Chapter Nineteen
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OAKLIE WAS MORTIFIED by her uncontrollable sobs, but she couldn’t stop them.
The hardened warrior who’d threatened to kill her a short while ago now held her to his chest. He was treating her like she was someone who was precious rather than a threat who could kill him.
His hand ran up and down her back soothingly.
The knight pulled her closer and rested his chin on her bun.
“It will be alright, female,” he said. His voice was a deep rumble in her ear that was pressed against his chest. “No harm will come to you while you’re in my presence. ”
For the first time since the Rapture had taken her family three months ago, Oaklie felt safe.
Then reality came crashing back down. “You can’t guarantee that,” she said when her sobs petered out.
“You saw what humans have turned into. They don’t have to pretend now that all of the good people are gone.
They’ve let their inner monsters out and most of them will probably try to kill us. ”
He heaved a sigh and didn’t argue with her. “I’ll keep you as safe as I can,” he said, altering his vow.
“Why?” Oaklie asked, drawing back far enough to see his face.
His hand slid up her back to cup the base of her neck. “Because you’re mine,” he said simply. “I don’t know why I feel that way, but that’s what my instincts are telling me.”
Oaklie saw the sincerity in his pale eyes, but she couldn’t allow herself to believe it. Letting herself trust and rely on anyone in this new world would be dangerous and potentially deadly. “I must look like a mess,” she said in embarrassment, searching her pockets for a tissue.
“You’re beautiful,” he refuted, then surprised her by reaching up to tug the hair tie out of her bun. Her hair cascaded around her in a black mass of tangled locks. “Stunning,” he murmured, wrapping some strands around his finger.
He was the one who was stunning. Oaklie had never seen a man as gorgeous as Arkas was before.
Best of all, he seemed oblivious to his appeal.
He wasn’t arrogant like most hot guys tended to be.
Thunder rumbled again, snapping her out of her daze.
“The storm should move on soon,” she mumbled and extricated herself from his lap.
He reluctantly let her go. “I’m going to grab some waterproof clothes,” she said and hastily headed upstairs.
“I’ll be waiting, female,” the warrior said.
She glanced over her shoulder just in time to see him stand up.
Her eyes widened at the huge tent in his pants.
Fleeing to her bedroom, the cambion slapped her hands over her mouth to muffle hysterical giggles.
Clearly, the knight was just as well-endowed as the sculpture she’d crafted.
Finally getting herself under control, Oaklie washed her face, put her hair back in a bun and changed into another winter jacket.
Just as she’d guessed, the rain began to abate as she took the stairs back down to the first floor.
Arkas had returned to his seat on the couch.
One leg was crossed, hiding her view of his groin.
He gave her a pleasant smile, but she saw his tension.
“Are you ready to leave?” she asked.
“We should wait a few more minutes,” he suggested. “It sounds like the rain will pass soon.”
It was hard to keep her expression neutral, but she managed it. Oaklie had only dated two guys and they’d both been mediocre in bed. She had a feeling a night in bed with Arkas would be far more memorable.
“The rain has stopped,” she said when the weather suddenly cleared up. “We should go now before another wave of clouds roll in.”
Arkas motioned for her to take the lead.
She made sure she didn’t watch him get up this time.
The door opened for her at her command, then fused shut again once they were both outside.
A few raindrops were still falling, but not enough to soak them.
Oaklie led the way to the gate and they exited from the property.
The logs became joined once more and would keep any potential intruders out.
“Lead the way,” Arkas said, then easily kept up with her when she began sprinting to town.
Oaklie slowed down when they neared the house where she’d heard a madman on the ham radio. “This is the place,” she said in a hushed voice.
Arkas examined the small abode that was painted yellow. “I can hear a strange hissing noise,” he said with a frown.
“That’s static from the radio,” Oaklie explained.
He opened his mouth to reply, then the radio crackled and a voice began to speak. “Listen up, people,” the human said grimly. “The latest good guy who’s arrived needs to trust the female he’s with. Only by working together will they reach Manhattan alive.”
“Is that the sign you were looking for?” Oaklie asked wryly.
“Fate is speaking through this Mad Prophet,” the knight surmised. “Amaros and my brothers must be in this city. We need to reach it as soon as possible.”
“It will take us weeks to walk there,” the artist warned him. “We should look for transportation.”
He glanced at the vehicles sitting in driveways or parked on the roads. “Good point,” he conceded. “Do you think any of these cars will still work?”
“Probably not,” she said. “But I saw someone driving around in a truck a while ago. They live out near the blue house you’re squatting in.”
“Squatting?” he protested, taking offense. “I’m merely borrowing an empty house while I wait for my commander to arrive.”
“We call that squatting in this era,” Oaklie said solemnly, then snickered at him.
“Follow me,” she ordered, then took off running again.
Arkas was right beside her as she sprinted to a property just a mile or so from his base.
“Uh, oh,” she said when she saw red splashes on the snowy driveway.
Bodies were sprawled near the truck she’d come to steal.
It must have occurred just after the storm had ended.
“Stay here, female,” the knight said. “I’ll move closer and see if anyone is still alive.”
Heaving a quiet sigh, she leaned against a tree to wait. Arkas flashed across the road and reached the house at the end of the long driveway. It only took him a moment to ascertain it was safe for her to approach.
Oaklie joined him a few seconds later. “It looks like they had a battle over the truck and no one survived,” she guessed. All five men and women were sporting bullet holes.
“That’s convenient for us,” Arkas said, then bent to pluck keys out of one of the dead men’s hand. “We should search the house for supplies,” he suggested.
“Check to see if the tank is full,” Oaklie requested. “There might be spare jerrycans in the barn.”
He looked confused for a moment, then nodded. “Right,” he agreed, then sauntered over to their new ride.
Shaking her head at how strange the aliens were, Oaklie entered the unlocked front door.
“Jackpot,” she murmured when she saw boxes of food on the kitchen table.
There was enough canned food and bottled water to last her for a few weeks.
She began carrying them to the truck Arkas had left unlocked and began stashing them on the back seat.
Arkas strode out of the barn with two jerrycans in his hands. “The tank is full,” he reported, then placed them in the bed. “I’ll cover them with a tarp so they don’t fall out,” he added.
Oaklie was amazed at how fast he was learning to cope in this era.
Everything had changed dramatically since he’d been here last. “Women can even vote now,” she said to herself as she headed back inside for the next load of food.
The supplies had probably been stolen from town and the neighboring properties.
“I bet this is going on all over America,” she figured.
“Neighbors are killing each other over a box of stale cookies.”
There was no amusement in her tone. This was the harsh reality all of the people who’d been left behind were now facing. Earth had become a dystopian place where only the toughest would survive.