Chapter 38
Darlia
My chest heaves with exhaustion as I stand over the five bodies, disarming them and taking their ammo, as much as we can carry.
I take a utility belt, placing it on my hips and clicking it into place before taking a pair of their leather gloves for Bella and me before turning to Cayden, who’s watching me with his brows knitted.
He’s judging me.
“We need to go.” His voice is tight. He’s not trying to give anything away as he grabs a gun from the guard’s body before walking out without another word.
I think he’s mad at me? I’m not sure how this works, but I know he’s not happy with me, at least. And for what? Saving us from the guards? Any longer and they would’ve all had their guns pointed at us, and we would’ve lost the element of surprise.
“Cayden, can we talk?”
“Yes, Darlia. Let’s stop for a minute while there are at least a hundred guards looking for you to talk.”
Okay, definitely mad.
“Cayden, I did what I had to. Those guards were going to kill us. I know you said no more killing, but if it’s them or you, I will always choose to protect you.” That stops him. Cayden looks down at me, his face softening before pressing a soft kiss to my forehead.
“I’m not mad, baby. I know you did what’s best for us. Doesn’t mean I like it, but I get it.”
Darlia: 2
Cayden: 0
“Now come on, before someone actually spots us and we have issues.” Cayden takes my hand, running through the last two blocks of housing before we meet up at the car where the others are already waiting.
Bella runs to my side, ignoring the bullet wound on her leg which is now wrapped in cloth, and immediately wraps her arms around me. “I thought you were dead, you idiot! But you’re okay…Right? You’re not hurt? Let me see you, I need to check.”
I don’t argue and let her spin me around checking for a wound. I hear her sigh of relief when she finds none, only other peoples’ blood.
“What happened?” Bella’s face fills with worry as she looks down at me.
“Guard patrol. Cayden tried to sweet talk, and it almost worked, but they saw my knife. We had to kill them, but I grabbed you gloves.” I reach into my pocket, pulling out the leather gloves, and Bella smiles.
“Yay! Thank you! Marcus look, I have gloves and you don’t.” And she’s off again, laughing at the leather in her hands and the worry forgotten.
“Get in the car, Darlia.” Cayden opens the door, not looking at me, and my stomach drops. What did I do now? He said he wasn’t mad, why is he being so cold?
Is this why they wouldn’t tell us where we are going? Either way, I don’t like it.
“Now, please. Before we all die.”
“Yeah, sorry.” I hate the way his coldness is tugging at my heart, it’s an unfamiliar feeling.
I’ve never cared about what someone thinks about me.
Not even Bella or Lauren. But Cayden? His cold tone and dismissive body language has me wanting to beg for forgiveness, and I don’t even know what I did.
Stepping into the back of the car, Cayden climbs in next to me while Bella and Marcus sit in the front. Weston, Luke, and Caleb get in the car behind us, their loud music blaring behind us without a care in the world.
I want to be in their car. It seems so much more fun, and Cayden can’t be mad at me there.
“Darlia, I need you to promise you won’t hurt anyone where we’re going.”
I’m sorry, what?
He’s not mad. He’s scared…of me? Haven’t I proven I wouldn’t hurt him or his friends? I could have at any point, especially when they were asleep and exposed, but I didn’t. I had no desire to.
“Are you serious?” I don’t bother hiding the hurt in my voice, because honestly? That fucking hurt.
“Deadly.” The coldness in Cayden’s voice doesn’t waver, and I realise something. He said he sent his mother and sister away, could that be where we are going? Is he worried I would hurt his family?
“Cayden…” My voice breaks, and it’s a sincerity I haven’t even heard before. They’ve all seen me cry over Lauren, but never because of Cayden.
“I won’t hurt your family, I promise.”
“I never said it was my family I was worried about,” Cayden says defensively, and I know immediately I was right. “You didn’t have to. I know you, Cayden, just like I know how much you care about her, your sister. I would never lay a hand on her, I promise. And the fact you think I would, hurts.”
It’s more honest than I’ve ever been in my life. I’ve never talked about feelings or emotions because before, they were a problem, something I couldn’t focus on. But with Cayden, they mean something. I want him to know how he makes me feel.
“She means everything to me, Darlia.”
“You mean everything to me, Cayden.”
?
The car speeds through so many things I didn’t know existed. Cayden is still moody, but has softened slightly. I can respect his desire to protect his sister. But they never have anything to fear with me. I will not harm anyone close to Cayden, ever.
“What’s the pointy things?” I ask, pointing out the car window. Cayden laughs at me, thank god. I was beginning to miss that sound.
A smile tugs at my lips at the sound, and he shakes his head amused. “Mountains, baby. Those are mountains.”
“What do they do?”
This time, it’s Bella and Marcus who burst into tears, Cayden behind them. I don't understand what’s so funny, but if it means Cayden is laughing, then I’ll be clueless any day.
“They don’t do anything, love. They’re nature.”
“Like the trees and stuff?” Bella curls over in her seat, holding her stomach struggling to breathe from laughter. Marcus holds it back, but he doesn’t hold the smile from his face, and it looks good on him, I don’t get to see it often.
“Yeah, baby, like the trees and stuff. Get some sleep, we’re still a while off and you look exhausted.” My eyelids close immediately as I curl into Cayden, his comforting scent filling my senses and luring me into a deep sleep. Cayden wraps his arms around me just before I drift off.
The sound of the tyres on gravel manages to pull me from sleep. Cayden is still sitting in the back, his hand in mine while Marcus continues to drive. I look over to Bella who is still asleep in the front, and I sit up with a groan, my back clearly hating every second of how I slept.
“What time is it?”
“Just after 5:00 a.m, love,” Cayden says, his expression softening as he looks at me.
The golden flecks in his eyes are less noticeable in the low light.
Right now they just look brown; they’re still beautiful, but not Cayden.
The exhaustion must finally be getting to me because I still feel like I could sleep for another twelve hours.
My mind is groggy-like, trying to catch up with my body.
“How far away are we?”
“About two minutes.” That captures my attention. I sit up straight and look around, trying to see if I can see anything outside to tell me where we are, what we’re doing. But it’s nothing but fields and farmlands.
The gravel doesn’t seem to have an end until we reach an old farmhouse with a big barn to the side. Immediately, I step out and take a look around. There are fields of different planted fruits and vegetables. There are animals on the right side opposite the barn with cows, pigs, and chickens.
More animals than I’ve ever seen before in my life.
They all belong in government-mandated farms now, to ensure even distribution of the food in the rations.
It’s beautiful, and peaceful. We were driving for at least eight hours, so we’re clearly a long way away from home, but I love it. It’s so quiet.
Even the air is different here. It feels fresher, like I can breathe clearly after having so much weight on me for so much time. It’s like every moment before this I’ve been drowning, and I’ve finally reached the surface.
Then a big dog with golden fur comes running towards us. My first instinct is to flinch and run away, but Cayden’s hand sneaks around my waist and pulls me into him.
“Don’t worry, it’s just Jackson. He’s a big softy and loves attention. If you pat him, he’ll consider you his best friend.”
With newfound confidence, I kneel down to the ground and let the dog, Jackson, jump all over me, attacking me with slobbery kisses and soft barks. For the first time in a very long time, I feel genuinely happy.
“Hey boy.” I smile, brushing my hands through his fur; it’s long, and golden, and beautiful. This whole place is beautiful and peaceful. Bella wakes up at the sound of the dog, and squeals,
“Oh my god, a golden retriever! I haven’t seen one of these in years!” And suddenly Jackson has a new best friend, clinging to Bella for attention.
Traitor.
I must be pouting because Cayden is laughing to my side, looking down at me. He looks calm here, too. It’s nice to see him like this again, his shoulders relaxed and his muscles not always tense.
Nope, I’m still mad. He thought I could hurt his sister. Not thinking like that.
But then a girl runs out, yelling Cayden’s name and jumping into his arms. I feel a pit in my stomach at the sight. Who the fuck is she?
“Olive.” Cayden sighs, closing his eyes and pulling her close.
Too close. He holds her for a while, relishing in the sight of her, and every part of me hates it.
If this is what jealousy feels like, I hate it.
I want nothing to do with it, this is a cruel feeling.
He relaxes into the embrace, and I feel my heart plummet at the sight.
The girl, Olive, steps back and looks down at me as I stand up. All my sensors on high alert.
“Cayden, who is this?” My voice is carefully calm, dangerous. But then it hits me; Cayden told me about his sister, that she was hidden away here with his mother. Could this be her?
I take a moment to look her over. Olive has golden-brown hair, her eyes are blue with green flecks compared to Cayden’s brown with golden flecks. She’s my height, but her skin isn’t as tanned as Cayden’s. I don’t see much of a resemblance.