Chapter 20
FIONA
For five days, we fuck, cuddle, watch television, and gorge on the exquisite food they bring us.
We don’t ask why we’re kept here for so long, or what it means. We accept the time as a gift, praying his seed takes root.
What’s ironic is that we don’t talk about torture or any of the bad parts of our lives. We talk about the unbroken parts of us. How he loved the show Lost and hates Dr. Who. How he detests Peeps.
I tell him about how I’d skip band to go to Dairy Queen and loved playing dodgeball.
We watch the cartoon Gargoyles and listen to sad 90’s music. We fit as much living as we can into our time together, staving off thoughts of the inevitable.
But the opening of the door to our prison apartment brings us back to our harsh reality.
“Please, no!” I choke, burying my face in Hunter’s chest.
His big arms circle me as he pulls me in tight. “It’s okay, baby. They’re going to take care of you.”
“I don’t want to be taken care of! I want you.”
“Sit down.” Cole’s gruff voice rips through the room.
My blood is hot fury, but Hunter responds before I can.
“Can I have a minute to say goodbye?”
“I said, sit the fuck down!”
“Seriously?” Hunter retorts, his muscles tensing.
“If you don’t sit the fuck down, I’ll make you,” Cole threatens.
Through my tears, I see Atticus, Blake, and Grady standing behind Cole.
There’s no way out of this.
“C-c-can I just have a few minutes with him?” I beg.
Cole grabs a chair, drags it over to the couch, and sits with back of the chair between his thighs. He gestures to the couch. “Sit, and don’t make me say it again.”
“It’s okay,” Hunter whispers. “I did what I did and there’s no taking it back. Don’t make this harder on yourself.”
I allow Hunter to guide me to the couch, utterly devastated. I thought I could go on without him, but now I’m not so sure.
Once we’re settled, Hunter says, “Don’t draw this out.”
“I don’t intend to,” Cole says.
“Then what is this about?”
Cole looks from Hunter to me, then back to Hunter. “Ask me what I’ve been doing the last few days.”
“Quite frankly, I don’t give a fuck what you were doing,” Hunter snarls. “Get on with it.”
“I’ve been watching the testimonies of at least twenty women and what they went through at the hands of predators I reckon are worse than the dead that are walking. Predators you killed.”
That gets my attention.
Hunter’s hand tightens around mine. “Stop!”
“You’re going to listen, because if you don’t, it’ll go worse for her.” Cole nods at me.
When Hunter says nothing, Cole continues with, “It was Atticus’s idea to go to the library and find any records they had on you. He hasn’t gone out once since the dead rose, so that was a trip.”
“Please,” Hunter whispers, his voice fraught with pain.
“Apparently, you were a pretty big deal and there was all kinds of documentation. To say that I’m confused as hell is an understatement. I didn’t even know monsters like you existed. It’d be easier if it were black and white; good versus evil—but you—fuck, you are something else entirely.”
“I honestly don’t care what you think of me,” Hunter says.
“You should, because it’s the difference between life and death.”
“You think I’m scared of death?”
“No, but I think you’re scared of what will happen to Fiona.”
“You wouldn’t hurt her.”
“No, but she’ll do a good job of torturing herself.”
Hunter sucks in a breath and bends forward, planting his forearms on his thighs and bowing his head.
“I don’t know exactly what happened to you, and how you got so fucked in the head, but I’m glad you are on our side, and I’d like you to remain so.”
“Huh?” I blurt, my heart racing in my chest. “You’re not going to kill him?”
“Truth is, I never wanted to. I just never had a good reason not to. Something’s coming. I can feel it in my bones. And we’re going to need all the men we can get.”
Unable to contain my excitement, I throw my arms around Hunter and let out a squeal. I feel him relax as I hold him, his body melting against mine.
“There’s more,” Cole deadpans.
Of course, there is.
Hunter pushes me away gently, directing his attention to Cole. “Don’t ask me to talk, because I won’t.”
“I figured as much and expected that. This has to do with the terms of your living situation.”
Hunter arches a brow. “Terms.”
“I’m not going to kill you, but I can’t set you free.”
“So you’re going to keep me in the damn holding?” Hunter snickers. “No, thanks.”
“No, not the holding. I have an apartment set up for you two psychopaths.” His eyes dart to me briefly. “It’s about twice as big as a typical apartment because it’s going to be where you spend just about every moment you have left on this earth.”
“I…I don’t understand,” I say, looking from Cole to Hunter.
“It’s house arrest,” Hunter says. “And that I won’t abide. Not for Fiona.”
“Oh, I’ll abide it!” I blurt. “If it means I get to keep you.”
Hunter looks at me, his face full of anguish. “You deserve better.”
I chuckle, trying to set Hunter at ease. “You heard the man.” I glance over at Cole. “I’m a psychopath. Just ask my ex.”
“You need grass and sunshine and light—”
“Which she’ll get. We’ll allow her time out of the pen, seeing as how she didn’t go to the lengths you did. Or at least we assume she didn’t. Don’t incriminate yourself,” he warns.
“But I’ll stay confined?” Hunter asks.
“Mostly.” Cole shrugs. “There may come a time when we need your particular skill set.”
Seeing the hesitation in Hunter’s eyes, I say, “Take the deal. You know I’ll never be normal again. Not after what I’ve been through. I need you here, because you’re the only thing in this world that makes me feel…I don’t know…right. I’ll live forever in a cage if it means I get to live with you.”
“She’s right,” Cole says softly. “Take the deal.”
“Can I have a moment alone with Fiona?”
Cole gets up from his seat, pulls a walkie-talkie from his belt, and hands it to Hunter. “Take a minute; take a day. We’re in no rush. Radio in when you’re done.”
After they leave, I throw myself into Hunter’s arms again, sobbing.
He smooths my hair, kissing my forehead.
“Why are you even hesitating?” I demand.
“Because it would be a terrible thing to see you caged.”
“Don’t you get it—I don’t give a fuck! I need you.”
“But what if you get pregnant?”
“I hope I do!”
“We can’t raise a baby like this.”
“Do you think it’s ideal for any woman to raise a baby during an apocalypse?”
“I suppose not…”
“It’ll be fine! They won’t punish a baby for our mistakes. We’ll make it work.”
Hunter doesn’t look convinced.
“You know if you die, they won’t release me. They know I was in the apartment when you tortured Brett. They’re never going to let me go. Not after what I’ve done.”
“I really did a number on you.”
“You set me free.”
His hands cup my cheeks. “If anything, you’re the one who set me free.”
He brings his lips to mine, stealing the breath from my lungs. For so long, I felt broken and damaged. But Hunter makes me whole.
And I think I might make him feel the same way.
He pulls away, and I see a rare smile gracing his lips. “At least you won’t be completely confined. I want you to make friends and have things to look forward to.”
Frowning, I look away. “I wonder what the other Kept will think of me. I’ve already made a bad first impression.”
“Couldn’t be as bad as Amber, who helped kidnap Selina’s daughter.”
“Wow, I guess the bar is pretty low.”
He lifts my chin, forcing me to look at him. “All the Kept have been through some shit, so don’t hang your head in shame.”
For a long time, we just look at each other as if we can’t believe our luck. Atticus, a man I don’t even know, worked a miracle for us, and for that, I’ll forever be thankful to him.
Looking around at the apartment we’ve shared for the last few days, I grow dour. This place once held fleeting joy for me, but I need something more. I need a fresh start.
I grab the walkie-talkie from Hunter and hit the TALK button.
Fiona: We’re ready!
“What are you doing?” Hunter barks.
“I’m excited to see our new home!”
“You mean our jail cell?”
“Stop! If you go in with a negative mindset, you’re going to be miserable.”
A smile forms on his lips. “Okay, Martha-Freaking-Stewart.”
The radio crackles.
Cole: Already?
Hunter grabs the walkie-talkie, scowling comically.
Hunter: You heard the lady.
Cole: I’ll be right there.