Chapter 38 Bash
Bash
Xeni’s breath is steady as he lies on my chest, his arms hugging my stomach and his legs woven through mine in a tangle that feels like the most natural thing in the world.
My arm fell asleep an hour ago, but I can’t bring myself to move it.
He’s sleeping so peacefully, with his face relaxed in a way I haven’t seen in far too long.
The sun has passed its midday high and begun its slow descent toward the horizon, but we have hours left until it’s safe to leave this place.
Sakane and Ego are curled up in a ball together in the shadows, their breathing soft and even.
Cato leans against a thick trunk with his eyes closed, fingers still wrapped around his knife and ready to spring into action.
Sovran sits on a rock near the treeline, his posture unnaturally straight as he scouts into the distance, ever vigilant.
I don’t think it’s fully hit me yet—the sheer expanse of this wide-open place before me.
The sky stretches endless and unconfined. It’s a vast, unbroken canvas of blue and gold that makes the city walls feel like a distant dream. Possibilities hang in the air, just as unlimited, whispering that maybe, for the first time, the horizon belongs to us.
My entire life has been spent within the walls I was assigned, and boundaries defined every aspect of my existence.
I grew up in Denver, a city far from here with walls just as thick and a military just as vicious, but it was home.
A loving set of parents in a clean apartment, and opportunities many weren’t given.
Teachers saw my aptitude for science and placed me in a selective college program, but it wasn’t long into my studies before I was plucked away and sent to Ljómur.
More walls there. Higher ones, with compounded risk.
Until it, too, became my home.
Then I was snatched from that life and dropped into a city I’d never set foot in before.
Everything was strange, everyone a stranger.
I was handed a bag of coins and a pack of supplies, given a contact to get me a new identity, and left in the crowd, still reeling from the shock of being separated from my mate.
I had been without a home for the first time in my life.
Then I’d met Cato and been dragged into his band of misfits. They eased that burden but never fully took it away. As much as I’d tried to turn Atlanta into home, it couldn’t be.
Not when my home was a person.
I glance at Xeni.
We’re so small against the endlessness, and that loosens something in my chest… something that’s been clenched for years. The ground beneath my feet is solid, real, and mine to walk.
No orders, walls, or cages, just sky and space.
Just us.
Just home.
For once, the silence doesn’t feel like absence. It feels like freedom.
Xeni grunts quietly in his sleep and hugs me tighter. Pins and needles explode through my arm as I shift to make him more comfortable, but I smile through the tingling prickles as he nuzzles in.
Another hour passes before he finally stirs awake, his nose wrinkled and expression adorably confused for a moment as he sits up and stretches. Those arms reach for the sky as his spine arches, and his shirt lifts to reveal the smooth plane of his stomach underneath.
He bites his lip when he catches me staring, then swings his legs over mine to straddle my lap.
“What are you looking at, big boy?” he teases.
I huff a low laugh as I run my hands along his thighs. “Just admiring how pretty you are.”
He hums and leans in to kiss me. “Here I was, trying to make this dirty while you’re being sweet.”
I fist his hair and pull him back so we’re nose to nose, and he lets out a heavy breath as his lips part. “You’re always trying to make things dirty,” I tease.
His mouth curves into a self-satisfied grin. “It is one of my many specialties.”
My fingers drag along the crease in his thigh, and he pinches his lip between his teeth.
I inch my mouth closer to his ear, kissing the lobe before I whisper, “I bet I could shove my hand down your pants and race you over the edge in minutes—”
“Yes,” he breathes, “that. Let’s do that.”
“—but…” I pull back with a teasing grin. “There are people around right now.”
“So?” he whines, pushing out his bottom lip.
I chuckle as I urge him in for another kiss. “Every part of you belongs to me, Xen. Heart, soul, and body.”
Goosebumps lift on his skin as I rake my fingernails across his scalp.
“Every single tiny hair on your arm is mine,” I continue quietly. “Every inch of this beautiful skin, and every beat of your heart. Those little noises you make when we fuck? Those are mine, too, and I won’t share them.”
He kisses me with more heat, but less intention, and when he pulls away, he lays his head on my shoulder.
“I could be super quiet?” he offers after a stretch.
A laugh that’s far too loud leaves my throat. “Insatiable.”
He shrugs, and his cheeks lift in a smile against my neck. We sit like this for a few minutes longer, until his stomach growls and I insist on feeding him.
The next few hours pass in a lull of hushed conversations as we wait for the sun to set. We attempt to pull Sovran in with a slew of questions about who he is, what he’s been doing, and where we’re going, but we only get simple answers. Eventually, we leave him to stand guard solo.
We repack and bide our time until it’s dark enough to travel.
Sovran leads the way, steering us away from the main passages.
We walk northeast and keep an excellent pace since everyone is well-rested.
A few headlights form on the distant roads, but we crouch behind rocks or hold perfectly still as they pass.
No one seems alerted to our presence, and when dawn breaks, we’ve put a good amount of distance between us and the city.
“How much further?” Ego asks as we stop for another food and water break.
Sovran glances around at the terrain before nodding toward a distant landmark. “If we continue at this pace, we’ll arrive before afternoon.”
“And this camp will be happy to see us?” Cato asks. “We’re not going to get gunned down at the gates, are we?”
“They will allow you lodging while you make your plans,” Sovran answers.
I fight back my eyeroll at the vague responses. “Alright, that’s a good thing. How do you know them?”
“I helped the leaders escape the city many years ago. They are friends.”
Xeni and I exchange a glance and a shrug. Even if Sovran isn’t the best conversationalist, we have no reason to doubt his intentions. For now, I’m happy to follow his lead.
I glance over at Sakane with his notebook out, scribbling rushed words and drawing landmarks.
He loves making maps—finding multiple ways to get to a destination and hidden shortcuts others might miss.
It’s always come in handy, because he knows Atlanta like the back of his hand.
Out here everything is new, and I wonder what he’s seeing that everyone else has overlooked.
Now that we’re further from the city, we continue to walk throughout the morning, though we keep a close eye on the roads.
We’re all tired after the events of the past few days, and as the heat rises, tempers get shorter.
Cato and Xeni bicker, and Ego spurs them along with a grin, using them as her entertainment.
We shift further off the beaten path, and an hour before noon, Sovran gestures through a thicket of trees ahead.
A large building sits through the trunks, but it’s painted in a shade of green that makes it impossible to see at a glance.
I look around, noticing for the first time that the trees surrounding us are too uniform to be natural.
They were planted intentionally, and blending into the terrain is an impressive defense.
This building isn’t tall like those in the cities. It’s a single story, but spreads out wide, with doors evenly spaced along the painted brick. An old motel, from the appearance, though there are no signs of life.
“Wait here,” Sovran says, not bothering to check if we listened. He approaches the building, then turns and walks out of our line of sight.
“This place is weird,” Ego says, hugging her arms over her chest. “Gives me the willies.”
“It’s not weird, it’s genius,” Xeni argues. “Though I’d question being so close to the city, even with the camouflage.”
Sakane nods as he swings his backpack to the front of his body for a drink of water. “Of course you think it’s weird. I do too. Places like this don’t exist in the city, and this is the first time we’ve left.”
Ego shrugs. “Not like we could stay. They’d already dropped our jailbird ads, and it was just a matter of time before your faces joined the lineup. Besides, Cato would’ve been in a constant bad mood from seeing someone prettier than him right next to his mugshot.”
“Please,” Cato drawls, tilting his head with a catty smirk, “I’m prettier than you any day of the week.”
Xeni lets out a low, taunting hum in the back of his throat. His smirk spreads as he flips his hair with a dramatic toss. “If you have to say it out loud…”
“Oh, fuck y—”
“No, no,” Ego cuts in smoothly.
Cato whips toward her, eyes wide with betrayal.
“He has a point,” she says, and swaggers to Xeni’s side. “The pretty ones never have to announce it. They just show up and ruin everyone else’s day. Isn’t that right, Xeni?”
“So right,” Xeni purrs as he slings an arm around her shoulders and tosses his hair again for good measure.
Cato’s face burns tomato red as Sakane fails to hide his snort of laughter.
“You’re not winning this one, my friend,” I say, chuckling.
Cato’s jaw ticks, but he plays it off as he flexes his chest. “You’re all delusional. I’m the gold standard.
“Gold standard?” Xeni repeats as he leans forward, casting a haughty once-over down Cato’s frame. “You’re a walking red flag.”
Ego cackles. “Red flag? More like red carpet for drama. Roll it out, Cato, we’re all here for the show.”
Cato glares at her. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”