Love and Decay, Episode 10 (9 page)

There were no tears as we held each other for endless moments, just breathing, just warmth from our living,
alive
bodies and the incessant sounds of Feeders beating against the door that protected us from them.

“I should see if that door locks,” I whispered after what seemed to be hours in Kane’s arms.

He pulled back and I felt my lungs expand when he gave them more room. “Yeah,” he agreed in a hoarse voice. “We should check that out.”

It was cool in the bunker, which was expected from the cave like dwelling and because there was no light either from outside or inside. But the chill that snaked down my spine had more to do with Kane removing his body from mine than the cold internal temperature.

And I hated that.

I promised myself- swore to myself- that I only felt that way because of what we just went through. That the only reason I missed Kane’s strong arms around me had more to do with the ringing fears that echoed through my still fragile mental state and were reinforced by the fierce pounding and guttural groaning from the other side of the door.

Unnerved by those thoughts, I hung back and let Kane work the panel of locks that reached from the top of the door to the floor.

Gage was not kidding. His uncle was a doomsday fanatic.

Maybe people thought he was crazy in the life before all this, but right now Gage’s uncle was my hero. I would be able to credit him with another day of survival for the rest of my life. And that was enough for me to hold him in the highest esteem forever.

When Kane was finished he turned around and leaned back against the door, as if his added weight would aid in protecting us. His hands were hidden behind his back and his body had stopped trembling, but still his eyes searched out mine desperately.

“Thank you, Reagan.” Kane’s voice was a rasp of consuming emotion. “You saved my life.”

“And you saved mine,” I shrugged away his sentiment with casual distance.

Kane opened his mouth to say more but closed it just as quickly. I hated that my heart kicked back into overdrive. After our near-death experience and then my willingness to be in his arms, I suddenly feared what being trapped in this bunker would mean with only Kane to keep me company.

We were completely alone, suffering in almost near darkness and near a bed.

A different kind of fear infused my blood, bringing it to life as if with electrical shocks and my head spun with all the unwanted possibilities. I stared at the bed in horror.

Sensing my hysteria, Kane took a step forward, reaching out to me. Seeming to think better of it, he pulled his hand back and shook his head. “Reagan, I’m not going to… I would never. We’re both here because it’s the only way for us to survive. There’s no other reason.”

Struggling to get my breathing under control I looked up at him with honest eyes. “I want to trust you, Kane.”

Frowning and with eyes hardening to hurt slits, he reiterated, “I would never force you, Reagan. I’m a lot of things but what you are expecting me to do is not one of them.”

“I’m not expecting you to….”

“Rape you?” He gritted out. “Then what’s with the panic attack?”

“This isn’t exactly ideal,” I blurted. “I’m not supposed to be here with you!”

“And I’m pretty sure I’m not supposed to be here with you,” he shot back. “But we’re trapped! I doubt anybody even knows this place is here. And there’s no less than seventy Zombies just waiting for us to open that door. Neither of us has a choice right now. But who knows how long we’ll be stuck here, so you better get used to the idea. And stop looking at me like I’m a sexual predator!”

“Tomorrow,” I whispered. “We’ll just be here until tomorrow.”

Kane’s eyes narrowed further and he said, “You’re that confident in Hendrix’s ability to find you.”

Keeping the fact that we were planning to come to this place anyway and that Gage would hopefully realize this is where we would try to seek shelter, I nodded. “I know he’ll be able to find me.”

“He’s part hound dog, then?” Kane snorted derisively.

Ignoring that dig, I said, “Even if they don’t come by tomorrow, we’re alive Kane. And we’ll be alright in here. At least for a little while. Plus, the Zombie feeding frenzy kind of gives away our location.”

He made a grunting noise but diverted his attention to looking through the kitchen cabinets. With a somewhat defeated voice he said, “There’s food here. And water.”

“There’s a bathroom,” I reminded him. And then to remind myself, I repeated, “We’ll be alright.”

Kane’s shoulders sagged and he leaned against the counter, putting the majority of his weight on his hands. I couldn’t tell if this this was depressed Kane or peaceful Kane, but either way he seemed to be in a better mood than when I’d all but called him a rapist.

He slowly turned around and relaxed against the same countertop. “At least we’ll be able to get to know each other better.” He flashed me a roguish grin and I stifled a long-suffering sigh.

“Just what I was hoping for.” I made sure the acidic tone of my voice carried clearly over the hungry Feeder soundtrack in the background.

“Admit it, Reagan; I’m mysterious, intriguing even. You’ve wanted to know more about me since the moment you met me.” He sounded so cocky and sure of himself that I was able to let out a convincingly amused laugh. “This,” he declared, “will be good for us.”

I turned around and stared at the smooth steel wall that reinforced the rock façade on the outside. I didn’t even have a witty comeback to that statement, not even a denial.

He was hitting this too close to home. I
had been
intrigued by him. He
was
a mystery. And even while I swore to myself I didn’t want to get to the bottom of any of his enigmatic secrets, there was a clanging curiosity that set my blood on fire.

But I wouldn’t act on it. I wouldn’t even acknowledge it.

I just had to last until tomorrow. I just had to make it until the rescue party showed up. Because I knew they would show up.

Potentially even sooner than tomorrow. Hendrix would work nonstop until I was safe and back in his arms. I knew that about him. I knew that because I knew he loved me. And I trusted him for the same reasons, because I loved him too.

Kane and I wouldn’t be trapped for long.

And as soon as Kane and I were free, he would go back with his father and I would be free from him and his
mysterious
ways for good.

Look for Episode 11 coming Friday, November 15th, 2013

About the Author

Rachel Higginson was born and raised in Nebraska, but spent her college years traveling the world. She married her high school sweetheart and spends her days raising their growing family. She is obsessed with bad reality TV and any and all Young Adult Fiction.

Look for more from Rachel in 2013.

The remaining episodes of this novella series will be released twice a month. Look for Episode 11 coming November 15th, 2013.

Other books by Rachel to be released in 2013 are The Relentless Warrior, the sixth book in The Star-Crossed Series and The Fall, the second book in the Siren Series.

Other Books Out Now by Rachel Higginson:

Love and Decay, Episode One

Love and Decay, Episode Two

Love and Decay, Episode Three

Love and Decay, Episode Four

Love and Decay, Episode Five

Love and Decay, Episode Six

Love and Decay, Episode Seven

Love and Decay, Episode Eight

Love and Decay, Episode Nine

Reckless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 1)

Hopeless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 2)

Fearless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 3)

Endless Magic (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 4)

The Reluctant King (The Star-Crossed Series, Book 5)

Starbright (The Starbright Series, Book 1)

Sunburst (The Starbright Series, Book2)

The Rush (The Siren Series, Book 1)

Bet in the Dark (An NA Contemporary Romance)

Follow Rachel on her blog at:

www.rachelhigginson.com

Or on Twitter:

@mywritesdntbite

Or on her Facebook pages:

Rachel Higginson

Or

Reckless Magic

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four