The Three (6 page)

On her way past a cash register, she glanced down at a folded newspaper that sat on the counter. The headline was similar to the headlines of every paper she had seen from right before they had stopped printing them twenty years earlier: The Attack That Never Ends: Billions Dead As A Result of Biological Agent. She read the subtitle. Are These The Last Days?

“Not for all of us,” she muttered under her breath. “God knows why.” A tired sigh, and she limped off to go shopping for new clothes.

After only a day and a half of rest at their campsite just out of Sullivan, Anna felt stronger and healthier than she had in months and decided it was time to start fighting lessons. She left Elin cooking breakfast by the fire, deeply engrossed in a tattered paperback book, and set off in search of Kael.

She found him standing in a small clearing, and as she looked on, he nocked an arrow and drew the compound bow he’d picked up in the sporting goods store in Sullivan. Anna stopped about fifteen feet from where he stood. As he aimed at something in the distance, she took the opportunity to study him in a way she didn’t feel comfortable doing when he could watch her in return. His body was lean and strong, muscled shoulders in stark relief beneath his black T-shirt. Dark energy radiated from his tense frame; his concentration on his target was silent and intense.

Do you think Kael is sexy?

Anna took in the unrelenting strength of her traveling companion, and her cheeks flushed at the sudden heat in her belly. She dropped her eyes to her feet, confused, then raised them again so she could keep watching.

Kael released the arrow, keeping his upper body straight and in line with his hips. His posture was impeccable, his entire presence cool and confident. The arrow whizzed through the air and landed with a thwack in the narrow trunk of a tree amongst dozens of others, just below the juncture of the branches. He held his position momentarily after the arrow hit its mark, then lowered his impressive bow with a quiet sigh.

“So, was that a hit or a miss?” Anna leaned against a tree, arms folded over her chest.

“Hit,” Kael said, not even reacting to her sudden presence. “I think I’m getting the hang of this thing.”

“Looks like it.” They stood in silence for a beat until Anna gave an awkward cough and cleared her throat.

“Anyway, I was wondering if maybe you were up to helping me practice fighting this morning. Elin told me I’d find you out here.”

“Sounds good.” He walked over and set his new bow down near the tree, standing as close to her as he had ever been.

For the first time, Anna noticed the startling indigo color of his eyes. She blinked, entranced, then dropped her gaze. “Cool.”

“But I’m going to take it a little easy on you today.” Kael raised his arms above his head and stretched. “I think we should concentrate on good strategies for fighting with an injured ankle. No weapons.”

Anna stripped off her light jacket, laid her toiletries down upon it, and straightened to begin her own stretching. “Don’t go too easy on me. The point isn’t just for me to learn some new moves, but also for you to see that I already know a few things.”

Kael gave her a friendly smile. “Of course.” After some mutual stretching, he gestured to the clearing. “You ready?”

“Sure thing.” Anna bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, shaking out her arms. “Let’s go.”

Facing Kael, she took in his relaxed posture, his confident half-smile, and met his gaze in silent challenge. I need to show him that I can do this. I need to show him that I can hold my own in this group.

“Why don’t you show me what you’ve got?” Kael said. “Standard sparring rules apply. No elbow or knee strikes, attacks to the neck, spine, or eyes. Obviously I’m going to avoid that ankle.”

Anna nodded. “Okay.”

“Now, I want you to work around your pain, not fight through it. You got that? In a perfect world, you’d be able to rest up before needing to use that ankle again. I know this isn’t a perfect world, and I understand why you need to get back on your feet. But take it easy. Concentrate on using your arms, your hands. Try to keep that ankle out of the strike zone. Try to get an early advantage by going for vulnerable areas—

crotch, eyes, throat.”

“Wait. I thought there were no attacks to the neck or eyes?”

Kael gave her a small smile. “I don’t expect you to go full-out, but you can try to hit me. If you want to avoid those areas, go for my feet or my head.”

Anna’s upper lip twitched at his utter calm. “Deal.”

Kael beckoned her with his hand. “Come on. Knock me down.”

Anna hesitated only briefly, then threw a punch at Kael’s face. She pulled it before it could connect and used her good foot to stomp on his instep. He grunted at the move, and she stepped forward to bring her knee into his crotch. He moved sideways, avoiding her, and she spun around to give him a wicked smile.

“Nice. Try again.”

Anna exhaled, then swung at Kael’s head. He ducked her fist and countered with a light punch to her shoulder. Anna scowled. “You can hit me for real, you know.”

“That’s not what this is about. Listen, let’s concentrate on self-defense. What’s normally your first reaction to a threat?”

“I listen,” Anna said. “I don’t normally get surprised. I’m very good at listening.”

“Good. That’s important. But what if you’re in a situation already? The threat is approaching. You know a confrontation is imminent.”

Anna considered. “I try to catch them off guard. Attack before they have a chance to realize I’m not just going to let myself be taken.”

Kael frowned. “Your first move should always be to try for an escape. First, be alert to your surroundings.

Second, run away from danger if you can.”

Anna let out a disgusted snort. Taking advantage of Kael’s distraction, she jabbed at his midsection. He absorbed the blow and grabbed her arm as she retreated. She jerked back to escape his grasp, but he spun them around so that he was behind her. Wrapping muscular arms around her chest, he pulled her to his body and immobilized her with startling strength.

“If you get into a fight, you can lose. If you escape from needing to have to fight, you win no matter what.”

Kael’s lips brushed her ear; his warm breath tickled her neck.

Anna shivered at the sensation, remembering her confusing flash of attraction for him earlier. Stiffening in discomfort, she squirmed in an attempt to get out of his hold. “What if I can’t run away? What if I’m trying to protect my tribe from slavers who are attacking us?” Her voice rose, and her heart pounded at the unwelcome assault of nightmarish memories that overtook her at the words. “What if women and children are depending on me?”

“Then you fight.” Kael’s voice was calm, his grip sure.

Anna seethed at being restrained. She continued to struggle for a moment, her heart rate rising as panic set in. “Goddamn you, Kael,” she growled, kicking back at him with her uninjured foot.

“So fight.” Kael lifted her off her feet, and she flailed her legs uselessly. “Get out of this.”

Anna closed her eyes, trying hard not to focus on the way his crotch pressed into her bottom. Her breathing increased as she remembered the smell of blood and male sweat, the sound of her tribe mates screaming in the distance. Summoning all of her righteous fear and anger, she went limp in Kael’s arms.

Obviously surprised, Kael shifted and Anna immediately drew her foot forward then kicked back hard, striking him in the shin to cause him to loosen his hold. She pressed her advantage, slipping down through his grip as her feet hit the ground. Turning her left hip forward, she drove her elbow into his solar plexus, escaped from his stranglehold, and stumbled backwards away from him.

He bent over at the waist, holding his stomach with one hand. “Christ,” he gasped. “You pack one hell of a punch when you’re pissed off.”

Anna shook out her arms and rolled her head from side to side. Facing him, she tried to push back her lingering fear. She didn’t want him to see how much he’d terrified her with his physical dominance.

Somehow she managed a cocky grin. “So don’t piss me off.”

“Nah, it’s good to get mad. If someone is attacking you, and especially if you find yourself overpowered, you need to feel that anger. Get pissed off. Use that rage. Sometimes it’s the only thing that’ll save you.”

Kael straightened, his hand lingering over his belly. “Use your fear, too.”

“Who say’s I’m afraid?”

“There’s nothing wrong with being afraid.” He took a careful step closer. “All animals, including humans, need to feel fear. Those without fear don’t live very long.”

Anna blinked rapidly as her eyes flooded. I’ve spent a year trying to block out my fear. Don’t tell me I should just live with it.

“And right now, we’re not going to worry about protecting others. This is about protecting yourself.” Kael feinted left, as though he were going to attack, then danced backwards. “Fight me off.”

“I’m not afraid of you.” Anna threw her shoulders back and raised her chin in defiance.

“Prove it.” Kael lunged forward and grabbed her arm, pulling her to him.

Startled, she allowed her body to be moved forward, using the momentum to drive her shoulder into his chest. He jumped backwards, clearly shaken by the blow, then grabbed her around the waist to pull her to the ground. Anna stumbled, going down with a muted cry of despair.

Kael followed her as she fell, quickly scrambled on top of her body, and pinned her wrists above her head.

“Tell me you wouldn’t be afraid if someone got you into this position,” he said into her ear.

“Fuck you, Kael,” she spat, squirming beneath his heavier bulk.

“It’s okay, Anna.” He kept her arms pinned on the ground, his hips pressed hard against hers. “But I want you to use what you’re feeling right now. It’s not about the right moves or the perfect strategy. It’s about channeling everything inside of you into getting out of this situation.”

Anna closed her eyes, no longer able to focus on Kael’s voice through her panic. She felt the hard ground beneath her back, rocks and plants digging into her skin through her T-shirt. She felt his heart pounding against her breasts, his thigh insinuating itself between her legs as she struggled.

“Fight me off,” he said. “Go crazy. Do whatever you need to do, just get me off of you. I can do anything to you right now. You need to get out of this, Anna.”

“Don’t,” Anna whispered. Every move she made left her feeling more vulnerable than before.

“Look to press any advantage you can,” Kael continued, seemingly oblivious to her rising panic. He transferred both of her wrists to one hand and used the other to reach between their bodies. “Changes in my position, distractions, fumbling with clothing—”

Pure, animal terror rampaged through her. Her entire body stiffened at the familiarity of Kael’s movements.

She no longer had control over her reactions to his words and actions. Razor-sharp memories of the last time she’d been overpowered and held down on the ground flashed through her mind.

The first one had lank, greasy hair that hung down and tickled her face as he moved on top of her. The pain had been traumatic, a shocking entry into a whole new world of agony. The second had a chin full of overgrown stubble that had scratched her tender cheek as his face rubbed against hers. He whispered to her, filthy words, the entire time. The third one, she swore, would kill her.

All of a sudden the weight above her was gone, and Anna instinctively drew her knees up to her chest and rolled onto her side, blind fear leaving her uncertain and confused. She felt tears streaming down her cheeks, heard the harshness of her gasping as she struggled to breathe. A worried voice penetrated the frantic hammer of her pulse in her ears. Elin was there.

“My God, Kael. What happened?”

“I don’t know,” Anna heard Kael answer. “We were wrestling, and I was trying to get her to use her fear and…maybe I went a little too far.”

Anna squinted her eyes closed, face hot with shame. Her entire body shook with the power of the flashbacks that had consumed her. Caught up in memories, she was unable to relax and assure her companions that she was all right. She choked back a sob and curled into a tighter ball.

A soft hand landed on her back, and she cringed instinctively away before she realized that it was Elin and allowed herself to be pulled up into a tender embrace.

“Anna, baby. It’s okay, sweetheart. You’re okay. You’re safe.” Elin rubbed her hands up and down Anna’s back.

“I’m sorry,” Anna mumbled into Elin’s T-shirt. “I don’t know what…I’m sorry.”

“Anna, you know Kael would never hurt you for real. Right?” Elin asked in a gentle voice.

Anna gave a miserable nod. “I know.” She tried to back out of Elin’s embrace, utterly mortified that she had broken down in front of Kael. And this after I tell him that I’m not afraid. She stole a cautious look at Kael and was shocked by the pain in his indigo eyes.

He sat on the ground, arms resting on his legs, looking wholly devastated by her distress. As she watched, he swiped at the dampness on his face with the back of his hand. When he saw her looking, he dropped his gaze to the leaves and murmured, “I’m sorry.” His voice was quiet, tremulous, and he sounded more vulnerable than Anna had ever heard him before. “I didn’t mean to…I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay, Kael,” Elin said. “Anna knows you didn’t mean to scare her like that.”

“But I did mean to scare her,” Kael mumbled, looking so miserable that Anna couldn’t suppress a tentative smile. “I just didn’t know—”

“Kael,” Anna interrupted in a whisper, “I know you were only trying to help me fight back. You had no reason to think I would react like that. I’m sorry, I—” Her words died away as she struggled for a way to explain what had happened. She had never talked about it with anyone, and Kael wasn’t going to be the first.