably a scout. We need to be ready.”

  “With what, sticks and slingshots?” Soleil’s lips spread into a smile. And as I watched, she did the unthinkable—she started walking towards him.

  I jerked towards her; Avi held me back. I fought his hold, I strained and wriggled and tried to pull his arms off of me. What was the matter with her? As this all her doing? Maybe somehow she was on their side, some kind of sadist who got off on watching us fight for our lives?

  That was ridiculous…wasn’t it? Gentle, pure, Soleil? Some kind of modern garden goddess who flitted with butterflies and whispered with bunnies or some shit? She didn’t have an ounce of angst in her whole body. Right?

  “What is she doing?” I could barely get the words out of my mouth. My lips trembled. “Soleil!”

  She was running to him.

  Avi tightened his hold around my body. “Let her go.”

  “No—what’s the matter with you? I can’t let her go. She’s my sister and she’s about to…” I trailed off. Now he was closer, now I could make out the features of his face. Jesus Christ.

  It was Grant.

  “My god, that’s impossible.” My arms fell slack at my sides. If Avi hadn’t been holding onto me, I probably would have face planted to the ground. How did he find us? How did he even get out of The Western State alive?

  Avi’s breath was hot against my cheek. “Do you know him?”

  “That’s my sister’s old boyfriend. Friend who is a boy…fuck, I would have sworn he died three years ago. He enlisted in the national army—he didn’t even tell her goodbye.”

  “And now he’s here.”

  My sister threw herself at him. The look on Grant’s face, though, was likely a reflection of mine. Shock, disbelief…and something akin to horror.

  It was obvious: he hadn’t expected to find her here. And that realization crossed his face like a wash of uncertainty.

  My brain seized, white hot pain squeezing my skull like someone fastened a vice around my head. I could hear my sister crying. Everything around me was dark; it felt thick and endless like some kind of void stretching in all directions. There were others there, there were people around us. They were in the walls.

  Run. Wren, run.

  “Wren! Run and see!” Soleil’s voice grounded me in the present. She motioned for me to join her and Grant. “He’s alive!”

  I exchange a look with Avi; I cocked my eyebrow upward. “And now he’s here.”

  Fifteen

  “When I left the citadel, the world was already flipped end over end. I heard Vale was gone. The Silver City had long fallen and they told us just to flee. Get out while we could.” Grant dragged his spoon against the side of his plastic bowl, scraping up as much of Peter’s corn mush as he could. “I walked awhile, I feel like I camped longer. It seems like a lifetime since then.”

  I made a noncommittal noise in my throat. “You’re so well nourished, Grant, how did you manage that? You must have left the Western State with a whole truck full of supplies.”

  Either he didn’t notice my sarcasm or he was ignoring it to placate my sister. Damn fool. “They gave us enough, that is, what we were used to carrying when we’d go out on tactical marches. There are lot of packs of survivors out there. So many of them are willing to help people, do what the can to make sure people are safe.”

  “Well, we’re not a place like that.” Avi slipped his arm away from my waist and leaned over, resting his forearms on his knees. He looked menacing, his eyes steeling calm and at the same time, intense. “We’re not a social group. We’re a family.”

  Grant smiled. It was a little too sweet and understanding a look for someone who supposedly trained as a marauder for the Western State. “I understand that, sir, but you see, I know these two girls. I know their family and you aren’t in it.”

  “Well, you’re wrong there.” I smirked. “He’s more family to me than you are, Grant old boy.”

  He shrugged and turned his attention back to my sister, gently running his hand down her cheek. “I can’t stay long, though, my dove. I’ve heard of this place, this refuge for survivors. They say it’s safe, that there’s more than enough food to go around and in a radiation free zone. I’m headed that way. I want to be there before the leaves turn.”<
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  Soleil’s bottom lip curled down into a pout. “But, Grant, you just got here. We have so much to talk about, so much to do. I want you to stay.”

  “I can’t, precious. I need to get to the refuge—I’m telling you, it’s the best they have out there. Clean, running water, a farm with live cows who produce more than a enough milk for everyone. Every day! Chickens, garden vegetables and fruit trees. It’s all there.” His enthusiasm didn’t quite meet his eyes. Even his smile seemed forced, like he was prattling off a list of shoe sizes for the men in his graduating class. Or, rather, what would have been if he hadn’t gone away. “You should come.”

  Soleil’s eyes widened. She opened her mouth to answer—

  And I spoke first. “Not to be rude, friend, and really. I’m trying hard. But we don’t even know you anymore. You’re just going to stroll on up and pretend like the last two years didn’t happen? That the world didn’t stop turning and everything went to shit?”

  “Wren!” Soleil hissed the words out, stamping her foot into the ground. “Don’t be a bitch. It’s Grant.”

  “Yeah, I know that.” I narrowed my eyes at her, but turned my focus back to him. My fingertips burned. “How come we haven’t heard about this refuge?”

  “Because you’re living in this broken down paradise.” He shrugged. “I just think you could do better than this. They’re helping survivors. That’s what you are, right dove?”

  Soleil giggled and threw her arms around him, nuzzling her face against his shoulder.

  He stiffened. The reaction was brief and he overcame it quickly, but I saw. He didn’t want her that close. I could read it in his expression, his eyes; the way he didn’t lean into her. This man, as a teenager, worshiped the ground Soleil walked on. Now, it was as if he couldn’t even look at her.

  But he was looking at me.

  I said, “What if we don’t need help? We have food, water, shelter…what else do you think we need?”

  “Security.”

  Panic jolted across my chest. It was like he knew. I stammered, my mouth flopping around words like they didn’t quite fit through my lips. “Maybe we’re fine, you don’t know anything about us anymore. We survived Distant. Fuck, we survived Vale.”

  “Hey, you do what you want to do.” He held up his hands, as if in surrender. “I’m just telling you. I’ve heard good things about this place. I want to see it for myself.”

  “How far is it?”

  I slowly turned. Lyta was standing behind Tone, a shovel clenched in her hand, and her gaze locked on Grant. She looked interested, her lips set in a straight line of defiance.

  “Not far, maybe a day’s hike. My parents headed out there about six weeks ago and sent me word that it was legitimate.” Grant looked at me. “They said they tried to get your parents to go, too.”

  I clamped my teeth down on my tongue until I tasted blood. I spit. “My parents are dead.”

  “Can you explain this radio broadcast?” Tone motioned at the still splayed open device. “It said if we could hear it, there’s no hope. They won’t come find us until the radiation levels have decreased.”

  Grant shook his head. “There’s no radiation out here. Tell them, Soleil.”

  “There isn’t.”

  “Grant.” I clenched my fists at my side. It was like watching a locomotive speeding to the edge of a bridge: even if the brake was applied, the velocity of the train would still carry it over the edge. There was no stopping it. “Stop it.”

  “That broadcast is from Regent’s Block. They’re trying to scare people in submission. Yes, the refuge is part of the Western State but I can promise you. It’s clean, it’s radiation free. It’s the only sanctuary we have while the rest of the country crumbles.” He shrugged. “But, it’s up to you. I just stopped because Soleil told me to.”

  If Soleil told you to jump off a bridge, would you do that too? I squeezed my lips together in a firm line, trying to bite the words back before I said something I’d regret. There was something about him that bothered me. Maybe it was the way that his eyes flitted back and forth like a nervous squirrel, or just the worn, drawn look on his face. He clearly wasn’t the same man he’d been. He’d changed.

  This was all too easy. The rest of them had lived here for ages and, not once, had they ever heard of this refuge. If they wanted to help people, why was it some kind of secret?

  “Here, I can show you the message from my parents.” He swung his pack to the ground and loosened the leather buckles and straps; what he was looking for was evidently on top; he pulled out a battered tablet. After fidgeting with the on button for a moment, he tapped his finger to the screen. “It’s been through hell, but I can get it to work every now and again. Here. See?”

  He turned the tablet and held it out, with the screen facing us. Sure as shit, there were his parents. It looked like they were sitting in front of a small, but sturdy, wooden cabin; behind it, I could see thick, green pines and the edges of other cabins, just out of frame. His mother’s blonde hair had faded to gray, but he was definitely her. She waved at the camera. “Hi, Grant! I hope the transmission comes through clear, sometimes we have trouble with our wireless. The satellites are still running—but I’m sure you know that. Dad and I are settled in now. And it’s just like they said: it’s safe here. We’re safe.”

  His father wrapped his arm around her. “There’s still so much space here, son. They have teams out there trying to bring survivors in, but it seems like a lot of people are afraid to leave what’s comfortable. It’s the best damn decision we’ve ever made.”

  “Frank, don’t swear at him.”

  “It’s the best damn decision we’ve ever made.” His father repeated; they both laughed. “There’s no radiation here, we’re warm and well-fed. I’m helping out with the harvest now and your mother just started a preschool class for the children—you know how much she loves teaching. This is real, son. This is going save us.”

  His mother nodded, her expression turning serious. When her smile faded, I could more easily see the dark circles under her eyes, the hollowness to her cheeks. The cheer in her voice, though, betrayed that countenance. “Try to get here, Grant, it’s worth it. I think this is our best chance of survival…all of us. If you can get people to follow you—bring them. Save who you can. Remember the name—Southgate Stand—and come to us. We’ll be waiting.”

  Southgate Stand. The picture on the tablet froze and he turned it over; his lips spread into a sad smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. They were still steely. “I can’t believe they’re okay.”

  “I’ve never heard of Southgate Stand.” Tone crossed his arms over his chest. “Where did you say it was again?”

  “I didn’t. From here, it’s a bit more to the west, near where Yellowstone used to be. The ground there different, the air is thicker. It’s been spared.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Spared? From what, exactly? Radiation? War? Reality, maybe?”

  “Wren, can I talk to you for a minute?” Avi slid his hand to my upper arm and gently squeezed. “Alone?”

  I nodded.

  He cocked his head to the large trailer behind us, our new makeshift ‘headquarters’ since the last attack. We walked together, his hand firmly pressed to my lower back, and he guided me up the stairs and directly into the foyer. I kept my mouth shut; this whole situation was bullshit. Leaving that asshole to spew his bullshit to my sister? Just more bullshit.

  After he closed the trailer door, Avi turned and looked at me. His chocolate eyes searched mine, he reached out and put his hands on my shoulders. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  “I think he’s full shit.”

  “Are those is parents, though? Is that much true?”

  “Well, yeah, it’s been a few years but I definitely recognize them. His mother taught preschool at a Christian school not far from where we grew up.” I exhaled sharply, trying to link my thoughts together and explain the nagging feeling permeating my brain. “There’s too ma
y unknowns in his story. The citadel wouldn’t just let him walk away like that. And I don’t believe that he just managed to stumble upon us like that; it just seems to coincidental.”

  “You did.”

  I frowned. “Excuse me?”

  “You and Soleil stumbled on us when you were wandering lost through the desert.” He cradled my face in his hand. “And I know you were lost, Little Bird. I knew it from Day One.”

  “I just don’t trust him. Something doesn’t seem right.”

  He sighed, leaning forward and pressing his lips to my forehead. “If that’s how you feel, I’ll keep my guard up. But I really think we should at least give him the benefit of the doubt. Hear him out. If this refuge is real—if we have a chance to be safe—I think we should consider it.”

  I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. Yeah, I wanted to be safe too. I was tired of living in fear. His parents seemed happy…they seemed convinced this place was an oasis in the middle of a nuclear wasteland. Still…

  “We can talk to the group about it; make the decision together. Lets give it a day or two and learn as much as we can.” He pulled me against him, crushing his mouth to mine. “We can find ways to pass the time.”

  I pulled him back into the kiss, murmuring against his lips. “If I didn’t think the trailer would rock back and forth violently, I’d suggest we start now.”

  “Dirty girl.”

  “I can be, if that’s what you like.” I widened my eyes, feigning innocence. “Or I can be just as sweet as a school girl.”

  He groaned softly, pulling my body closer and running his hand down my ass. “Little Bird…don’t start things you won’t finish.”

  “Who said I won’t finish it?” I sucked his lower lip into my mouth, nibbling on the tender flesh. “Because I will. Several times.”

  “Now I have to go outside with a rock hard boner?” He stuck his hand into his pants and adjusted himself to hide his arousal. “I didn’t expect such naughtiness from you, Little Bird.”